scholarly journals GNSS/INS-Equipped Buoys for Altimetry Validation: Lessons Learnt and New Directions from the Bass Strait Validation Facility

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (18) ◽  
pp. 3001
Author(s):  
Boye Zhou ◽  
Christopher Watson ◽  
Benoit Legresy ◽  
Matt A. King ◽  
Jack Beardsley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inertial Navigation System ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
External Forcing ◽  
Empirical Correction ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Ocean Topography ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite ◽  
Systematic Noise

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-equipped buoys have a fundamental role in the validation of satellite altimetry. Requirements to validate next generation altimeter missions are demanding and call for a greater understanding of the systematic errors associated with the buoy approach. In this paper, we assess the present-day buoy precision using archived data from the Bass Strait validation facility. We explore potential improvements in buoy precision by addressing two previously ignored issues: changes to buoyancy as a function of external forcing, and biases induced by platform dynamics. Our results indicate the precision of our buoy against in situ mooring data is ~15 mm, with a ~8.5 mm systematic noise floor. Investigation into the tether tension effect on buoyancy showed strong correlation between currents, wind stress and buoy-against-mooring residuals. Our initial empirical correction achieved a reduction of 5 mm in the standard deviation of the residuals, with a 51% decrease in variance over low frequency bands. Corrections associated with platform orientation from an Inertial Navigation System (INS) unit showed centimetre-level magnitude and are expected to be higher under rougher sea states. Finally, we conclude with further possible improvements to meet validation requirements for the future Surface Water Ocean Topography (SWOT) mission.

scholarly journals Deriving surface soil moisture from reflected GNSS signal observations from a grassland site in southwestern France

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sibo Zhang ◽  
Jean-Christophe Calvet ◽  
José Darrozes ◽  
Nicolas Roussel ◽  
Frédéric Frappart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Land Surface ◽  
Land Surface Model ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
Surface Model ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite ◽  
Grassland Site

Abstract. This work aims to assess the estimation of surface volumetric soil moisture (VSM) using the Global Navigation Satellite System Interferometric Reflectometry (GNSS-IR) technique. Year-round observations were acquired from a grassland site in southwestern France using an antenna consecutively placed at two contrasting heights above the ground surface (3.3 or 29.4 m). The VSM retrievals are compared with two independent reference datasets: in situ observations of soil moisture, and numerical simulations of soil moisture and vegetation biomass from the ISBA (Interactions between Soil, Biosphere and Atmosphere) land surface model. Scaled VSM estimates can be retrieved throughout the year removing vegetation effects by the separation of growth and senescence periods and by the filtering of the GNSS-IR observations that are most affected by vegetation. Antenna height has no significant impact on the quality of VSM estimates. Comparisons between the VSM GNSS-IR retrievals and the in situ VSM observations at a depth of 5 cm show a good agreement (R2 = 0.86 and RMSE = 0.04 m3 m−3). It is shown that the signal is sensitive to the grass litter water content and that this effect triggers differences between VSM retrievals and in situ VSM observations at depths of 1 cm and 5 cm, especially during light rainfall events.

scholarly journals Terrain changes from images acquired on opportunistic flights by SfM photogrammetry

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 827-840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luc Girod ◽  
Christopher Nuth ◽  
Andreas Kääb ◽  
Bernd Etzelmüller ◽  
Jack Kohler
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Rapid Change ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
Light Transport ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Accuracy And Precision ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Gnss Data

Abstract. Acquiring data to analyse change in topography is often a costly endeavour requiring either extensive, potentially risky, fieldwork and/or expensive equipment or commercial data. Bringing the cost down while keeping the precision and accuracy has been a focus in geoscience in recent years. Structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetric techniques are emerging as powerful tools for surveying, with modern algorithm and large computing power allowing for the production of accurate and detailed data from low-cost, informal surveys. The high spatial and temporal resolution permits the monitoring of geomorphological features undergoing relatively rapid change, such as glaciers, moraines, or landslides. We present a method that takes advantage of light-transport flights conducting other missions to opportunistically collect imagery for geomorphological analysis. We test and validate an approach in which we attach a consumer-grade camera and a simple code-based Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver to a helicopter to collect data when the flight path covers an area of interest. Our method is based and builds upon Welty et al. (2013), showing the ability to link GNSS data to images without a complex physical or electronic link, even with imprecise camera clocks and irregular time lapses. As a proof of concept, we conducted two test surveys, in September 2014 and 2015, over the glacier Midtre Lovénbreen and its forefield, in northwestern Svalbard. We were able to derive elevation change estimates comparable to in situ mass balance stake measurements. The accuracy and precision of our DEMs allow detection and analysis of a number of processes in the proglacial area, including the presence of thermokarst and the evolution of water channels.

scholarly journals Quality Improvement of Satellite Soil Moisture Products by Fusing with In-Situ Measurements and GNSS-R Estimates in the Western Continental U.S.

