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20 pages, 4567 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel Error Correction Approach to Improve Standard Point Positioning of Integrated BDS/GPS

by Luyao Du, Jing Ji, Zhonghui Pei and Wei Chen

Sensors 2020, 20(21), 6162; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20216162 - 29 Oct 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2441

Abstract

To improve the standard point positioning (SPP) accuracy of integrated BDS (BeiDou Navigation Satellite System)/GPS (Global Positioning System) at the receiver end, a novel approach based on Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) error correction recurrent neural network is proposed and implemented to reduce the [...] Read more.

To improve the standard point positioning (SPP) accuracy of integrated BDS (BeiDou Navigation Satellite System)/GPS (Global Positioning System) at the receiver end, a novel approach based on Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) error correction recurrent neural network is proposed and implemented to reduce the error caused by multiple sources. On the basis of the weighted least square (WLS) method and Kalman filter, the proposed LSTM-based algorithms, named WLS–LSTM and Kalman–LSTM error correction methods, are used to predict the positioning error of the next epoch, and the prediction result is used to correct the next epoch error. Based on the measured data, the results of the weighted least square method, the Kalman filter method and the LSTM error correction method were compared and analyzed. The dynamic test was also conducted, and the experimental results in dynamic scenarios were analyzed. From the experimental results, the three-dimensional point positioning error of Kalman–LSTM error correction method is 1.038 m, while the error of weighted least square method, Kalman filter and WLS–LSTM error correction method are 3.498, 3.406 and 1.782 m, respectively. The positioning error is 3.7399 m and the corrected positioning error is 0.7493 m in a dynamic scene. The results show that the LSTM-based error correction method can improve the standard point positioning accuracy of integrated BDS/GPS significantly. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GNSS Signals and Sensors)

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15 pages, 1952 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Analysis of the Eurasian Tectonic Plate Motion Parameters Based on GNSS Stations Positions in ITRF2014

by Marcin Jagoda and Miłosława Rutkowska

Sensors 2020, 20(21), 6065; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20216065 - 25 Oct 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 6210

Abstract

The article is the fourth part of our research program concerning an analysis of tectonic plates’ motion parameters that is based on an observation campaign of an array of satellite techniques: SLR, DORIS, VLBI, and now GNSS. In this paper, based on the [...] Read more.

The article is the fourth part of our research program concerning an analysis of tectonic plates’ motion parameters that is based on an observation campaign of an array of satellite techniques: SLR, DORIS, VLBI, and now GNSS. In this paper, based on the International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2014 (ITRF2014) for observations and using the GNSS technique, the Eurasian tectonic plate motion was analyzed and the plate motion parameters Φ, Λ (the position of the rotation pole), and ω (the angular rotation speed) were adjusted. Approximately 1000 station positions and velocities globally were obtained from the GNSS campaign over a 21-year time interval and used in ITRF2014. Due to the large number of data generated using this technique, the analyses were conducted separately for each tectonic plate. These baseline data were divided into a number of parts related to the Eurasian plate, and are shown in this paper. The tectonic plate model was analyzed on the basis of approximately 130 GNSS station positions. A large number of estimated station positions allowed a detailed study to be undertaken. Stations that agree with the plate motion were selected and plate parameters were estimated with high accuracy. In addition, stations which did not agree with the tectonic plate motion were identified and removed. In the current paper, the influence of the number and location of stations on the computed values and accuracy of the tectonic plate motion parameters is discussed. Four calculation scenarios are examined. Each scenario contains 30 stations for the common solution of the European and Asiatic part of the Eurasian plate. The maximum difference between the four calculation scenarios is 0.31° for the Φ parameter and 0.24° for the Λ parameter, indicating that it is at the level of the value of the formal error. The ω parameter has the same value for all the scenarios. The final stage of the analysis is the estimation of parameters Φ, Λ, and ω based on all of the 120 stations used in the four calculation scenarios (i.e., scenario 1 + scenario 2 + scenario 3 + scenario 4). The following results are obtained: Φ = 54.81° ± 0.37°, Λ = 261.04° ± 0.48°, and ω = 0.2585°/Ma ± 0.0025°/Ma. The results of the analysis are compared with the APKIM2005 model and another solution based on the GNSS technique, and a good agreement is found. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GNSS Signals and Sensors)

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15 pages, 8988 KiB

Open AccessArticle

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

by Guangxing Wang, Yadong Bo, Qiang Yu, Min Li, Zhihao Yin and Yu Chen

Sensors 2020, 20(20), 5917; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20205917 - 20 Oct 2020

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3677

Abstract

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 [...] Read more.

