S K Y L A R K C LO U D C O R R E C T I O N S

CROSS-COUNTRY DRIVE

Swift ​​Navigation successfully completed an ambitious drive test across the

United States. The goal of Swift’s first-of-its-kind, cross-continental drive,
from San Francisco to New York and back, was to measure the performance
of Swift’s recently expanded Skylark™ cloud corrections service and to
demonstrate true nationwide GNSS coverage at the accuracy levels required
by autonomous applications. This dataset encapsulates the background,
set-up, results and data from this extraordinary drive test.

©2020 Swift Navigation, Inc. All rights reserved

Skylark Cloud Corrections Cross-Country Drive

Autonomous Navigation
Autonomous navigation continues to evolve and most car manufacturers have
now implemented programs involving various levels of autonomy. The key to
enabling full autonomous functionality for automotive applications lies within
the vehicle’s sensor suite. This suite consists of a combination (determined
by vehicle manufacturers) of radar, camera, LiDAR, inertial and GNSS (Global
Navigation Satellite Systems, of which GPS is a part). GNSS is a vital component
of the vehicle sensor suite as it is the only sensor to provide an absolute position,
velocity and time estimate. In addition, GNSS has a complementary performance
profile, providing the highest performance in environments in which other sensors
typically have difficulties or fail.

While various legacy GNSS positioning systems have been available for some
time, each have significant limitations and their broad adoption and application to
autonomous vehicles still require overcoming some significant challenges, such as:

• Accuracy is required at the decimeter level (lane-level)

• Convergence times must be in seconds, not minutes
• Service coverage needs to be continuous and wide area vs.
geographically dispersed
• The system must work with low-cost mass market hardware and
automotive-grade antennas
• The positioning information provided by the localization system must
be produced with high integrity and trustworthiness

Swift Navigation has created a precise positioning solution that addresses these
challenges. The Swift team undertook a drive test across the continental United
States (CONUS) to showcase the performance of Swift’s precise positioning
solution. Swift collected data over a range of geographies, using automotive-grade
hardware configurations, demonstrating the configurability and flexibility inherent
in the Swift solution. This drive covered 26 states and Washington D.C., with
6,614.7 miles (10,645.4 km) driven over 116 hours and 14 minutes logged by the
team at Swift.

This paper captures in detail the set-up and resulting data analysis that
demonstrates how Swift technology is the precise GNSS and sensor fusion leader
for automotive autonomy and that Swift’s positioning solutions meet the needs of
today’s—and tomorrow’s—autonomous vehicle manufacturers.

©2020 Swift Navigation, Inc. All rights reserved 2

 Skylark Cloud Corrections Cross-Country Drive

Swift’s Positioning Solution

Swift Navigation has developed a unique solution that meets the most stringent
requirements of automotive precise positioning. The solution is centered around
Skylark, Swift Navigation’s GNSS corrections service and Starling®, Swift
Navigation’s high-precision positioning engine.

Skylark is a state-of-the-art continental-scale corrections service that was

developed to address the demanding requirements of the automotive use
case. A high-precision, highly-available wide area corrections service, Skylark
enables state-of-the-art accuracy, integrity and convergence performance
on a global scale. In particular, Skylark enables sub-decimeter accuracy in
seconds of convergence time anywhere in CONUS and Europe (and expanding
worldwide). This is a significant improvement compared to traditional Real
Time Kinematic (RTK) services, with fast convergence times but only regional
coverage or Precise Point Positioning (PPP) services with global coverage but
long convergence times. In addition, Skylark supports both next generation
State Space Representation (SSR) format corrections broadcast for
bandwidth-efficient, one-way communication as well as RTCM3.2 Observation
Space Representation (OSR) legacy correction delivery.

Starling is a hardware-agnostic precise positioning engine that delivers

industry-leading integrity and positioning performance. Ingesting observations
from an automotive-grade GNSS measurement engine and IMU, it is able to
provide sub-decimeter-level accuracy in Skylark coverage areas. The Starling
positioning engine utilizes advanced sensor fusion algorithms fusing GNSS
position, Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and wheel odometry measurement to
maintain lane-level accuracy in most driving conditions.

Swift’s ability to provide an absolute localization solution (where the vehicle is

referenced to a global Earth fixed datum as opposed to relying on positioning
relative to local landmarks) is a key benefit of Swift’s GNSS positioning technology
and allows for positioning in off-road and off-map environments and eliminates
the requirement to maintain and update high-definition maps, a significant
burden. More information about the importance and relevance of global reference
datums and transformation can be found here.

