Assessing the quality of ionospheric models through GNSS positioning error: methodology and results

Abstract Single-frequency users of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) must correct for the ionospheric delay. These corrections are available from global ionospheric models (GIMs). Therefore, the accuracy of the GIM is important because the unmodeled or incorrectly part of ionospheric delay contributes to the positioning error of GNSS-based positioning. However, the positioning error of receivers located at known coordinates can be used to infer the accuracy of GIMs in a simple manner. This is why assessment of GIMs by means of the position domain is often used as an alternative to assessments in the ionospheric delay domain. The latter method requires accurate reference ionospheric values obtained from a network solution and complex geodetic modeling. However, evaluations using the positioning error method present several difficulties, as evidenced in recent works, that can lead to inconsistent results compared to the tests using the ionospheric delay domain. We analyze the reasons why such inconsistencies occur, applying both methodologies. We have computed the position of 34 permanent stations for the entire year of 2014 within the last Solar Maximum. The positioning tests have been done using code pseudoranges and carrier-phase leveled (CCL) measurements. We identify the error sources that make it difficult to distinguish the part of the positioning error that is attributable to the ionospheric correction: the measurement noise, pseudorange multipath, evaluation metric, and outliers. Once these error sources are considered, we obtain equivalent results to those found in the ionospheric delay domain assessments. Accurate GIMs can provide single-frequency navigation positioning at the decimeter level using CCL measurements and better positions than those obtained using the dual-frequency ionospheric-free combination of pseudoranges. Finally, some recommendations are provided for further studies of ionospheric models using the position domain method.

Download Full-text

Performance of Selected Ionospheric Models in Multi-Global Navigation Satellite System Single-Frequency Positioning over China

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs11172070 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (17) ◽

pp. 2070 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Wang ◽

Chen ◽

Zhang ◽

Meng ◽

Wang

Keyword(s):

Global Navigation Satellite System ◽

Satellite System ◽

Ionospheric Delay ◽

Single Frequency ◽

Navigation Satellite ◽

Ionospheric Model ◽

Positioning Accuracy ◽

Grid Model ◽

Ionospheric Models ◽

Global Navigation Satellite

Ionospheric delay as the major error source needs to be properly handled in multi-GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) single-frequency positioning and the different ionospheric models exhibit apparent performance difference. In this study, two single-frequency positioning solutions with different ionospheric corrections are utilized to comprehensively analyze the ionospheric delay effects on multi-frequency and multi-constellation positioning performance, including standard point positioning (SPP) and ionosphere-constrained precise point positioning (PPP). The four ionospheric models studied are the GPS broadcast ionospheric model (GPS-Klo), the BDS (BeiDou Navigation Satellite System) broadcast ionospheric model (BDS-Klo), the BDS ionospheric grid model (BDS-Grid) and the Global Ionosphere Maps (GIM) model. Datasets are collected from 10 stations over one month in 2019. The solar remained calm and the ionosphere was stable during the test period. The experimental results show that for single-frequency SPP, the GIM model achieves the best accuracy, and the positioning accuracy of the BDS-Klo and BDS-Grid model is much better than the solution with GPS-Klo model in the N and U components. For the single-frequency PPP performance, the average convergence time of the ionosphere-constrained PPP is much reduced compared with the traditional PPP approach, where the improvements are of 11.2%, 11.9%, 21.3% and 39.6% in the GPS-Klo-, BDS-Klo-, BDS-Grid- and GIM-constrained GPS + GLONASS + BDS single-frequency PPP solutions, respectively. Furthermore, the positioning accuracy of the BDS-Grid- and GIM-constrained PPP is generally the same as the ionosphere-free combined single-frequency PPP. Through the combination of GPS, GLONASS and BDS, the positioning accuracy and convergence performance for all single-system single-frequency SPP/PPP solutions can be effectively improved.

