GPS coverage in Singapore road tunnels

Abstract

The use of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has drastically increased through the years. However, Singapore is still currently facing the issue of not having stable GNSS signals in the road tunnels. Due to the dependence on navigation applications like Google Maps. Most individuals, including drivers, cyclists, pedestrians etc. depend on these applications to get to their destination. Therefore, experiencing the loss of GNSS signals in the tunnel cause a huge issue as drivers tend to miss exits and lose their sense of direction. To address this issue, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is currently looking for a GNSS technology that is best suited for Singapore road tunnels. Thus, this report aims to assist LTA by curating a market survey on different GNSS technologies that are capable of maintaining GNSS signals throughout the tunnel. The market survey consists of 3 different GNSS technologies, Syntony’s SubWAVE Simulator system, ELA Innovation’s Wirepas Mesh and DT Techsolutions’s COMM-GNSS / GPS Repeater. For this to be a fair market survey, 5 components of each of the technologies are being compared, operation, complexity, implementation, maintenance, and cost. This information is achieved by liaising with the respective company’s representative. After the detailed comparison, SubWAVE Simulator stood out amongst the rest of the technology as it is the most accurate and cost-effective.