SimXTRACT

As Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) technologies become increasingly important across industries including automotive, aerospace, defense, telecommunications, autonomous systems, and critical infrastructure, the need for accurate and efficient testing continues to grow. Traditional GNSS testing often requires a trade-off between controlled laboratory simulations and expensive, time-consuming field testing. Laboratory environments provide repeatability but may lack real-world complexity, while field testing delivers authentic conditions that can be difficult to reproduce and analyze. SimXTRACT bridges this gap by combining the realism of field data with the control and repeatability of simulation.

SimXTRACT is a GNSS test and analysis solution that transforms real-world GNSS I/Q recordings into realistic, controllable simulation scenarios. Using advanced signal decomposition technology, it breaks recorded environments into discrete signal components, providing engineers with detailed insight into signal behavior while enabling repeatable laboratory testing. This approach helps accelerate development, troubleshooting, and validation of PNT-enabled systems.

At the core of SimXTRACT is its ability to decompose captured GNSS signals into individual propagation paths, including direct line-of-sight signals and multipath reflections. Each signal component is enriched with metadata such as Doppler offset, received power level, and angle of arrival (AoA). By isolating and characterizing these paths, engineers gain a deeper understanding of the environmental factors affecting receiver performance. The decomposed environment can then be converted into a controllable simulation scenario compatible with Spirent GNSS simulation platforms.

This capability introduces a new level of realism into laboratory testing. Rather than relying solely on synthetic scenarios, engineers can recreate actual signal conditions observed during field operations. Individual signal components can be manipulated, added, removed, or isolated to investigate performance issues, validate receiver behavior, and evaluate challenging edge cases. As a result, organizations can reduce reliance on costly field campaigns while maintaining confidence that laboratory testing reflects real-world operating conditions.

Beyond scenario generation, SimXTRACT provides powerful analytical tools for exploring recorded GNSS environments. Users can search and analyze decomposed datasets using parameters such as dilution of precision (DOP), satellites in view, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), signal type, and other performance metrics. This enables rapid identification of degraded operating conditions, interference events, and anomalous signal behavior. The detailed visibility provided by signal decomposition also supports investigations into multipath effects, code errors, power variations, and angle-of-arrival characteristics that directly influence positioning accuracy and receiver robustness.

SimXTRACT supports a wide range of GNSS constellations and signals, including GPS L1, L2C, and L5, Galileo E1, E5a, E5b, and E6, as well as GLONASS, BeiDou, and QZSS. The solution can operate on standard PC platforms or Spirent C50X hardware and generates scenario files compatible with Spirent simulators such as PNT X, GSS7000, and PNT Xe. This integration allows organizations to incorporate SimXTRACT into existing test environments with minimal disruption.

The platform delivers value throughout the product development lifecycle. Receiver development teams can evaluate performance under realistic signal conditions while maintaining precise control over test variables. Engineers can adjust power levels, introduce interference, simulate degradation, and recreate failure conditions to accelerate troubleshooting and design optimization.

For algorithm and semiconductor developers, SimXTRACT provides insight into real-world signal acquisition, tracking, and synchronization processes. By exposing the characteristics of operational GNSS environments, it supports the development and validation of measurement engine (ME) and positioning engine (PE) algorithms, helping improve performance, reduce risk, and shorten development cycles.

System integration teams benefit from the ability to validate devices under realistic conditions without repeated field deployments. Recreating recorded environments in the laboratory allows engineers to investigate field-observed issues, verify corrective actions, and improve confidence in overall system performance before deployment.

In chamber testing applications, SimXTRACT can transform drive-test recordings into chamber-ready scenarios while preserving accurate angle-of-arrival information. This enables teams to reuse captured environments without repeating costly drive routes, improving testing efficiency while maintaining environmental realism.

The operational benefits are equally significant. SimXTRACT converts large recording datasets from terabytes into compact scenario files measured in megabytes, simplifying storage, sharing, and collaboration across engineering teams. Organizations can maximize the value of existing drive-test data while reducing debugging time, shortening chamber test setup, and accelerating issue resolution.

Ultimately, SimXTRACT represents a major advancement in GNSS and PNT testing. By combining real-world signal authenticity with the flexibility and repeatability of simulation, it enables more realistic validation, faster development cycles, and greater confidence in system performance. Through its innovative signal decomposition and scenario-generation capabilities, SimXTRACT empowers engineers to develop, test, and deploy PNT-enabled technologies with greater efficiency, insight, and precision.