Download Full-text

Kinematic PPP Using Mixed GPS/Glonass Single-Frequency Observations

Artificial Satellites ◽

10.2478/arsa-2019-0008 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 54 (3) ◽

pp. 97-112

Author(s):

Mostafa Hamed ◽

Ashraf Abdallah ◽

Ashraf Farah

Keyword(s):

Low Cost ◽

Satellite System ◽

Single Frequency ◽

Future Research ◽

Frequency Data ◽

Dual Frequency ◽

Trajectory Data ◽

Average Improvement ◽

Kinematic Ppp ◽

Global Navigation Satellite

Abstract Nowadays, Precise Point Positioning (PPP) is a very popular technique for Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning. The advantage of PPP is its low cost as well as no distance limitation when compared with the differential technique. Single-frequency receivers have the advantage of cost effectiveness when compared with the expensive dual-frequency receivers, but the ionosphere error makes a difficulty to be completely mitigated. This research aims to assess the effect of using observations from both GPS and GLONASS constellations in comparison with GPS only for kinematic purposes using single-frequency observations. Six days of the year 2018 with single-frequency data for the Ethiopian IGS station named “ADIS” were processed epoch by epoch for 24 hours once with GPS-only observations and another with GPS/GLONASS observations. In addition to “ADIS” station, a kinematic track in the New Aswan City, Aswan, Egypt, has been observed using Leica GS15, geodetic type, dual-frequency, GPS/GLONASS GNSS receiver and single-frequency data have been processed. Net_Diff software was used for processing all the data. The results have been compared with a reference solution. Adding GLONASS satellites significantly improved the satellite number and Position Dilution Of Precision (PDOP) value and accordingly improved the accuracy of positioning. In the case of “ADIS” data, the 3D Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) ranged between 0.273 and 0.816 m for GPS only and improved to a range from 0.256 to 0.550 m for GPS/GLONASS for the 6 processed days. An average improvement ratio of 24%, 29%, 30%, and 29% in the east, north, height, and 3D position components, respectively, was achieved. For the kinematic trajectory, the 3D position RMSE improved from 0.733 m for GPS only to 0.638 m for GPS/GLONASS. The improvement ratios were 7%, 5%, 28%, and 13% in the east, north, height, and 3D position components, respectively, for the kinematic trajectory data. This opens the way to add observations from the other two constellations (Galileo and BeiDou) for more accuracy in future research.

Download Full-text

Comparison of Multi-GNSS Time and Frequency Transfer Performance Using Overlap-Frequency Observations

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13163130 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (16) ◽

pp. 3130

Author(s):

Pengfei Zhang ◽

Rui Tu ◽

Yuping Gao ◽

Ju Hong ◽

Junqiang Han ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carrier Phase ◽

Satellite System ◽

Single Frequency ◽

Navigation Satellite ◽

Transfer Performance ◽

Dual Frequency ◽

Time Transfer ◽

Difference Series ◽

Frequency Transfer ◽

Global Navigation Satellite

The modernized GPS, Galileo, and BeiDou global navigation satellite system (BDS3) offers new potential for time transfer using overlap-frequency (L1/E1/B1, L5/E5a/B2a) observations. To assess the performance of time and frequency transfer with overlap-frequency observations for GPS, Galileo, and BDS3, the mathematical models of single- and dual-frequency using the carrier-phase (CP) technique are discussed and presented. For the single-frequency CP model, the three-day average RMS values of the L5/E5a/B2a clock difference series were 0.218 ns for Galileo and 0.263 ns for BDS3, of which the improvements were 36.2% for Galileo and 43.9% for BDS3 when compared with the L1/E1/B1 solution at BRUX–PTBB. For the hydrogen–cesium time link BRUX–KIRU, the RMS values of the L5/E5a/B2a solution were 0.490 ns for Galileo and 0.608 ns for BDS3, improving Galileo by 6.4% and BDS3 by 12.5% when compared with the L1/E1/B1 solution. For the dual-frequency CP model, the average stability values of the L5/E5a/B2a solution at the BRUX–PTBB time link were 3.54∙× 10−12 for GPS, 2.20 × 10−12 for Galileo, and 2.69 × 10−12 for BDS3, of which the improvements were 21.0%, 45.1%, and 52.3%, respectively, when compared with the L1/E1/B1 solution. For the BRUX–KIRU time link, the improvements were 4.2%, 30.5%, and 36.1%, respectively.