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. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GNSS Signals and Sensors)

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20 pages, 6723 KiB

Open AccessArticle

GNSS-Based Non-Negative Absolute Ionosphere Total Electron Content, its Spatial Gradients, Time Derivatives and Differential Code Biases: Bounded-Variable Least-Squares and Taylor Series

by Yury Yasyukevich, Anna Mylnikova and Artem Vesnin

Sensors 2020, 20(19), 5702; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20195702 - 7 Oct 2020

Cited by 26 | Viewed by 3893

Abstract

Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) allow estimating total electron content (TEC). However, it is still a problem to calculate absolute ionosphere parameters from GNSS data: negative TEC values could appear, and most of existing algorithms does not enable to estimate TEC spatial gradients [...] Read more.

Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) allow estimating total electron content (TEC). However, it is still a problem to calculate absolute ionosphere parameters from GNSS data: negative TEC values could appear, and most of existing algorithms does not enable to estimate TEC spatial gradients and TEC time derivatives. We developed an algorithm to recover the absolute non-negative vertical and slant TEC, its derivatives and its gradients, as well as the GNSS equipment differential code biases (DCBs) by using the Taylor series expansion and bounded-variable least-squares. We termed this algorithm TuRBOTEC. Bounded-variable least-squares fitting ensures non-negative values of both slant TEC and vertical TEC. The second order Taylor series expansion could provide a relevant TEC spatial gradients and TEC time derivatives. The technique validation was performed by using independent experimental data over 2014 and the IRI-2012 and IRI-plas models. As a TEC source we used Madrigal maps, CODE (the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe) global ionosphere maps (GIM), the IONOLAB software, and the SEEMALA-TEC software developed by Dr. Seemala. For the Asian mid-latitudes TuRBOTEC results agree with the GIM and IONOLAB data (root-mean-square was < 3 TECU), but they disagree with the SEEMALA-TEC and Madrigal data (root-mean-square was >10 TECU). About 9% of vertical TECs from the TuRBOTEC estimates exceed (by more than 1 TECU) those from the same algorithm but without constraints. The analysis of TEC spatial gradients showed that as far as 10–15° on latitude, TEC estimation error exceeds 10 TECU. Longitudinal gradients produce smaller error for the same distance. Experimental GLObal Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) DCB from TuRBOTEC and CODE peaked 15 TECU difference, while GPS DCB agrees. Slant TEC series indicate that the TuRBOTEC data for GLONASS are physically more plausible. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GNSS Signals and Sensors)

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19 pages, 5054 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Impact of Using GPS L2 Receiver Antenna Corrections for the Galileo E5a Frequency on Position Estimates

by Andrzej Araszkiewicz and Damian Kiliszek

Sensors 2020, 20(19), 5536; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20195536 - 27 Sep 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2331

Abstract

Knowledge of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna phase center variations plays a key role in precise positioning. Proper modeling is achieved by accessing antenna phase center corrections, which are determined in the calibration process. For most receiver antenna types, the International GNSS [...] Read more.

Knowledge of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna phase center variations plays a key role in precise positioning. Proper modeling is achieved by accessing antenna phase center corrections, which are determined in the calibration process. For most receiver antenna types, the International GNSS Service provides such corrections for two GPS and GLONASS carrier signals. In the case of Galileo, access to phase center corrections is difficult; only antennas calibrated in the anechoic chambers have available corrections for Galileo frequencies. Hence, in many of the studies, GPS-dedicated corrections are used for these Galileo frequencies. Differential analysis was conducted in this study to evaluate the impact of such change. In total, 25 stations belonging to the EUREF Permanent Network and equipped with individual calibrated antennas were the subject of this research. The results for both the absolute and relative positioning methods are clear: using GPS L2 corrections for Galileo E5a frequency causes a bias in the estimated height of almost 8 mm. For the horizontal component, a significant difference can be noticed for only one type of antenna. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GNSS Signals and Sensors)

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15 pages, 3643 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impacts of Local Effects and Surface Loads on the Common Mode Error Filtering in Continuous GPS Measurements in the Northwest of Yunnan Province, China

by Keliang Zhang, Yuebing Wang, Weijun Gan and Shiming Liang

Sensors 2020, 20(18), 5408; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20185408 - 21 Sep 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2050

Abstract

While seasonal hydrological mass loading, derived from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) measurements, shows coherent spatial patterns and is an important source for the common mode error (CME) in continuous global positioning system (cGPS) measurements in Yunnan, it is a challenge to [...] Read more.

