Why LabSat’s ability to record and replay GPS signals has opened up new possibilities in GPS device and application testing
Maintaining development within budget and timescale has always been a challenge faced by GPS product managers. Successful testing requires significant allocation of time and resources.
Until LabSat arrived there were only two alternatives: field testing and laboratory simulation.
Both are expensive and have considerable limitations. Namely; field testing cannot offer reliable, repeatable test conditions due to the dynamic nature of GNSS constellations, whilst laboratory simulation cannot offer the live sky conditions found in the real world at a realistic price.
LabSat, with its real world signal record and replication capability, takes field testing into the laboratory – removing the biggest restrictions of the alternatives. Now you can have live, reliable and repeatable signal scenarios replayed in the security of the laboratory or test facility.
 Customer Profile: Roke Manor Research
With laboratories located in the grounds of a manor house near Southampton, UK, Roke's past innovations are as diverse as ‘HawkEye’, a sensor system which tracks the flight of a tennis ball and revolutionised television coverage; up to ‘HALO’, an acoustic locator of guns and mortars, designed to detect cease-fire violations in the former Yugoslavia.
This requirement for fast and accurate testing made the ability of LabSat to record and replay real world GPS scenarios for GPS device development useful in a variety of applications. www.roke.co.uk
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Cost effective GPS signal recording & replication: LabSat Record & Replay
LabSat allows engineers and developers the opportunity to record real world ‘live sky’ conditions experienced by the device or application at minimal cost. For example, aviation, marine and land conditions can easily be recorded by adding a LabSat to the aircraft, ship or vehicle, and recording the GNSS conditions experienced during the trial. Once back in the test facility, the recorded scenario can be replayed again and again.
This replication of GPS signal allows for multiple devices, firmware or applications to be tested continuously. If a problem occurs, the GPS device or application can be taken down, amended, reinstated and tested again.
For example, if you wanted to field test a marine dynamic positioning system or an aerial remote sensing application every time a modification is made, the costs soon escalate. By having a variety of LabSat recorded scenarios you can be confident that the testing is cost efficient, repeatable, reliable and durable - saving significant amounts of resource and expenditure.
 Do I need a LabSat Record and Replay Model?
To make your testing even more cost effective you can mix and match LabSat models to suit your individual needs.
We offer three variants within the LabSat (GPS only) and LabSat 2 (GLONASS & GPS) model ranges; Record & Replay, Record Only and Replay Only. Many clients find it very useful to have multiple Replay Only devices. Engineers and developers can run the Replay only device continuously in their test or production facility, and have a separate device to do the recording.
Racelogic also offer a customer defined scenario facility Please contact us at www.labsat.co.uk for further information.
Can I test my device or application anywhere in the world?
It is good product development practice to test your device or application for well known problems. For example, many developers have found problems with GPS applications that cannot process negative latitude or longitude coordinates or the decimal degrees experienced when close to or crossing the meridian line.
Racelogic’s SatGen software application will create scenarios anywhere in the world in a number of static or dynamic situations. This versatile software can create user defined dynamic paths from NMEA, Google KML or VBOX files. This allows for scenario creation anywhere, at anytime and to replicate anything from a rocket, to a drone or autonomous vehicle, to a complex racing track with high dynamic curves and inclines.
LabSat can also record from a GPS simulator and replay this in the lab, which is useful for testing signals that do not yet exist, such as the full Gallileo constellation.
Can I test multiple constellations?
 There are currently two operational GNSS constellations; GPS and GLONASS. These are both covered by the new LabSat 2, as is the new Gallileo constellation currently under development.
LabSat is also capable of recording the signals from the augmentation systems. The Space Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) provide satellite broadcast correction signals back to earth to improve accuracy and integrity. LabSat will record both the US based Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) and the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) signals alongside the GPS and GLONASS navigation signals. So during replay you can test your devices ability to use these services without leaving the Laboratory.
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