gLAB-A Fully Software Tool to Generate, Process and Analyze GNSS Signals

In this paper the concept of Software Defined Radio (SDR) and its use in modern GNSS receiver is highlighted demonstrating how software receivers are important in many situations especially for verification and validation. After a brief introduction of gLab, a fully software high modular tool to generate, process and analyze current and future GNSS signals, the different software modules will be described. Demonstrating the wide range of uses concerning gLab, different practical example will be briefly overviewed: from the analysis of real data over the experimental GIOVE-B satellite, to the antenna group delay determination or the CN0 estimation under wide dynamic range etc.. gLab is the result of different projects leaded by Intecs in GNSS SW Radio: the signal generator is the result of the SWAN (Sistemi softWare per Applicazioni di Navigazione) project under Italian Space Agency (ASI) contract, the analyzer and the processing module have been developed for ESA to V&V the IOV (In Orbit Validation) Galileo Phase. In this case the GNSS SW RX works in parallel with Test User Receivers (TUR) in order to validate the Signal In Space (SiS). Is remarkable that gLab is the result of over three years of development and approximately one year of test and validation under ESA (European Space Agency) supervision.