Evaluation of GPS Standard Point Positioning with Various Ionospheric Error Mitigation Techniques

Sampad K. Panda; Shirish S. Gedam

doi:10.1515/jag-2016-0019

Article

Evaluation of GPS Standard Point Positioning with Various Ionospheric Error Mitigation Techniques

Sampad K. Panda and Shirish S. Gedam

Published/Copyright: December 9, 2016

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From the journal Journal of Applied Geodesy Volume 10 Issue 4

Abstract

The present paper investigates accuracy of single and dual-frequency Global Positioning System (GPS) standard point positioning solutions employing different ionosphere error mitigation techniques. The total electron content (TEC) in the ionosphere is the prominent delay error source in GPS positioning, and its elimination is essential for obtaining a relatively precise positioning solution. The estimated delay error from different ionosphere models and maps, such as Klobuchar model, global ionosphere models, and vertical TEC maps are compared with the locally derived ionosphere error following the ion density and frequency dependence with delay error. Finally, the positional accuracy of the single and dual-frequency GPS point positioning solutions are probed through different ionospheric mitigation methods including exploitation of models, maps, and ionosphere-free linear combinations and removal of higher order ionospheric effects. The results suggest the superiority of global ionosphere maps for single-frequency solution, whereas for the dual-frequency measurement the ionosphere-free linear combination with prior removal of higher-order ionosphere effects from global ionosphere maps and geomagnetic reference fields resulted in improved positioning quality among the chosen mitigation techniques. Conspicuously, the susceptibility of height component to different ionospheric mitigation methods are demonstrated in this study which may assist the users in selecting appropriate technique for precise GPS positioning measurements.

Keywords: Global Positioning System; Ionospheric Delay Error; Higher-order Effects; Total Electron Content

Acknowledgment

The authors acknowledge Scripps Orbit and Permanent Array Center (SOPAC) and Head, Centre of Studies in Resources Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India for providing GPS observation data, Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE), University of Bern for availing the differential code biases files and global ionosphere maps. The authors are also thankful to Crustal Dynamics Data Information System (CDDIS) for providing access to BRDC files, World Data Center for Geomagnetism, Kyoto for periodically publishing the geomagnetic Kp indices. The higher order ionospheric correction program RINEX_HO is obtained from http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/. The authors are grateful to IRI working group, Tamara Gulyaeva, and Gopi K. Seemala for providing access to the IRI, SPIM, and GPS TEC analysis package respectively.

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Received: 2016-6-14

Accepted: 2016-8-18

Published Online: 2016-12-9

Published in Print: 2016-12-1

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Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/jag-2016-0019

Keywords for this article

Global Positioning System; Ionospheric Delay Error; Higher-order Effects; Total Electron Content