scholarly journals Best integer equivariant estimation: performance analysis using real data collected by low-cost, single- and dual-frequency, multi-GNSS receivers for short- to long-baseline RTK positioning

2020 ◽  
Vol 94 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Odolinski ◽  
Peter J. G. Teunissen
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz Hadas ◽  
Grzegorz Marut ◽  
Jan Kapłon ◽  
Witold Rohm

<p>The dynamics of water vapor distribution in the troposphere, measured with Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), is a subject of weather research and climate studies. With GNSS, remote sensing of the troposphere in Europe is performed continuously and operationally under the E-GVAP (http://egvap.dmi.dk/) program with more than 2000 permanent stations. These data are one of the assimilation system component of mesoscale weather prediction models (10 km scale) for many nations across Europe. However, advancing precise local forecasts for severe weather requires high resolution models and observing system.   Further densification of the tracking network, e.g. in urban or mountain areas, will be costly when considering geodetic-grade equipment. However, the rapid development of GNSS-based applications results in a dynamic release of mass-market GNSS receivers. It has been demonstrated that post-processing of GPS-data from a dual-frequency low-cost receiver allows retrieving ZTD with high accuracy. Although low-cost receivers are a promising solution to the problem of densifying GNSS networks for water vapor monitoring, there are still some technological limitations and they require further development and calibration.</p><p>We have developed a low-cost GNSS station, dedicated to real-time GNSS meteorology, which provides GPS, GLONASS and Galileo dual-frequency observations either in RINEX v3.04 format or via RTCM v3.3 stream, with either Ethernet or GSM data transmission. The first two units are deployed in a close vicinity of permanent station WROC, which belongs to the International GNSS Service (IGS) network. Therefore, we compare results from real-time and near real-time processing of GNSS observations from a low-cost unit with IGS Final products. We also investigate the impact of replacing a standard patch antenna with an inexpensive survey-grade antenna. Finally, we deploy a local network of low-cost receivers in and around the city of Wroclaw, Poland, in order to analyze the dynamics of troposphere delay at a very high spatial resolution.</p><p>As a measure of accuracy, we use the standard deviation of ZTD differences between estimated ZTD and IGS Final product. For the near real-time mode, that accuracy is 5 mm and 6 mm, for single- (L1) and dual-frequency (L1/L5,E5b) solution, respectively. Lower accuracy of the dual-frequency relative solution we justify by the missing antenna phase center correction model for L5 and E5b frequencies. With the real-time Precise Point Positioning technique, we estimate ZTD with the accuracy of 7.5 – 8.6 mm. After antenna replacement, the accuracy is improved almost by a factor of 2 (to 4.1 mm), which is close to the 3.1 mm accuracy which we obtain in real-time using data from the WROC station.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (22) ◽  
pp. 10642
Author(s):  
Rosendo Romero-Andrade ◽  
Manuel E. Trejo-Soto ◽  
Alejandro Vega-Ayala ◽  
Daniel Hernández-Andrade ◽  
Jesús R. Vázquez-Ontiveros ◽  
...  

A positional accuracy obtained by the Precise Point Positioning and static relative methods was compared and analyzed. Test data was collected using low-cost GNSS receivers of single- and dual-frequency in urban areas. The data was analyzed for quality using the TEQC program to determine the degree of affectation of the signal in the urban area. Low-cost GNSS receivers were found to be sensitive to the multipath effect, which impacts positioning. The horizontal and vertical accuracy was evaluated with respect to Mexican regulations for the GNSS establishment criteria. Probable Error Circle (CEP) and Vertical Positioning Accuracy (EPV) were performed on low cost GNSS receiver observation data. The results show that low-cost dual-frequency GNSS receivers can be used in urban areas. The precision was obtained in the order of 0.013 m in the static relative method. The results obtained are comparable to a geodetic receiver in a geodetic baseline of <20 km. The study does not recommend using single and dual frequencies low cost GNSS receivers based on results obtained by the Precise Point Positioning (PPP) method in urban areas. The inclusion of the GGM10 model reduces the vertical precision obtained by using low cost GNSS receivers in both methods, conforming to the regulations only in the horizontal component.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gauthier Hulot ◽  
Jean-Michel Léger ◽  
Lasse B. N. Clausen ◽  
Florian Deconinck ◽  
Pierdavide Coïsson ◽  
...  

&lt;p&gt;The geomagnetic field has been continuously monitored from low-Earth orbit (LEO) since 1999, complementing ground-based observatory data by providing calibrated scalar and vector measurements with global coverage. The successful three-satellite ESA Swarm constellation is expected to remain in operation up to at least 2025. Further monitoring the field from space with high-precision absolute magnetometry beyond that date is of critical importance for improving our understanding of dynamics of the multiple components of this field, as well as that of the ionospheric environment. Here, we will report on the latest status of the NanoMagSat project, which aims to deploy and operate a new constellation concept of three identical 16U nanosatellites, using two inclined (approximately 60&amp;#176;) and one polar LEO, as well as an innovative payload including an advanced Miniaturized Absolute scalar and self-calibrated vector Magnetometer (MAM) combined with a set of precise star trackers (STR), a compact High-frequency Field Magnetometer (HFM, sharing subsystems with the MAM), a multi-needle Langmuir Probe (m-NLP) and dual frequency GNSS receivers. The data to be produced will at least include 1 Hz absolutely calibrated and oriented magnetic vector field (using the MAM and STR), 2 kHz very low noise magnetic scalar (using the MAM) and vector (using the HFM) field, 2 kHz local electron density (using the m-NLP) as well as precise timing, location and TEC products. In addition to briefly presenting the nanosatellite and constellation concepts, as well as the evolving programmatic status of the mission (which already underwent a consolidation study funded by the ESA Scout programme), this presentation will illustrate through a number of E2E simulations the ability of NanoMagSat to complement and improve on many of the science goals of the Swarm mission at a much lower cost, and to bring innovative science capabilities for ionospheric investigations. NanoMagSat could form the basis of a permanent collaborative constellation of nanosatellites for low-cost long-term monitoring of the geomagnetic field and ionospheric environment from space.&lt;/p&gt;