Download Full-text

Ionosphere-Constrained Single-Frequency PPP with an Android Smartphone and Assessment of GNSS Observations

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s20205917 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (20) ◽

pp. 5917

Author(s):

Guangxing Wang ◽

Yadong Bo ◽

Qiang Yu ◽

Min Li ◽

Zhihao Yin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Single Point ◽

Application Programming Interface ◽

Satellite System ◽

Single Frequency ◽

Dual Frequency ◽

Application Programming ◽

Point Positioning ◽

Global Navigation Satellite ◽

Gnss Observations ◽

Better Than

With the development of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and the opening of Application Programming Interface (API) of Android terminals, the positioning research of Android terminals has attracted the attention of GNSS community. In this paper, three static experiments were conducted to analyze the raw GNSS observations quality and positioning performances of the smartphones. For the two experimental smartphones, the numbers of visible satellites with dual-frequency signals are unstable and not enough for dual-frequency Precise Point Positioning (PPP) processing all through the day. Therefore, the ionosphere-constrained single-frequency PPP model was employed to improve the positioning with the smartphones, and its performance was evaluated and compared with those of the Single Point Positioning (SPP) and the traditional PPP models. The results show that horizontal positioning accuracies of the smartphones with the improved PPP model are better than 1 m, while those with the SPP and the traditional PPP models are about 2 m.

Download Full-text

Deep learning of total electron content

SN Applied Sciences ◽

10.1007/s42452-021-04674-6 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (7) ◽

Author(s):

Omid Memarian Sorkhabi

Keyword(s):

Deep Learning ◽

Total Electron Content ◽

Single Layer ◽

Activation Function ◽

Satellite System ◽

Single Frequency ◽

Electron Content ◽

Dual Frequency ◽

Total Electron ◽

Global Navigation Satellite

AbstractOne of the most notable errors in the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is the ionospheric delay due to the total electron content (TEC). TEC is the number of electrons in the ionosphere in the signal path from the satellite to the receiver, which fluctuates with time and location. This error is one of the major problems in single-frequency (SF) GPS receivers. One way to eliminate this error is to use dual-frequency. Users of SF receivers should either use estimation models or local models to reduce this error. In this study, deep learning of artificial neural networks (ANN) was used to estimate TEC for SF users. For this purpose, the ionosphere as a single-layer model (assuming that all free electrons in the ionosphere are in this thin layer) is locally modeled by the code observation method. Linear combination has been used by selecting 24 permanent GNSS stations in the northwest of Iran. TEC was modeled independently of the geometry between the satellite and the receiver, called L4. This modeling was used to train the error ANN with two 5-day periods of high and low solar and geomagnetic activity range with a hyperbolic tangential sigmoid activation function. The results show that the proposed method is capable of eliminating ionosphere error with an average accuracy of 90%. The international reference ionosphere 2016 (IRI2016) is used for the verification, which has a 96% significance correlation with estimated TEC.

Download Full-text

Is GNSS real-time positioning a reliable option to validate erosion studies at olive grove environments?

Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research ◽

10.5424/sjar/2020182-15752 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 18 (2) ◽

pp. e0204

Author(s):

María S. Garrido-Carretero ◽

María I. Ramos-Galán ◽

María C. De Lacy-Pérez de los Cobos ◽

Sergio Blanca-Mena ◽

Antonio J. Gil-Cruz

Keyword(s):

Low Cost ◽

Satellite System ◽

Single Frequency ◽

Olive Grove ◽

Dual Frequency ◽

Significance Level ◽

Digital Elevation ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Spatial Redistribution ◽