While seasonal hydrological mass loading, derived from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) measurements, shows coherent spatial patterns and is an important source for the common mode error (CME) in continuous global positioning system (cGPS) measurements in Yunnan, it is a challenge to quantify local effects and detailed changes in daily GPS measurements by using GRACE data due to its low time and spatial resolutions. In this study, we computed and compared two groups of CMEs for nine cGPS sites in the northwest Yunnan province; rCMEs were computed with the residual cGPS time series having high inter-station correlations, while oCMEs were computed with all the GPS time series. The rCMEs-filtered time series had smaller variances and larger root mean square (RMS) reductions than those that were oCMEs-filtered, and when the stations local effects were not removed, spurious transient-like signals occurred. Compared with hydrological mass loading (HYDL), its combination with non-tidal atmosphere pressure and ocean mass reached a better agreement with the CME in the vertical component, with the Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) increasing from 0.28 to 0.55 and the RMS reduction increasing from 15.19% to 33.4%, respectively. Our results suggest that it is necessary to evaluate the inter-station correlation and remove the possible noisy stations before conducting CME filtering, and that one should carefully choose surface loading models to correct the raw cGPS time series if CME filtering is not conducted. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GNSS Signals and Sensors)

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18 pages, 7032 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Dynamic Displacement Estimation for Long-Span Bridges Using Acceleration and Heuristically Enhanced Displacement Measurements of Real-Time Kinematic Global Navigation System

by Kiyoung Kim and Hoon Sohn

Sensors 2020, 20(18), 5092; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20185092 - 7 Sep 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3248

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a dynamic displacement estimation method for large-scale civil infrastructures based on a two-stage Kalman filter and modified heuristic drift reduction method. When measuring displacement at large-scale infrastructures, a non-contact displacement sensor is placed on a limited number of [...] Read more.

In this paper, we propose a dynamic displacement estimation method for large-scale civil infrastructures based on a two-stage Kalman filter and modified heuristic drift reduction method. When measuring displacement at large-scale infrastructures, a non-contact displacement sensor is placed on a limited number of spots such as foundations of the structures, and the sensor must have a very long measurement distance (typically longer than 100 m). RTK-GNSS, therefore, has been widely used in displacement measurement on civil infrastructures. However, RTK-GNSS has a low sampling frequency of 10–20 Hz and often suffers from its low stability due to the number of satellites and the surrounding environment. The proposed method combines data from an RTK-GNSS receiver and an accelerometer to estimate the dynamic displacement of the structure with higher precision and accuracy than those of RTK-GNSS and 100 Hz sampling frequency. In the proposed method, a heuristic drift reduction method estimates displacement with better accuracy employing a low-pass-filtered acceleration measurement by an accelerometer and a displacement measurement by an RTK-GNSS receiver. Then, the displacement estimated by the heuristic drift reduction method, the velocity measured by a single GNSS receiver, and the acceleration measured by the accelerometer are combined in a two-stage Kalman filter to estimate the dynamic displacement. The effectiveness of the proposed dynamic displacement estimation method was validated through three field application tests at Yeongjong Grand Bridge in Korea, San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge in California, and Qingfeng Bridge in China. In the field tests, the root-mean-square error of RTK-GNSS displacement measurement reduces by 55–78 percent after applying the proposed method. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GNSS Signals and Sensors)

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16 pages, 3018 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Testing Multi-Frequency Low-Cost GNSS Receivers for Geodetic Monitoring Purposes

by Veton Hamza, Bojan Stopar, Tomaž Ambrožič, Goran Turk and Oskar Sterle

Sensors 2020, 20(16), 4375; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20164375 - 5 Aug 2020

Cited by 34 | Viewed by 7587

Abstract

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology is widely used for geodetic monitoring purposes. However, in cases where a higher risk of receiver damage is expected, geodetic GNSS receivers may be considered too expensive to be used. As an alternative, low-cost GNSS receivers that [...] Read more.

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology is widely used for geodetic monitoring purposes. However, in cases where a higher risk of receiver damage is expected, geodetic GNSS receivers may be considered too expensive to be used. As an alternative, low-cost GNSS receivers that are cheap, light, and prove to be of adequate quality over short baselines, are considered. The main goal of this research is to evaluate the positional precision of a multi-frequency low-cost instrument, namely, ZED-F9P with u-blox ANN-MB-00 antenna, and to investigate its potential for displacement detection. We determined the positional precision within static survey, and the displacement detection within dynamic survey. In both cases, two baselines were set, with the same rover point equipped with a low-cost GNSS instrument. The base point of the first baseline was observed with a geodetic GNSS instrument, whereas the second baseline was observed with a low-cost GNSS instrument. The results from static survey for both baselines showed comparable results for horizontal components; the precision was on a level of 2 mm or better. For the height component, the results show a better performance of low-cost instruments. This may be a consequence of unknown antenna calibration parameters for low-cost GNSS antenna, while statistically significant coordinates of rover points were obtained from both baselines. The difference was again more significant in the height component. For the displacement detection, a device was used that imposes controlled movements with sub-millimeter accuracy. Results, obtained on a basis of 30-min sessions, show that low-cost GNSS instruments can detect displacements from 10 mm upwards with a high level of reliability. On the other hand, low-cost instruments performed slightly worse as far as accuracy is concerned. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GNSS Signals and Sensors)