2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreas Krietemeyer ◽  
Marie-claire ten Veldhuis ◽  
Hans van der Marel ◽  
Eugenio Realini ◽  
Nick van de Giesen

Dual-frequency Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSSs) enable the estimation of Zenith Tropospheric Delay (ZTD) which can be converted to Precipitable Water Vapor (PWV). The density of existing GNSS monitoring networks is insufficient to capture small-scale water vapor variations that are especially important for extreme weather forecasting. A densification with geodetic-grade dual-frequency receivers is not economically feasible. Cost-efficient single-frequency receivers offer a possible alternative. This paper studies the feasibility of using low-cost receivers to increase the density of GNSS networks for retrieval of PWV. We processed one year of GNSS data from an IGS station and two co-located single-frequency stations. Additionally, in another experiment, the Radio Frequency (RF) signal from a geodetic-grade dual-frequency antenna was split to a geodetic receiver and two low-cost receivers. To process the single-frequency observations in Precise Point Positioning (PPP) mode, we apply the Satellite-specific Epoch-differenced Ionospheric Delay (SEID) model using two different reference network configurations of 50–80 km and 200–300 km mean station distances, respectively. Our research setup can distinguish between the antenna, ionospheric interpolation, and software-related impacts on the quality of PWV retrievals. The study shows that single-frequency GNSS receivers can achieve a quality similar to that of geodetic receivers in terms of RMSE for ZTD estimations. We demonstrate that modeling of the ionosphere and the antenna type are the main sources influencing the ZTD precision.


2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cong Khai PHAM ◽  
Gia Trong NGUYEN ◽  
Van Hai NGUYEN ◽  
Trong Xuan TRAN

In recent years, the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has been widely applied insurveying and mapping. Currently, in Vietnam, dual-frequency GNSS receivers are quite extensivelyapplied with the real-time kinematic (RTK) measurement technique using a continuously operatingreference station network. However, high-accuracy GNSS receivers are often expensive, sometimes notmeeting the needs of users for specific applications. This research develops two types of low-cost highprecisionGNSS receivers for RTK positioning for different purposes. First, the millimeter precisionGNSS receiver used in real-time displacement monitoring is based on Trimble's BD970 mainboardtechnology and some other modules. These components are interconnected according to a standarddesign scheme and assembled in an enclosure to form a GNSS receiver. In addition, a GNSS datatransmission in the National Marine Electronics Association standard format by Networked Transport ofRadio Technical Commission for Maritime Services via Internet Protocol (NTRIP) has beendesigned and developed. The GNSS receiver after development is loaded with program code written inthe C# programming language, using the Arduino programming tool. Second, the GNSS receivers havethe centimeter accuracy for RTK positioning used in surveying and mapping based on U-blox'smainboard technology and some other modules. These modules are also connected together according toa standard design scheme and assembled in an enclosure to form a complete GNSS receiver. Theevaluation results show that the designed and developed GNSS receivers completely meet therequirements of surveying and mapping in coal mines in Vietnam, such as real-time monitoring oflandslides, surveying and topographical mapping and other surveying works to serve the mining process.


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-175
Author(s):  
Li Zhang ◽  
Volker Schwieger

AbstractThe investigations on low-cost single frequency GNSS receivers at the Institute of Engineering Geodesy (IIGS) show that u-blox GNSS receivers combined with low-cost antennas and self-constructed L1-optimized choke rings can reach an accuracy which almost meets the requirements of geodetic applications (see Zhang and Schwieger [25]). However, the quality (accuracy and reliability) of low-cost GNSS receiver data should still be improved, particularly in environments with obstructions. The multipath effects are a major error source for the short baselines. The ground plate or the choke ring ground plane can reduce the multipath signals from the horizontal reflector (e. g. ground). However, the shieldings cannot reduce the multipath signals from the vertical reflectors (e. g. walls).Because multipath effects are spatially and temporally correlated, an algorithm is developed for reducing the multipath effect by considering the spatial correlations of the adjoined stations (see Zhang and Schwieger [24]). In this paper, an algorithm based on the temporal correlations will be introduced. The developed algorithm is based on the periodic behavior of the estimated coordinates and not on carrier phase raw data, which is easy to use. Because, for the users, coordinates are more accessible than the raw data. The multipath effect can cause periodic oscillations but the periods change over time. Besides this, the multipath effect’s influence on the coordinates is a mixture of different multipath signals from different satellites and different reflectors. These two properties will be used to reduce the multipath effect. The algorithm runs in two steps and iteratively. Test measurements were carried out in a multipath intensive environment; the accuracies of the measurements are improved by about 50 % and the results can be delivered in near-real-time (in ca. 30 minutes), therefore the algorithm is suitable for structural health monitoring applications.


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