Brussels, 03/03/2010 (Agence Europe) - In Brussels on Wednesday 3 March, Commissioner for Industry and Enterprise Antonio Tajani opened three days of demonstrations of the applications of the Galileo global satellite navigation system, to the development of which the European Commission has contributed funds under its sixth and seventh framework programmes for R&D. The Galileo Application Days will be held in the Charlemagne building and on the Berlaymont Esplanade from 3-5 March, with workshops and conferences, and the direct presentation and demonstration of innovative applications to be attended by guests, the press and the general public. The Berlaymont Esplanade, just outside the Berlaymont building, will be divided up into areas of the Earth such as the seas, mountains and cities for the occasion, allowing the public to discover astonishing applications, such as guiding a ship into port, caring for sufferers of Alzheimer's, rescuing people lost in the mountains and aids to driving, helping to reduce CO2 emissions and consumption (a full programme of the event is available at http://www.application-days.eu ).
The Commission has been officially in charge of the European satellite navigation projects EGNOS and Galileo since 2008. The first two Galileo satellites will be launched in December 2010. By spring 2014, Galileo is expected to consist of an initial constellation of 18 satellites and offer between three and five services detailed in the specifications. These will be open services, search and rescue services and regulated public services. The life-saving and commercial services will be provided at a subsequent date. Via the sixth and seventh FPRD programmes, the Commission has invested nearly €150 million in satellite navigation projects, most of which will feed into these applications. (E.H./transl.fl)