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21 pages, 14378 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Space State Representation Product Evaluation in Satellite Position and Receiver Position Domain

by Renata Pelc-Mieczkowska and Dariusz Tomaszewski

Sensors 2020, 20(13), 3791; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20133791 - 6 Jul 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3040

Abstract

In Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) positioning, important terms in error budget are satellite orbits and satellite clocks correction errors. International services are developing and providing models and correction to minimize the influence of these errors both in post-processing and real-time applications. The [...] Read more.

In Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) positioning, important terms in error budget are satellite orbits and satellite clocks correction errors. International services are developing and providing models and correction to minimize the influence of these errors both in post-processing and real-time applications. The International GNSS Service (IGS) Real-Time Service (RTS) provides real-time orbits and clock corrections for the broadcast ephemeris. Real-time products provided by IGS are generated by different analysis centres using different algorithms. In this paper, four RTS products—IGC01, CLK01, CLK50, and CLK90—were evaluated and analysed. To evaluate State Space Representation (SSR) products’ GPS satellites, the analyses were made in three variants. In the first approach, geocentric real-time Satellite Vehicle (SV) coordinates and clock corrections were calculated. The obtained results were compared with the final IGS, ESA, GFZ, and GRG ephemerides. The second approach was to use the corrected satellite positions and clock corrections to determine the Precise Point Position (PPP) of the receiver. In the third analysis, the impact of SSR corrections on receiver Single Point Position (SPP) was evaluated. The first part of the research showed that accuracy of the satellite position is better than 10 cm (average 3 to 5 cm), while in the case of clock corrections, mean residuals range from 2 cm to 17 cm. It should be noted that the errors of the satellites positions obtained from one stream differ depending on the reference data used. This shows the need for an evaluation of correction streams in the domain of the receiver position. In the case of PPP in a kinematic mode, the tests allowed to determine the impact that the use of different streams has on the final positioning results. These studies showed differences between specific streams, which could not be seen in the first study. The best results (3D RMS at 0.13 m level) were obtained for the CLK90 stream, while for IGC01, the results were three times worse. The SPP tests clearly indicate that regardless of the selected SSR stream, one can see a significant improvement in positioning accuracy as compared to positioning results using only broadcast ephemeris. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GNSS Signals and Sensors)

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29 pages, 21282 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Implementation and Performance of a Deeply-Coupled GNSS Receiver with Low-Cost MEMS Inertial Sensors for Vehicle Urban Navigation

by Xin Feng, Tisheng Zhang, Tao Lin, Hailiang Tang and Xiaoji Niu

Sensors 2020, 20(12), 3397; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20123397 - 16 Jun 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4354

Abstract

In urban environments, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) signals are frequently attenuated, blocked or reflected, which degrades the positioning accuracy of GNSS receivers significantly. To improve the performance of GNSS receiver for vehicle urban navigation, a GNSS/INS deeply-coupled software defined receiver (GIDCSR) with [...] Read more.

In urban environments, Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) signals are frequently attenuated, blocked or reflected, which degrades the positioning accuracy of GNSS receivers significantly. To improve the performance of GNSS receiver for vehicle urban navigation, a GNSS/INS deeply-coupled software defined receiver (GIDCSR) with a low cost micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) inertial measurement unit (IMU) ICM-20602 is presented, in which both GPS and BDS constellations are supported. Two key technologies, that is, adaptive open-close tracking loops and INS aided pseudo-range weight control algorithm, are applied in the GIDCSR to enhance the signal tracking continuity and positioning accuracy in urban areas. To assess the performance of the proposed deep couple solution, vehicle field tests were carried out in GNSS-challenged urban environments. With the adaptive open-close tracking loops, the deep couple output carrier phase in the open sky, and improved pseudo-range accuracy before and after GNSS signal blocked. Applying the INS aided pseudo-range weight control, the pseudo-range gross errors of the deep couple decreased caused by multipath. A popular GNSS/INS tightly-coupled vehicle navigation kit from u-blox company, M8U, was tested side by side as benchmark. The test results indicate that in the GNSS-challenged urban areas, the pseudo-range quality of GIDCSR is at least 25% better than that of M8U, and GIDCSR’s horizontal positioning results are at least 69% more accurate than M8U’s. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GNSS Signals and Sensors)