Vehicle Set-Up
A Swift test vehicle was equipped with 20 different GNSS devices utilizing five
unique chipsets. In addition, a number of different antennas were utilized,
ranging from a high-end, survey-grade antenna to a more price-conscious
automotive-grade antenna that would be representative of a typical production

©2020 Swift Navigation, Inc. All rights reserved 3

 Skylark Cloud Corrections Cross-Country Drive

solution. The results on the automotive-grade antenna are particularly

noteworthy, as most published tests of this nature utilize an antenna that is not
feasible, either practical or affordable, for consumer automobiles.

Devices were selected to showcase Swift’s solution across a range of

configurations, antennas and price points, as shown below.

Table 1: Devices

Device Corrections (Skylark) Dead Reckoning

Receiver A Yes Yes

Receiver B Yes Yes

Receiver C Yes No

Receiver D Yes Yes

Piksi® Multi Yes No

Duro® Yes Yes

Table 2: Receiver/ Antenna Key

Notation Hardware Capability

Receiver A Automotive-grade ME, Supports L1/L2

Receiver B Automotive-grade ME, Supports L1/L2

Receiver C Survey-grade ME, Supports L1/L2

Receiver D Automotive-grade ME, Supports L1 Only

Automotive-grade antenna
Antenna-A
Represents current GNSS antenna on vehicles
Survey-grade antenna
Antenna-S
Represents higher-efficiency antenna

©2020 Swift Navigation, Inc. All rights reserved 4

 Skylark Cloud Corrections Cross-Country Drive

Route Driven
Many companies conduct drive tests in major metropolitan markets or along
heavily-populated coastal routes to demonstrate performance. Others drive
short or open-sky routes, utilizing ideal performance conditions. Swift chose to
undertake an ambitious cross-country drive test to showcase its technology both
in scale and performance. This report clearly demonstrates how Swift’s solutions
meet customer needs by operating over a large coverage area with consistent
and reliable precision. This drive test commenced on November 29, 2019 and was
completed on December 19, 2019 and traversed the continental United States,
covering 26 states and Washington D.C.

COVERED LOGGED

26 states 116 hrs & 14 min

& Washington D.C. of drive time

DROVE DRIVEN BY

6,614.7 miles 12 Swift drivers

(10,645.4 km) Throughout the drive

©2020 Swift Navigation, Inc. All rights reserved 5

 Skylark Cloud Corrections Cross-Country Drive

Drive Test Results

It is important to remember the significance of these data as we evaluate results

of this drive test. In the United States, the typical width of a highway lane is
12 feet or 3.6 meters. A typical car width is approximately 2 meters. As such,
we can see that targeting an accuracy of less than 1 meter (half the width of a
typical consumer vehicle) would enable a majority of safety-critical autonomous
applications. Furthermore, to reliably position a vehicle within a typical highway
lane, an accuracy of a quarter width of the lane with associated integrity output
would be required.

©2020 Swift Navigation, Inc. All rights reserved 6

 Skylark Cloud Corrections Cross-Country Drive

ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES

The data below feature results from Swift’s cross-country drive test in its entirety.

Performance of Swift Solution Over Entire CONUS Drive

100

80

Swift’s Piksi - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

PERCENT OF EPOCHS

RECEIVER_A - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

60 RECEIVER_B - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A
RECEIVER_C - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A
RECEIVER_D - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

40

20

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2 .5 3 3 .5 4
ERROR (MET ERS)

3.000e+5

2.500e+5
Swift’s Piksi - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

RECEIVER_A - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

2.000e+5
SA MPL E S

RECEIVER_B - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

RECEIVER_C - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

1.500e+5
RECEIVER_D - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

1.000e+5

5.000e+4

4
0.000e+0
0 0.5 1 1 .5 2
ERROR (MET ERS)

©2020 Swift Navigation, Inc. All rights reserved 7

 Skylark Cloud Corrections Cross-Country Drive

Key Takeaways
Variation of performance on different receivers with dual-frequency capabilities
• A 10% variation in drive time for 75 cm or less accuracy
• A 5.3% variation in drive time for 1 m or less accuracy

With dual-frequency receivers and “Antenna-A”, Swift achieved the following

accuracies with Starling and Skylark

• Swift solution also achieved 1 m accuracy for a full 95.2% of the drive
• 75 cm of accuracy for 92% of the entire drive

With single-frequency receivers and “Antenna-A”, Swift achieved the following

accuracies with Starling and Skylark

• Swift’s solution also achieved 1 m accuracy for 92.4% of the drive

• 75 cm of accuracy for 83.2% of the entire drive

©2020 Swift Navigation, Inc. All rights reserved 8

 Skylark Cloud Corrections Cross-Country Drive

These findings demonstrate that the Swift precise positioning solution can
achieve less than 75 cm of accuracy more than 92% of the drive time even without
additional standard vehicle inputs such as wheel odometry. With wheel odometry,
Swift has the capability to utilize sensor fusion to further improve accuracy.

