Integrity-enabling Generic Estimation Manager (iGEM)

To improve resiliency of positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) in GPS-degraded and GPS-denied environments, QuNav proposes to develop an integrity-enabling Generic Estimation Manager (iGEM). iGEM automatically (i.e., without on-line or off-line human intervention) and optimally combines all available navigation data and maintains solution continuity, availability and integrity. The sensor-agnostic PNT mechanization fuses all available sources of navigation-related information to produce the overall PNT output while optimizing its accuracy, availability, continuity and integrity. iGEM is based on three key technological innovations including (i) generic sensor-fusion that optimally fuses measurements from all available navigation sensors thus maximizing the accuracy and availability; (ii) outlier-aware filtering for detection and exclusion of faulty measurements to ensure the continuity; and, (iii) decentralized estimation that utilizes solution separation (between individual navigation sensors and or their respective aiding channels) to enable navigation integrity with protection levels. For the proposed development, QuNav will partner with Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago, IL) and Northrop Grumman Mission Systems (Woodland Hills, CA).