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17 pages, 4346 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Regional NWP Tropospheric Delay Inversion Method Based on a General Regression Neural Network Model

by Lei Li, Ying Xu, Lizi Yan, Shengli Wang, Guolin Liu and Fan Liu

Sensors 2020, 20(11), 3167; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20113167 - 3 Jun 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 2656

Abstract

Tropospheric delay is a major error source that affects the initialization and re-initialization speed of the Global Navigation Satellite System’s (GNSS) medium-/long-range baseline in Network Real-Time Kinematic (NRTK) positioning. Fusing the meteorological data from the Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) model to estimate the [...] Read more.

Tropospheric delay is a major error source that affects the initialization and re-initialization speed of the Global Navigation Satellite System’s (GNSS) medium-/long-range baseline in Network Real-Time Kinematic (NRTK) positioning. Fusing the meteorological data from the Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) model to estimate the zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) is one of the current research hotspots. However, research has shown that the ZTD derived from NWP models is still not accurate enough for high-precision GNSS positioning applications without the estimation of the residual tropospheric delay. To date, General Regression Neural Network (GRNN) has been applied in many fields. It has a high learning speed and simple structure, and can approximate any function with arbitrary precision. In this study, we developed a regional NWP tropospheric delay inversion method based on a GRNN model to improve the accuracy of the tropospheric delay derived from the NWP model. The accuracy of the tropospheric delays derived from reanalysis data of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the US National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) was assessed through comparisons with the results of the International GPS Service (IGS). The variation characteristics of the residual of the ZTD inverted by NWP data were analyzed considering the factors of temperature, humidity, latitude, and season. To evaluate the performance of this new method, the National Center Atmospheric Research (NCAR) troposphere data of 650 stations in Japan in 2005 were collected as a reference to compare the accuracy of the ZTD before and after using the new method. The experimental results showed that the GRNN model has obvious advantages in fitting the NWP ZTD residual. The mean residual and the root mean square deviation (RMSD) of the ZTD inverted using the method of this study were 9.5 mm and 12.7 mm, respectively, showing reductions of 20.8% and 19.1%, respectively, as compared to the standard NWP model. For long-range baseline (155 km and 207 km), the corrected NWP-constrained RTK showed a reduction of over 43% in the initialization time compared with the standard RTK, and showed a reduction of over 24% in the initialization time compared with the standard NWP-constrained RTK. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GNSS Signals and Sensors)

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17 pages, 8569 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of Real-Time PPP-Based Tide Measurement Using IGS Real-Time Service

by Mingwei Di, Anmin Zhang, Bofeng Guo, Jiali Zhang, Rongxia Liu and Mengyuan Li

Sensors 2020, 20(10), 2968; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20102968 - 24 May 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3098

Abstract

Tide data plays a key role in many marine scientific research fields such as seafloor topography measurement and navigation safety. To obtain reliable tide data, various methods have been proposed, e.g., tide station measurement, satellite altimeter measurement, and differential global positioning system (GPS) [...] Read more.

Tide data plays a key role in many marine scientific research fields such as seafloor topography measurement and navigation safety. To obtain reliable tide data, various methods have been proposed, e.g., tide station measurement, satellite altimeter measurement, and differential global positioning system (GPS) buoy measurement. However, these methods suffer from the limitation that continuous observations at different areas might not be always available. In order to provide high-precision as well as continuous real-time tide data, we propose a method based on real-time precise point positioning (RT-PPP) by using International GNSS Service (IGS) real-time service (RTS) products. Firstly, compared with the IGS final products, the accuracy of the RTS satellite orbit and clock is evaluated. Secondly, the positioning performance of RT-PPP is compared with the IGS ultra-fast products. Finally, a robust Vondrak filter is proposed to eliminate the influence of high-frequency noise and errors and to obtain tide results. Experimental results show that three-dimensional (3D) accuracy of the RTS orbit is better than 0.05 m, and also has 0.22 ns less clock bias. An improvement of 60% is achieved for positioning accuracy using RTS products compared to IGS ultra-fast products. Compared with the post-processing PPP method, the double difference (DD) method and tide gauge data, the root mean square (RMS) values of RT-PPP tide are 0.090, 0.194 and 0.167 m, respectively. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GNSS Signals and Sensors)

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18 pages, 10268 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Joint Acquisition Estimator of Modern GNSS Tiered Signals Using Block Pre-Correlation Processing of Secondary Code

by Jiří Svatoň and František Vejražka

Sensors 2020, 20(10), 2965; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20102965 - 23 May 2020

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2815

Abstract

Objective is a joint primary and secondary code (SC) acquisition estimator of tiered Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) signals. The estimator is based on the Parallel Code Search algorithm (PCS) combined with the Single-Block-Zero-Padding (SBZP) and the Pre-correlation Coherent Accumulation (PCA). The PCA [...] Read more.

