Open Collaborative Technology Platform

Private Bee’s GPS4D project is designed as an open and collaborative platform, combining contributions from multiple engineering schools and research teams. Built under the Lesser Open Bee License 1.3, it fosters transparency, adaptability, and collective innovation for urban air mobility.

The result is a scalable ecosystem where developers, researchers, and industry players can co-create the next generation of aerial navigation tools.

The GPS4D Consortium

The GPS4D initiative brings together the expertise of leading academic institutions:

  • Estaca: Aeronautical optimization and airspace modeling
  • ENSTA Paris: Navigation algorithms, risk modeling
  • CY Tech: Data architecture, embedded systems, and visual simulation

Each partner contributes specific components of the system, fostering a distributed yet unified development process.

Open Source Architecture

The platform is entirely open source under the Lesser Open Bee License 1.3. This ensures that:

  • All data models and interfaces can be reused and extended
  • Modules for routing, weather, and 3D rendering are publicly documented
  • Contributors can integrate or improve components freely

Repositories, code, and API references are accessible for community-driven innovation and auditing.

Data Integration and Standards

GPS4D consolidates multiple data sources to ensure a rich and accurate navigation context:

  • OpenAIP: Airspace zones and aeronautical data
  • OpenStreetMap: Urban terrain and obstacle mapping
  • CesiumJS: High-performance 3D visualization engine

The system is compatible with global GNSS constellations (GPS, Galileo, GLONASS) and designed for interoperability with future U-Space services.

From Research to Prototype

GPS4D evolves continuously through experimental design, case studies, and real-time demonstrations:

  • Functional prototypes with live trajectory updates and weather overlays
  • Interfaces designed for drones, VTOLs, and human operators (HUDs, tablets)
  • Frequent iterations using ROS2, WebSocket servers, and BlenderGIS

All findings, tools, and UI concepts are published to foster further collaboration and adoption in the smart aviation community.