Galileo Has Shows Strong Fit For Precision Agriculture
Field testing in Spain found that Galileo HAS can deliver the level of positioning performance modern precision agriculture needs. Under real operating conditions, the service kept guidance errors tight enough to support accurate tractor passes, which is the core question most farm operators and equipment teams want answered.
Galileo High Accuracy Service was evaluated in live agricultural work to measure how well it performs and whether it can support precision farming tasks.
The European GNSS Service Centre of the European Union Agency for the Space Programme, or EUSPA, worked with Hemisphere GNSS and Case New Holland on the trial. Their goal was straightforward — verify whether Galileo HAS is suitable for agricultural machinery that depends on reliable satellite navigation and stable guidance system performance.
Galileo HAS is the European high-accuracy correction service for Galileo users. It is meant for operators and equipment makers that need tighter positioning than standard GNSS can usually provide, without relying on a local base station. The service works by sending precise correction data through the Galileo E6 signal and through the internet, so compatible receivers can refine their position solution in the field.
The work took place at the New Holland site in Peñarrubias del Pirón in Segovia, Spain.
Working width — 2.55 metres
Area covered — about 20,000 square metres
Perimeter — about 740 metres
Test duration — about 3 hours
Metrics checked — absolute accuracy and pass-to-pass behavior
In practice, pass-to-pass accuracy is the short-window ability of a machine to keep the spacing between adjacent runs consistent. That matters on a farm because poor spacing leads to missed strips or wasted overlap during planting and harvest.
How the Test Campaign Was Set Up
The campaign focused on one practical outcome — proving the tractor could repeatedly stay on the intended line from one pass to the next. If that holds up, agriculture operations become more efficient because repeated coverage drops, fuel use falls, and inputs such as fertilizer are applied with less waste.
For the hardware setup, the tractor used its onboard guidance system and also carried a separate antenna on the cab. One stream relied on Galileo HAS, the other used RTK for comparison. A dedicated RTK base station was installed; the tractor drove in automatic mode, with the operator stepping in only at the end of each line to turn.
Accuracy Results From the Field
After a cold start, Galileo HAS held horizontal errors in the 3 to 6 centimetre range consistently.
Pass-to-pass accuracy reached 1.18 centimetres overall. Year-to-year accuracy was outside the scope; EUSPA plans to examine that in the next round.
How Galileo HAS Fits Farm Work — supports planting, spraying, harvesting, soil sampling; reduces fuel waste and fertilizer overlap.
How Galileo HAS Compares With RTK and PPP — sits between RTK (highest accuracy, needs local infrastructure) and PPP (broad coverage, less repeatability). Trade-off: Galileo HAS needs compatible receivers and convergence time after cold start.
Key Features and Limits — open service via Galileo E6 and internet; limits include convergence time and E6 hardware compatibility.
Devices and Market Outlook — trial used Hemisphere GNSS and Case New Holland equipment; EUSPA plans more testing including year-to-year accuracy.
Galileo HAS Potential Looks Well Established — based on field results, the service appears capable of meeting most precision agriculture guidance needs, as an open correction alternative alongside PPP and RTK.