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongzhang Xu ◽  
Qiangqiang Yuan ◽  
Tongwen Li ◽  
Huanfeng Shen ◽  
Liangpei Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Water Cycle ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Generalized Regression Neural Network ◽  
Level 3 ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite ◽  
Microwave Sensors ◽  
Surface Fusion

Soil moisture is a key component of the water cycle budget. Sensing soil moisture using microwave sensors onboard satellites is an effective way to retrieve surface soil moisture (SSM) at a global scale, but the retrieval accuracy in some regions is inadequate due to the complicated factors influencing the general retrieval process. On the other hand, monitoring soil moisture directly through in-situ devices is capable of providing high-accuracy SSM measurements, but the distribution of such stations is sparse. Recently, the Global Navigation Satellite System interferometric Reflectometry (GNSS-R) method was used to derive field-scale SSM, which can serve as a supplement to contemporary sparse in-situ soil moisture networks. On this basis, it is of great research significance to explore the fusion of these different kinds of SSM data, so as to improve the present satellite SSM products with regard to their data accuracy. In this paper, a multi-source point-surface fusion method based on the generalized regression neural network (GRNN) model is applied to fuse the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) Level 3 radiometer SSM daily product with in-situ measured and GNSS-R estimated SSM data from five soil moisture networks in the western continental U.S. The results show that the GRNN model obtains a fairly good performance, with a cross-validation R value of approximately 0.9 and a ubRMSE of 0.044 cm3 cm−3. Furthermore, the fused SSM product agrees well with the site-specific SSM data in terms of time and space, which demonstrates that the proposed GRNN model is able to construct the non-linear relationship between the point- and surface-scale SSM.

scholarly journals Derivation of global ionospheric Sporadic E critical frequency ( f o Es) data from the amplitude variations in GPS/GNSS radio occultations

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 200320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bingkun Yu ◽  
Christopher J. Scott ◽  
Xianghui Xue ◽  
Xinan Yue ◽  
Xiankang Dou
Keyword(s):  
Critical Frequency ◽  
Detection Threshold ◽  
Low Frequency ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Satellite Mission ◽  
Frequency Detection ◽  
Sporadic E ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite

The ionospheric sporadic E (Es) layer has a significant impact on the global positioning system (GPS)/global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals. These influences on the GPS/GNSS signals can also be used to study the occurrence and characteristics of the Es layer on a global scale. In this paper, 5.8 million radio occultation (RO) profiles from the FORMOSAT-3/COSMIC satellite mission and ground-based observations of Es layers recorded by 25 ionospheric monitoring stations and held at the UK Solar System Data Centre at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the Chinese Meridian Project were used to derive the hourly Es critical frequency ( f o Es) data. The global distribution of f o Es with a high spatial resolution shows a strong seasonal variation in f o Es with a summer maximum exceeding 4.0 MHz and a winter minimum between 2.0 and 2.5 MHz. The GPS/GNSS RO technique is an important tool that can provide global estimates of Es layers, augmenting the limited coverage and low-frequency detection threshold of ground-based instruments. Attention should be paid to small f o Es values from ionosondes near the instrumental detection limits corresponding to minimum frequencies in the range 1.28–1.60 MHz.

scholarly journals Determination of Space Debris Coordinates by Means of a Space Service Vehicle

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-37 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasyl Kondratiuk ◽  
Еduard Kovalevskiy ◽  
Svitlana Ilnytska
Keyword(s):  
Inertial Navigation System ◽  
Space Debris ◽  
Initial Conditions ◽  
Space Vehicle ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
Coordinate Frame ◽  
Space Industry ◽  
Global Character ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite

Abstract The problem of space debris utilization is quite relevant nowadays and has a global character. The space industry experts from all over the world are working on the task of removing space debris. This article proposes the method of determining space debris coordinates by means of the airborne equipment of a space service vehicle. The set of airborne equipment includes a global navigation satellite system receiver, an inertial navigation system and a laser radar. To study the accuracy characteristics of the proposed method under different initial conditions a series of simulations was performed. They showed that the accuracy of determining space debris coordinates becomes higher with the reduction of the distance between the debris and space service vehicle. Stringent requirements for the accuracy of determining the orientation of the coordinate frame of the space vehicle are essential for providing the accuracy characteristics of the method.

scholarly journals RTK GNSS-Assisted Terrestrial SfM Photogrammetry without GCP: Application to Coastal Morphodynamics Monitoring

