Beyond GPS: the challenge of centimetre-level positioning technologies in urban logistics

A van in the heart of Frankfurt

It is early morning. An electric van enters central Frankfurt for its last-mile deliveries. The driver has only a few minutes to locate the authorised loading bay, stop without blocking traffic, and unload. In a narrow street, surrounded by tall buildings that obscure the sky, the GPS signal drifts by several metres. A positioning error here means an infringement, a fine, or simply wasted time. It is in this very ordinary scenario that the real challenge of connected mobility is being played out.

Why GPS is no longer enough

GPS, originally developed for military applications and later embraced worldwide for civilian use, revolutionised personal navigation and enabled the boom in location-based services. Yet, in today’s dense urban environments, it is no longer sufficient. An error margin of just two or three metres may be acceptable for a private driver, but for commercial fleets it is unsustainable. Delivery operations must comply with electronic access gates and bus lanes, identify loading and unloading zones in real time, operate seamlessly within restricted traffic areas, and guarantee the safety of pedestrians and riders.

The challenge is no longer simply knowing where a vehicle is, but knowing precisely where it can — and cannot — go.

The new generation of positioning technologies

In recent years, a suite of innovations has emerged to go beyond GPS. These positioning technologies combine precision, resilience and integration with the vehicle’s surrounding

• PPP-RTK (Precise Point Positioning – Real Time Kinematic): combining satellite correction algorithms with ground-based reference networks to achieve centimetre-level accuracy.

• Sensor fusion: integrating GNSS signals with data from IMUs, odometers, radar and cameras to compensate for interruptions in so-called “urban canyons”.

• HD maps: high-definition cartography, accurate down to lane level, enabling map-matching — aligning a vehicle’s trajectory with the actual road network.

The outcome is a vehicle that knows its location with an error margin of less than ten centimetres, even in the most complex urban streetscapes.

From data to decision

Precision positioning is not an end in itself. It is an enabler for a new class of services:

• Active geofencing, allowing dynamic access to restricted areas and intelligent management of bus and priority lanes.

• Reservation-based loading slots, allocating curb space in real time and preventing improvised or illegal stops.

• Predictive safety, issuing immediate alerts in the event of risky manoeuvres or unexpected obstacles.

• Sustainability, reducing empty mileage, unnecessary waiting, and congestion.

In this sense, position becomes the cornerstone of a digital contract between the vehicle, the city, and the logistics operator.

One piece of a larger puzzle

Centimetre-level positioning is only the first building block. On its own, it is not enough. It must be integrated into an ecosystem that includes V2X communications, edge computing and robust data governance. These will be the subjects of the next articles in this series on connected mobility.

What is already clear, however, is that moving “beyond GPS” marks the beginning of a new era — one in which positioning becomes a critical asset for the intelligent management of cities.

 In the next article, we will explore the street that speaks: how traffic lights, vehicles and infrastructure can engage in real-time dialogue through V2X communications and 5G.