eCall is an initiative by the European Union, intended to bring rapid assistance to motorists involved in a collision anywhere within the European Union. The aim is for all new cars to incorporate a system that automatically contacts the emergency services in the event of a serious accident, sending location and sensor information. eCall was made mandatory in all new cars approved for manufacture within the European Union as of April 2018.
eCall SOS button in a Volkswagen e-golf. Credit: Marius Vassnes
In case of a road accident (1) the in-car part computes the coordinates (2) thanks to global positioning satellites (A and B), connects to any of the nearest cell towers (3) and performs a voice call (4) to the operator (also transmitting encoded digital data), who speaks to the passengers of the distressed car (5) and requests a rescue operation (6)
Galileo (satellite navigation)
Galileo is a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) that went live in 2016, created by the European Union through the European Space Agency (ESA), operated by the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA), headquartered in Prague, Czechia, with two ground operations centres in Fucino, Italy, and Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. The €10 billion project is named after the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei.
The headquarters of the EUSPA, which operates the Galileo system, in Prague
Galileo launch on a Soyuz rocket on 21 October 2011.
Galileo Control Centre at the DLR Oberpfaffenhofen site
Galileo In-Orbit Test (IOT) L-band (1,000 – 2,000 MHz) antenna at ESTRACK Redu Station