Objective is a joint primary and secondary code (SC) acquisition estimator of tiered Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) signals. The estimator is based on the Parallel Code Search algorithm (PCS) combined with the Single-Block-Zero-Padding (SBZP) and the Pre-correlation Coherent Accumulation (PCA). The PCA realizes the extension of the coherent integration time in front of the PCS. However, the PCS with the SBZP and the PCA is affected by a navigation/SC bit transition problem due to its cyclic property of a computed Cross-Ambiguity Function (CAF). This CAF is degraded by diverse parasitic fragments and is not directly applicable for an acquisition. A novel analysis of this mechanism and its impact is presented. Then, the proposed modified SBZP (mSBZP) modified PCA (mPCA) PCS estimator is constructed, which does not degrade the CAF. The mSBZP allows the use of the PCS algorithm in the presence of SC bit transition, while the mPCA decreases the number of PCS algorithm calculations by a factor of SC chip count due to SC pre-correlation processing. The algorithm has the same detection performance in comparison with conventional Double-Block-Zero-Padding (DBZP). However, it allows using the PCS of half-length with longer latency up to a factor of SC chip count. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GNSS Signals and Sensors)

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12 pages, 3263 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimal Geostatistical Methods for Interpolation of the Ionosphere: A Case Study on the St Patrick’s Day Storm of 2015

by Marek Ogryzek, Anna Krypiak-Gregorczyk and Paweł Wielgosz

Sensors 2020, 20(10), 2840; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20102840 - 16 May 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3041

Abstract

Geostatistical Analyst is a set of advanced tools for analysing spatial data and generating surface models using statistical and deterministic methods available in ESRI ArcMap software. It enables interpolation models to be created on the basis of data measured at chosen points. The [...] Read more.

Geostatistical Analyst is a set of advanced tools for analysing spatial data and generating surface models using statistical and deterministic methods available in ESRI ArcMap software. It enables interpolation models to be created on the basis of data measured at chosen points. The software also provides tools that enable analyses of the data variability, setting data limits and checking global trends, as well as creating forecast maps, estimating standard error and probability, making various surface visualisations, and analysing spatial autocorrelation and correlation between multiple data sets. The data can be interpolated using deterministic methods providing surface continuity, and also by stochastic techniques like kriging, based on a statistical model considering data autocorrelation and providing expected interpolation errors. These properties of Geostatistical Analyst make it a valuable tool for modelling and analysing the Earth’s ionosphere. Our research aims to test its applicability for studying the ionosphere, and ionospheric disturbances in particular. As raw source data, we use Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)-derived ionospheric total electron content. This paper compares ionosphere models (maps) developed using various interpolation methods available in Geostatistical Analyst. The comparison is based on several indicators that can provide the statistical characteristics of an interpolation error. In this contribution, we use our own method, the parametric assessment of the quality of estimation (MPQE). Here, we present analyses and a discussion of the modelling results for various states of the ionosphere: On the disturbed day of the St Patrick’s Day geomagnetic storm of 2015, one quiet day before the storm and one day after its occurrence, reflecting the ionosphere recovery phase. Finally, the optimal interpolation method is selected and presented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GNSS Signals and Sensors)

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30 pages, 68919 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Deep Learning-Based Human Activity Real-Time Recognition for Pedestrian Navigation

by Junhua Ye, Xin Li, Xiangdong Zhang, Qin Zhang and Wu Chen

Sensors 2020, 20(9), 2574; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20092574 - 30 Apr 2020

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 5201

Abstract

Several pedestrian navigation solutions have been proposed to date, and most of them are based on smartphones. Real-time recognition of pedestrian mode and smartphone posture is a key issue in navigation. Traditional ML (Machine Learning) classification methods have drawbacks, such as insufficient recognition [...] Read more.