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1889 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Jaud ◽  
Stéphane Bertin ◽  
Mickaël Beauverger ◽  
Emmanuel Augereau ◽  
Christophe Delacourt
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Laser Scanner ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
Mean Error ◽  
Ground Control Points ◽  
Participatory Science ◽  
Gnss Network ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite

The present article describes a new and efficient method of Real Time Kinematic (RTK) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) assisted terrestrial Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry without the need for Ground Control Points (GCPs). The system only requires a simple frame that mechanically connects a RTK GNSS antenna to the camera. The system is low cost, easy to transport, and offers high autonomy. Furthermore, not requiring GCPs enables saving time during the in situ acquisition and during data processing. The method is tested for coastal cliff monitoring, using both a Reflex camera and a Smartphone camera. The quality of the reconstructions is assessed by comparison to a synchronous Terrestrial Laser Scanner (TLS) acquisition. The results are highly satisfying with a mean error of 0.3 cm and a standard deviation of 4.7 cm obtained with the Nikon D800 Reflex camera and, respectively, a mean error of 0.2 cm and a standard deviation of 3.8 cm obtained with the Huawei Y5 Smartphone camera. This method will be particularly interesting when simplicity, portability, and autonomy are desirable. In the future, it would be transposable to participatory science programs, while using an open RTK GNSS network.

scholarly journals Determination of sea surface height from moving ships with dynamic corrections

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 172-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Reinking ◽  
A. Härting ◽  
L. Bastos
Keyword(s):  
Satellite System ◽  
Ocean Dynamics ◽  
Sea Surface ◽  
Sea Surface Heights ◽  
Positioning Analysis ◽  
Remote Sensing Techniques ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite

AbstractWith the growing global efforts to estimate the influence of civilization on the climate change it would be desirable to survey sea surface heights (SSH) not only by remote sensing techniques like satellite altimetry or (GNSS) Global Navigation Satellite System reflectometry but also by direct and in-situ measurements in the open ocean. In recent years different groups attempted to determine SSH by ship-based GNSS observations. Due to recent advances in kinematic GNSS (PPP) Precise Point Positioning analysis it is already possible to derive GNSS antenna heights with a quality of a few centimeters. Therefore it is foreseeable that this technique will be used more intensively in the future, with obvious advantages in sea positioning. For the determination of actual SSH from GNSS-derived antenna heights aboard seagoing vessels some essential hydrostatic and hydrodynamic corrections must be considered in addition to ocean dynamics and related corrections. Systematic influences of ship dynamics were intensively analyzed and sophisticated techniques were developed at the Jade University during the last decades to precisely estimate mandatory corrections. In this paper we will describe the required analyses and demonstrate their application by presenting a case study from an experiment on a cruise vessel carried out in March 2011 in the Atlantic Ocean.

scholarly journals INTEGRATION OF INS AND GNSS FOR GRAVIMETRIC APPLICATION WITH UAS

2018 ◽  
Vol XLII-1 ◽  
pp. 263-268
Author(s):  
C. A. Lin ◽  
K. W. Chiang ◽  
C. Y. Kuo
Keyword(s):  
Inertial Navigation System ◽  
Satellite System ◽  
Large Error ◽  
Navigation Satellite ◽  
Unmanned Helicopter ◽  
Gravity Disturbance ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Vertical Gravity ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite ◽  
Intermediate System

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> The integration based on Inertial Navigation System (INS) and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has been successfully developed in observing the gravity. Therefore, this study integrates a navigation-grade INS, iNAV-RQH from iMAR and GNSS from NovAtel to develope an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) using unmanned helicopter for gravimetric application. The advantages include its good flexibility, and it is an intermediate system between the airborne and terrestrial survey in terms of the coverage and spatial resolution. On the other hand, based on the characteristics of vertical take-off and landing, in addition to the kinematic mode as the measure method in the acquisition of gravimetric results, the Zero Velocity Update (ZUPT) mode is implemented as a novel method with the developed UAS. The preliminary results in kinematic mode show that the internal accuracies of horizontal and vertical gravity disturbance at crossover points are approximately 6&amp;ndash;11<span class="thinspace"></span>mGal and 4<span class="thinspace"></span>mGal, respectively, with a 0.5-km resolution. As expected, the accuracy in down component is higher than that in horizontal components because the orientation errors could cause large error in horizontal components. Moreover, the repeatability in ZUPT mode is evaluated with accuracies of approximately 2&amp;ndash;3<span class="thinspace"></span>mGal. The capability of developed UAS for gravimetric application has been demonstrated through various scenarios in this study.</p>

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