Global Navigation Satellite

Aim of study: Soil degradation in agricultural areas is a widespread problem. In this framework, a data validation methodology is presented, including a study of the spatial resolution of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements, the calculation of erosion/deposition models, and the contribution of dual frequency and low-cost single frequency GNSS receivers.Area of study: A test olive grove in SE Spain.Material and methods: The study is based on three observation campaigns, between 2016 and 2018, using different GNSS receivers and working modes. The comparison between different surveys provide the volumetric variation over the analyzed period.Main results: Considering the dual-frequency receiver, there was no statistically significant difference between the means and the variances from 1.5 m and from 4.5 m data resolution at the 0.05 significance level. In order to estimate vertical differences from successive GNSS campaigns a differential digital elevation approach was applied. Although the differences depended on the zone of the test area and they changed along the monitoring period, the erosion rate could be catalogued as very low. The dual-frequency receiver satisfied the vertical centimetric precision limits for high accurate Digital Elevation Model (DEM), making it a reliable and accurate option to validate erosion studies in small areas.Research highlights: The results have allowed the characterization of multi-annual spatial redistribution of the topsoil at local scale, being of great help to design future prevention actions for the “tillage erosion” in olive grove environments. However, more tests are needed to guarantee the feasibility of low-cost receivers.

Download Full-text

Galileo E5 AltBOC Signals: Application for Single-Frequency Total Electron Content Estimations

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13193973 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (19) ◽

pp. 3973

Author(s):

Artem M. Padokhin ◽

Anna A. Mylnikova ◽

Yury V. Yasyukevich ◽

Yury V. Morozov ◽

Gregory A. Kurbatov ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Total Electron Content ◽

Noise Level ◽

Satellite System ◽

Single Frequency ◽

Electron Content ◽

Dual Frequency ◽

Binary Offset Carrier ◽

Total Electron ◽

Galileo E5 ◽

Global Navigation Satellite

Global navigation satellite system signals are known to be an efficient tool to monitor the Earth ionosphere. We suggest Galileo E5 AltBOC phase and pseudorange observables— a single-frequency combination—to estimate the ionospheric total electron content (TEC). We performed a one-month campaign in September 2020 to compare the noise level for different TEC estimations based on single-frequency and dual-frequency data. Unlike GPS, GLONASS, or Galileo E5a and E5b single-frequency TEC estimations (involving signals with binary and quadrature phase-shift keying, such as BPSK and QPSK, or binary offset carrier (BOC) modulation), an extra wideband Galileo E5 AltBOC signal provided the smallest noise level, comparable to that of dual-frequency GPS. For elevation higher than 60 degrees, the 100-sec root-mean-square (RMS) of TEC, an estimated TEC noise proxy, was as follows for different signals: ~0.05 TECU for Galileo E5 AltBOC, 0.09 TECU for GPS L5, ~0.1TECU for Galileo E5a/E5b BPSK, and 0.85 TECU for Galileo E1 CBOC. Dual-frequency phase combinations provided RMS values of 0.03 TECU for Galileo E1/E5, 0.03 and 0.07 TECU for GPS L1/L2 and L1/L5. At low elevations, E5 AltBOC provided at least twice less single-frequency TEC noise as compared with data obtained from E5a or E5b. The short dataset of our study could limit the obtained estimates; however, we expect that the AltBOC single-frequency TEC will still surpass the BPSK analogue in noise parameters when the solar cycle evolves and geomagnetic activity increases. Therefore, AltBOC signals could advance geoscience.

Download Full-text

Performance Evaluation of the CNAV Broadcast Ephemeris

Journal of Navigation ◽

10.1017/s037346331900016x ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 72 (5) ◽

pp. 1331-1344

Author(s):

Ahao Wang ◽

Junping Chen ◽

Yize Zhang ◽

Jiexian Wang ◽

Bin Wang

Keyword(s):