Several pedestrian navigation solutions have been proposed to date, and most of them are based on smartphones. Real-time recognition of pedestrian mode and smartphone posture is a key issue in navigation. Traditional ML (Machine Learning) classification methods have drawbacks, such as insufficient recognition accuracy and poor timing. This paper presents a real-time recognition scheme for comprehensive human activities, and this scheme combines deep learning algorithms and MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical System) sensors’ measurements. In this study, we performed four main experiments, namely pedestrian motion mode recognition, smartphone posture recognition, real-time comprehensive pedestrian activity recognition, and pedestrian navigation. In the procedure of recognition, we designed and trained deep learning models using LSTM (Long Short-Term Memory) and CNN (Convolutional Neural Network) networks based on Tensorflow framework. The accuracy of traditional ML classification methods was also used for comparison. Test results show that the accuracy of motion mode recognition was improved from

89.9 %

, which was the highest accuracy and obtained by SVM (Support Vector Machine), to

90.74 %

(LSTM) and

91.92 %

(CNN); the accuracy of smartphone posture recognition was improved from

81.60 %

, which is the highest accuracy and obtained by NN (Neural Network), to

93.69 %

(LSTM) and

95.55 %

(CNN). We give a model transformation procedure based on the trained CNN network model, and then obtain the converted

. t f l i t e

model, which can be run in Android devices for real-time recognition. Real-time recognition experiments were performed in multiple scenes, a recognition model trained by the CNN network was deployed in a Huawei Mate20 smartphone, and the five most used pedestrian activities were designed and verified. The overall accuracy was up to

89.39 %

. Overall, the improvement of recognition capability based on deep learning algorithms was significant. Therefore, the solution was helpful to recognize comprehensive pedestrian activities during navigation. On the basis of the trained model, a navigation test was performed; mean bias was reduced by more than 1.1 m. Accordingly, the positioning accuracy was improved obviously, which is meaningful to apply DL in the area of pedestrian navigation to make improvements. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GNSS Signals and Sensors)

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18 pages, 7715 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessment of Centre National d’Études Spatiales Real-Time Ionosphere Maps in Instantaneous Precise Real-Time Kinematic Positioning over Medium and Long Baselines

by Dariusz Tomaszewski, Paweł Wielgosz, Jacek Rapiński, Anna Krypiak-Gregorczyk, Rafał Kaźmierczak, Manuel Hernández-Pajares, Heng Yang and Raul OrúsPérez

Sensors 2020, 20(8), 2293; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20082293 - 17 Apr 2020

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3133

Abstract

Precise real-time kinematic (RTK) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning requires fixing integer ambiguities after a short initialization time. Originally, it was assumed that it was only possible at a relatively short distance from a reference station (<10 km), because otherwise the atmospheric [...] Read more.

Precise real-time kinematic (RTK) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning requires fixing integer ambiguities after a short initialization time. Originally, it was assumed that it was only possible at a relatively short distance from a reference station (<10 km), because otherwise the atmospheric effects prevent effective ambiguity fixing. Nowadays, through the use of VRS, MAC, or FKP corrections, the distances to the closest reference station have been increased to around 35 km. However, the baselines resolved in real time are not as far as in the case of static positioning. Further extension of the baseline requires the use of an ionosphere-weighted model with ionospheric delay corrections available in real time. This solution is now possible thanks to the Radio Technical Commission for Maritime (RTCM) stream of SSR corrections from, for example, Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), the first analysis center to provide it in the context of the International GNSS Service. Then, ionospheric delays are treated as pseudo-observations that have a priori values from the CLK RTCM stream. Additionally, satellite orbit and clock errors are properly considered using space-state representation (SSR) real-time radial, along-track, and cross-track corrections. The following paper presents the initial results of such RTK positioning. Measurements were performed in various field conditions reflecting realistic scenarios that could have been experienced by actual RTK users. We have shown that the assumed methodology was suitable for single-epoch RTK positioning with up to 82 km baseline in solar minimum (30 March 2019) mid and high latitude (Olsztyn, Poland) conditions. We also confirmed that it is possible to obtain a rover position at the level of a few centimeters of precision. Finally, the possibility of using other newer experimental IGS RT Global Ionospheric Maps (GIMs), from Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC) among CNES, is discussed in terms of their recent performance in the ionospheric delay domain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GNSS Signals and Sensors)

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19 pages, 16704 KiB

Open AccessArticle

NaviSoC: High-Accuracy Low-Power GNSS SoC with an Integrated Application Processor

by Tomasz Borejko, Krzysztof Marcinek, Krzysztof Siwiec, Paweł Narczyk, Adam Borkowski, Igor Butryn, Arkadiusz Łuczyk, Daniel Pietroń, Maciej Plasota, Szymon Reszewicz, Łukasz Wiechowski and Witold A. Pleskacz

Sensors 2020, 20(4), 1069; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20041069 - 16 Feb 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 7414

Abstract

A dual-frequency all-in-one Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver with a multi-core 32-bit RISC (reduced instruction set computing) application processor was integrated and manufactured as a System-on-Chip (SoC) in a 110 nm CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) process. The GNSS RF (radio frequency) front-end [...] Read more.

