Comprehensive Testing and Evaluation of Resilient PNT Systems

This project aims at testing the anti-jamming and anti-spoofing concepts, systems, and methods developed by CARNATIONS. The challenge with such experimentation is that open-sky broadcasting of radio-frequency (RF) signals at Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) frequencies is illegal, even for research purposes. In this project, the research team will (1) leverage existing test facilities at their academic institutions, (2) perform testing during opportunistic jamming events and during government-organized experimentations, and (3) develop new anti-interference testing capabilities. (1) To the extent possible, the research team will conduct field testing at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), the University of California Riverside (UCR)’s Innovation Corridor, and the Illinois Tech (IIT) State Street Transect. The Virginia Smart Roads includes a 2.7-mile long highway section, a roadway connector for transitions to live traffic, the “Rural Roadway”, and a modular “Surface Street” area. VTTI has a fleet of highly automated vehicles, equipped with multiple sensors and V2X communication systems. UCR’s Innovation Corridor is available for testing in live traffic. Illinois Tech has created a full GNSS and LiDAR map of a 6-mile-long transect of State Street in Chicago, IL. The density of transportation systems provides a complex framework in which to investigate navigation performance for various transportation scenarios. The research team will use the VTTI vehicle platforms to test the resilient positioning navigation and timing (R-PNT) solutions developed by CARNATIONS. The research team will use the Smart Roads to test and evaluate the connected PNT defenses. At UCR’s Innovation Corridor, the research team will investigate ways to limit attacks to a connected vehicle fleet by generating surrogate, simulated PNT jamming and spoofing without broadcasting at protected frequencies. The research team performs similar research at IIT’s State Street transect in an urban area after having carefully monitored State Street’s RF environment. (2) The research team have developed and tested a method to predict live jamming alongside highways. They analyzed months of RF data over hundreds of sites near highways where they routinely observe jammers from personal privacy devices (PPDs). PPDs are employed by road users to disable GPS trackers. Jamming tends to coincide with truck delivery schedules. The research team will use these predictable events to test RFI detectors and localizers. Field tests with RFI are desirable, and the research team will continue to utilize opportunities with partners in the Department of Defense (DOD), such as Edwards Air Force Base (AFB), and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), such as the GPS Testing for Critical Infrastructure (GET-CI), when available. The research team attended DHS’ 2017 and 2021 GET-CI. (3) The VTTI Rural Roadway is located in an isolated valley surrounded by hundreds of acres of forest and overlooked by a bridge – an ideal location for contained radio-frequency (RF) emissions with limited collateral interference using directional, downward-pointing antennas. The research team will explore partnerships with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and other competent authorities to research whether creation of such a unique RF interference (RFI) testbed at VTTI is possible.

• Record URL:
  https://www.iitcarnations.org/research

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $Federal $322,925, Cost-share $162,884
• Contract Numbers:

  Illinois Institute of Technology/69A3552348324

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Managing Organizations:

  Center for Assured and Resilient Navigation in Advanced Transportation Systems

  Illinois Institute of Technology
  Chicago, IL  United States  60616
• Project Managers:

  Narang, Aashish

• Performing Organizations:

  Center for Assured and Resilient Navigation in Advanced Transportation Systems

  Illinois Institute of Technology
  Chicago, IL  United States  60616
• Principal Investigators:

  Joerger, Mathieu

  Spenko, Matthew

  Barth, Matt

• Start Date: 20231001
• Expected Completion Date: 20280930
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program
• Subprogram: University Transportation Centers

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Computer security; Disaster resilience; Global Positioning System; Navigation; Radio frequency; Vehicle to infrastructure communications; Vehicle to vehicle communications
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Security and Emergencies; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01906708
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Center for Assured and Resilient Navigation in Advanced Transportation Systems
• Contract Numbers: Illinois Institute of Technology/69A3552348324
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jan 31 2024 4:04PM