According to a study of the EU Commission, the world market for products and services in the area of satellite navigation doubled from 10 to 20 billion euros between 2002 and 2003. When Galileo is launched, around 150,000 new jobs can be created in Europe in the area of satellite navigation, and annual revenues amounting to nine billion euros can be achieved.
Setting up the autonomous satellite navigation system called Galileo is of outstanding economic and scientific importance for Europe. Considerable opportunities are expected to arise from set-up of the satellite navigation system, especially for Baden-Württemberg as one of the leading international IT locations.
According to estimates of the EU, at least 150,000 jobs can be created in Europe due to set-up of the Galileo system.
The great opportunity for Baden-Württemberg is primarily the development of application-related products and services. Due to EADS/Astrium, for example, Baden-Württemberg has a direct link to establishment of the Galileo space segment (satellites) and, economically and scientifically, is heavily involved in the further development of space-travel technology. The big opportunities for the Baden-Württemberg location – particularly for small and medium-sized companies there as well – are regarded as being in the area of development in the user segment.
Analyses of potential that were commissioned by the EU Commission predict worldwide annual growth of around 25 per cent for products and services in the area of satellite navigation. In 2005, turnover in this sector amounted to around 60 billion euros (source: EU Commission) – by 2025, a world market potential of around 400 billion euros is expected. It is assumed that, by the year 2020, approximately 3 billion receivers will be in use all around the globe – in Germany alone, some 3 million receivers have already been sold.
Baden-Württemberg needs to exploit this potential and, especially in relation to use of the technology in administration, industry, science and private life, to highlight the benefits that can be achieved only if consistent use is made of navigation solutions.