Global Navigation Satellite System ◽

Single Point ◽

Satellite Orbit ◽

Satellite System ◽

Single Frequency ◽

Navigation Satellite ◽

Dual Frequency ◽

Navigation Message ◽

Global Navigation ◽

Global Navigation Satellite

The new Global Positioning System (GPS) Civil Navigation Message (CNAV) has been transmitted by Block IIR-M and Block IIF satellites since April 2014, both on the L2C and L5 signals. Compared to the Legacy Navigation Message (LNAV), the CNAV message provides six additional parameters (two orbit parameters and four Inter-Signal Correction (ISC) parameters) for prospective civil users. Using the precise products of the International Global Navigation Satellite System Service (IGS), we evaluate the precision of satellite orbit, clock and ISCs of the CNAV. Additionally, the contribution of the six new parameters to GPS Single Point Positioning (SPP) is analysed using data from 22 selected Multi-Global Navigation Satellite System Experiment (MGEX) stations from a 30-day period. The results indicate that the CNAV/LNAV Signal-In-Space Range Error (SISRE) and orbit-only SISRE from January 2016 to March 2018 is of 0·5 m and 0·3 m respectively, which is improved in comparison with the results from an earlier period. The ISC precision of L1 Coarse/Acquisition (C/A) is better than 0·1 ns, and those of L2C and L5Q5 are about 0·4 ns. Remarkably, ISC correction has little effect on the single-frequency SPP for GPS users using civil signals (for example, L1C, L2C), whereas dual-frequency SPP with the consideration of ISCs results have an accuracy improvement of 18·6%, which is comparable with positioning accuracy based on an ionosphere-free combination of the L1P (Y) and L2P (Y) signals.

Download Full-text

NeQuick-G and Android Devices: A Compromise between Computational Burden and Accuracy

Sensors ◽

10.3390/s20205908 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 20 (20) ◽

pp. 5908 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ciro Gioia ◽

Daniele Borio

Keyword(s):

Processing Time ◽

Ad Hoc ◽

Real Data ◽

Satellite System ◽

Single Frequency ◽

Dual Frequency ◽

Ionospheric Correction ◽

Update Rate ◽

Global Navigation Satellite ◽

The Impact

Ionospheric delay is one of the largest errors affecting Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning in open-sky conditions, and different methods are currently available for mitigating ionospheric effects including dual-frequency measurements and corrections from augmentation systems. For single-frequency standalone receivers, the most widely used approach to correct ionospheric delays is to rely on a model. In this respect, Klobuchar and NeQuick-G Ionospheric Correction Algorithms (ICAs) are the approaches adopted by GPS and Galileo, respectively. While the latter outperforms the Klobuchar model, it requires a significantly higher computational load, which can limit its exploitation in some market segments such as smartphones. In order to foster adoption of the NeQuick-G model in this type of device, a smart application of NeQuick-G is proposed. The solution relies on the assumption that ionospheric delays are practically constant over short time intervals. Thus, the update rate of the ionospheric correction computation can be significantly reduced. This solution was implemented, tested, and evaluated using real data collected with a static smartphone in an ad hoc set-up. The impact of reducing the ionospheric correction update rate has been evaluated in terms of processing time, of ionospheric correction deviations and in the Ranging Error (RE) and position domains. The analysis shows that a significant reduction of the processing time can be obtained with negligible degradation of the navigation solution.

Download Full-text

Adjusting CCIR Maps to Improve Local Behaviour of Ionospheric Models

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12060691 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 691

Author(s):

Haris Haralambous ◽

Theodoros Leontiou ◽

Vasilis Petrou ◽

Arun Kumar Singh ◽

Marios Charalambides ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Satellite System ◽

Global Scale ◽

Electron Density Profile ◽

Radiowave Propagation ◽

Single Frequency ◽

Electron Content ◽

Dual Frequency ◽

Total Electron ◽

Positioning Errors ◽

Ionospheric Models

The objective of this article is to present a concept for single-frequency Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning local ionospheric mitigation over a certain area. This concept is based on input parameters driving the NeQuick-G algorithm (the ionospheric single-frequency GNSS correction algorithm adopted by Galileo GNSS system), estimated on a local as opposed to a global scale, from ionospheric characteristics measured by a digital ionosonde and a collocated dual-frequency Total Electron Content (TEC) monitor. This approach facilitates the local adjustment of Committee Consultative for Ionospheric Radiowave propagation (CCIR) files and the Az ionization level, which control the ionospheric electron density profile in NeQuick-G, therefore enabling better estimation of positioning errors under quiet geomagnetic conditions. This novel concept for local ionospheric positioning error mitigation may be adopted at any location where ionospheric characteristics foF2 and M(3000)F2 can be measured, as a means to enhance the accuracy of single-frequency positioning applications based on the NeQuick-G algorithm.

Download Full-text