Skylark Performance
100

80
PERCENT OF EPOCHS

60

Swift’s Piksi - Starling - Skylark - Antenna-A

Swift’s Piksi - Starling - SBAS Only - Antenna-A

40

20

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2 .5 3 3 .5 4

ERROR (MET ERS)

70000

60000

50000
Swift’s Piksi - Starling - Skylark - Antenna-A
SA MPL E S

40000
Swift’s Piksi - Starling - SBAS Only - Antenna-A

30000

20000

10000

0 0.5 1 1.5 2
ERROR (MET ERS)

©2020 Swift Navigation, Inc. All rights reserved 9

 Skylark Cloud Corrections Cross-Country Drive

Key Takeaways
Swift’s Skylark performance improvements below with “Antenna-A” Comparing
Piksi Multi + Skylark with Piksi Multi + SBAS (without corrections) solution

The results demonstrate that Skylark improved accuracy of 75 cm to 89.7% from

60% of the total drive with an automotive-grade antenna.

Impact of Automotive-Grade Antenna on Performance

100

80
P E RC E NT OF E POC HS

60

Swift’s Piksi - Starling - Skylark - Antenna-S

40 Swift’s Piksi - Starling - Skylark - Antenna-A

20

0 0.5 1 1 .5 2 2 .5 3 3 .5 4

ERROR (MET ERS)

©2020 Swift Navigation, Inc. All rights reserved 10

 Skylark Cloud Corrections Cross-Country Drive

1.000e+5

8.000e+4

Swift’s Piksi - Starling - Skylark - Antenna-S

SA MPL E S

6.000e+4
Swift’s Piksi - Starling - Skylark - Antenna-A

4.000e+4

2.000e+4

4
0.000e+0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2
ERROR (MET ERS)

Key Takeaways
Automotive-grade antenna impact on Swift performance compared to
survey-grade antenna

These results clearly demonstrate that Swift’s positioning solution is able to

achieve accuracy results with automotive antennas that meet the highest of
automotive requirements, with only approximately a 6% degradation in results
with <75 cm accuracy compared to a high-end geodetic antenna.

©2020 Swift Navigation, Inc. All rights reserved 11

 Skylark Cloud Corrections Cross-Country Drive

DRIVE DATA ACROSS REGIONS

The data below feature a breakdown of results from major stretches of this cross-country drive test.

San Francisco to Chicago

100

80

Swift’s Piksi - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

PERCENT OF EPOC H S

RECEIVER_A - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

60 RECEIVER_B - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A
RECEIVER_C - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A
RECEIVER_D - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

40

20

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2 .5 3 3 .5 4
ERROR (MET ERS)

Chicago to New York

100

80

Swift’s Piksi - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

PE RCE N T OF EPOCH S

RECEIVER_A - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

60 RECEIVER_B - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A
RECEIVER_C - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A
RECEIVER_D - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

40

20

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2 .5 3 3 .5 4
ERROR (MET ERS)

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 Skylark Cloud Corrections Cross-Country Drive

New York to Atlanta

100

80

Swift’s Piksi - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

PERCEN T OF E POC H S

RECEIVER_A - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

60 RECEIVER_B - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A
RECEIVER_C - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A
RECEIVER_D - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

40

20

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2 .5 3 3 .5 4
ERROR (MET ERS)

Atlanta to Dallas
100

80

Swift’s Piksi - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

PE RCE N T OF EPOCH S

RECEIVER_A - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

60 RECEIVER_B - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A
RECEIVER_C - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A
RECEIVER_D - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

40

20

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2 .5 3 3 .5 4
ERROR (MET ERS)

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 Skylark Cloud Corrections Cross-Country Drive

Dallas to San Francisco

100

80

Swift’s Piksi - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

PERC EN T OF E POC H S

RECEIVER_A - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A

60
RECEIVER_B - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A
RECEIVER_C - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A
RECEIVER_D - Starling (DR) - Antenna-A
40

20

0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2 .5 3 3 .5 4
ERROR (MET ERS)

Conclusion
This drive test took a Swift test vehicle through a wide variety of environments
as it traversed the United States. From snow in the Sierras of California, to the
streets of some of the world’s most bustling metropolises to open roads across
the continent. Under all conditions, Swift’s positioning solution demonstrated
its ability to consistently deliver the <75 centimeter accuracy required to keep a
vehicle safely positioned in its lane.

Since this drive test occurred, Swift’s engineering team has continued its work on
core positioning and sensor fusion algorithms to improve the availability, accuracy
and integrity of the overall Swift precise positioning solution.

For more information about how Swift’s precise positioning solution can benefit
your autonomous application contact Swift at sales@swiftnav.com.

©2020 Swift Navigation, Inc. All rights reserved 14