Real-time detection and location of GNSS interference for critical infrastructure

SENTINEL is a 24 month project to research and develop a service to establish the extent to which global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) – in particular GPS and Galileo and/or eLoran Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) signals can be trusted by users on a 24x7 basis.

SENTINEL will research the detection, quantification and location of interference to GNSS and eLoran signals at point of use by deploying IDM (Interference Detection & Mitigation) probes in the vicinity of critical infrastructure.

Detecting and discriminating between accidental (e.g. multipath, harmonics), deliberate (e.g. criminal jammers) or natural phenomena (e.g. weather, solar flares) to protect safety, mission-critical, security or revenue generating services, enabled by PNT signals.

A SENTINEL network of IDM probes will provide real-time alerts to discriminate natural events and enable the location of deliberate jamming, and to provide timely detection and mitigation by the appropriate agencies.

Chronos Technology, who is leading the SENTINEL consortium, will be partnered by the following UK organizations:

• ACPO-ITS – The research arm of the Association of Chief Police Officers & agency partners
• GLA – General Lighthouse Authorities
• OS – Ordnance Survey
• NPL – National Physical Laboratory, Timing Metrology Division
• UoB – University of Bath, Electronic & Electrical Engineering Faculty
• Thatcham – Vehicle Security

SENTINEL firsts

The SENTINEL project will include:

• The first detailed multimodal analysis using continuous monitoring to explore the nature and extent of GNSS and eLoran interference which might compromise trusted services.
• Research into techniques for real-time detection, characterisation, discrimination and location of natural and deliberate interference phenomena and threats enabling trust by ensuring system integrity is not discredited with false alarms.

Chronos Technology, leading the SENTINEL consortium has developed, with partners, the core IDM technology upon which these firsts will be achieved. This core IDM technology was developed by the GAARDIAN partners in a programme to develop the IDM probes and perform data analysis of GNSS signals. Simultaneously, the probes will quantify the quality of the UK eLoran signal as a complementary PNT signal to GPS.

UK Government support

The SENTINEL project is funded by The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), who recognise that this research is critical to developing effective strategies to respond to deliberate interference attacks as well as building confidence in existing signals. The TSB is sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS).  For further information please visit www.innovateuk.org.

Chronos Technology is a specialist technology company in the field of PNT. Chronos supply GNSS and timing system products for equipment designers whose products are frequently used in industrial and safety/mission critical applications.  Chronos also supplies and develops a range of bespoke GPS timing products for time and frequency synchronisation in power and communication systems and is a specialist provider of technical solutions for synchronisation applications.

For further information on the SENTINEL project please contact Andy Proctor, Divisional Manager, Chronos, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , telephone 01594 862200.