Unlocking GNSS reliability for safer navigation in urban environments

FocalPoint and STMicroelectronics together deliver a joint solution for enhanced GNSS reliability in urban environments. 

Every autonomous driving function relies on a fundamental requirement: knowing exactly where the vehicle is, and being certain of that knowledge. At SAE Level 3 and above, vehicles make critical decisions without driver intervention — a responsibility that demands positioning accuracy with high reliability. Goldman Sachs projects that Level 3 vehicles will make up 10% of global new car sales by 2030. With manufacturers bearing liability for autonomous operation failures at this level, positioning reliability directly impacts legal and safety outcomes.

Why GNSS matters 

While vehicles integrate multiple sensors—radar, cameras and lidar—GNSS remains the only technology providing absolute global position. This is required to localise the vehicle within HD maps, correct for IMU drift, and provide the contextual awareness needed for safe navigation decisions.

However, GNSS has traditionally failed to deliver the reliability that safety-critical systems require in dense urban environments (or ‘urban canyons‘).

The GNSS reliability challenge in urban navigation 

In open-sky conditions, available GNSS accuracy is often sufficient for most applications. But squeeze that same vehicle between San Francisco’s towers or Tokyo’s high-rises, and positioning accuracy degrades. This happens as satellite signals bounce off tall buildings (the “urban canyon” effect). The same degradation occurs under foliage and along highways with sound walls or built-up areas. These multipath errors can place a vehicle on the wrong lane or even the wrong street. In V2X communication, where vehicles and infrastructure exchange information, the reliability of GNSS data is critical. 

As technology evolves, urban areas will become the operating environment for autonomous vehicles, so the reliability of GNSS data is also critical here.

Reliable GNSS, reliable ADAS 

The overall reliability of the ADAS system can be strengthened by making GNSS more  trustworthy in tough environments. FocalPoint’s S-GNSS® Auto software enables this. It removes non-line-of-sight signals before they reach the positioning engine, ensuring only clean GNSS measurements determine navigation decisions. While positioning engines use sophisticated statistical methods to process inputs, they are only as good as the quality of measurements they receive. Clean inputs enable more reliable outputs.

Industry collaboration: STMicroelectronics x FocalPoint 

FocalPoint’s S-GNSS® software has been integrated into STMicroelectronics’ Teseo devices, providing the level of GNSS reliability needed for vehicles navigating tough environments. Delivering up to 4x accuracy in cities like San Francisco, Tokyo and Seoul, it is a firmware upgrade that can be integrated into both next-gen and existing systems.  

McKinsey research confirms that 96% of industry respondents identify strategic partnerships as critical to autonomous vehicle development. Autonomous systems require all stakeholder players working together to provide the foundation of safe urban mobility. 

Interested to learn more? See the latest results from our global trials

Read more about how our software enhances GNSS in automotive