A dual-frequency all-in-one Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver with a multi-core 32-bit RISC (reduced instruction set computing) application processor was integrated and manufactured as a System-on-Chip (SoC) in a 110 nm CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) process. The GNSS RF (radio frequency) front-end with baseband navigation engine is able to receive, simultaneously, Galileo (European Global Satellite Navigation System) E1/E5ab, GPS (US Global Positioning System) L1/L1C/L5, BeiDou (Chinese Navigation Satellite System) B1/B2, GLONASS (GLObal NAvigation Satellite System of Russian Government) L1/L3/L5, QZSS (Quasi-Zenith Satellite System development by the Japanese government) L1/L5 and IRNSS (Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System) L5, as well as all SBAS (Satellite Based Augmentation System) signals. The ability of the GNSS to detect such a broad range of signals allows for high-accuracy positioning. The whole SoC (system-on-chip), which is connected to a small passive antenna, provides precise position, velocity and time or raw GNSS data for hybridization with the IMU (inertial measurement unit) without the need for an external application processor. Additionally, user application can be executed directly in the SoC. It works in the −40 to +105 °C temperature range with a 1.5 V supply. The assembled test-chip takes 100 pins in a QFN (quad-flat no-leads) package and needs only a quartz crystal for the on-chip reference clock driver and optional SAW (surface acoustic wave) filters. The radio performance for both wideband (52 MHz) channels centered at L1/E1 and L5/E5 is NF = 2.3 dB, G = 131 dB, with 121 dBc/Hz of phase noise @ 1 MHz offset from the carrier, consumes 35 mW and occupies a 4.5 mm² silicon area. The SoC reported in the paper is the first ever dual-frequency single-chip GNSS receiver equipped with a multi-core application microcontroller integrated with embedded flash memory for the user application program. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GNSS Signals and Sensors)

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14 pages, 3947 KiB

Open AccessLetter

A Modified TurboEdit Cycle-Slip Detection and Correction Method for Dual-Frequency Smartphone GNSS Observation

by Xiaofei Xu, Zhixi Nie, Zhenjie Wang and Yuanfan Zhang

Sensors 2020, 20(20), 5756; https://doi.org/10.3390/s20205756 - 10 Oct 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2986

Abstract

Recently, some smartphone manufacturers have subsequently released dual-frequency GNSS smartphones. With dual-frequency observations, the positioning performance is expected to be significantly improved. Cycle-slip detection and correction play an important role in high-precision GNSS positioning, such as precise point positioning (PPP) and real-time kinematic [...] Read more.

Recently, some smartphone manufacturers have subsequently released dual-frequency GNSS smartphones. With dual-frequency observations, the positioning performance is expected to be significantly improved. Cycle-slip detection and correction play an important role in high-precision GNSS positioning, such as precise point positioning (PPP) and real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning. The TurboEdit method utilizes Melbourne–Wübbena (MW) and phase ionospheric residual (PIR) combinations to detect cycle-slips, and it is widely used in the data processing applications for geodetic GNSS receivers. The smartphone pseudorange observations are proved to be much noisier than those collected with geodetic GNSS receivers. Due to the poor pseudorange observation, the MW combination would be difficult to detect small cycle-slips. In addition, some specific cycle-slip combinations, where the ratio of cycle-slip values at different carrier frequencies is close to the frequency ratio, are also difficult to be detected by PIR combination. As a consequence, the traditional TurboEdit method may fail to detect specific small cycle-slip combinations. In this contribution, we develop a modified TurboEdit cycle-slip detection and correction method for dual-frequency smartphone GNSS observations. At first, MW and PIR combinations are adopted to detect cycle-slips by comparing these two combinations with moving-window average values. Then, the epoch-differenced wide-lane combinations are used to estimate the changes of smartphone position and clock bias, and the cycle-slip is identified by checking the largest normalized residual whether it exceeds a predefined threshold value. The process of estimation and cycle-slip identification is implemented in an iterative way until there is no over-limit residual or there is no redundant measurement. At last, the cycle-slip values at each frequency are estimated with the epoch-differenced wide-lane and ionosphere-free combinations, and the least-square ambiguity decorrelation adjustment (LAMBDA) method is adopted to further obtain an integer solution. The proposed method has been verified with 1 Hz dual-frequency smartphone GNSS data. The results show that the modified TurboEdit method can effectively detect and correct even for specific small cycle-slip combinations, e.g., (4, 3), which is difficult to be detected with the traditional TurboEdit method. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue GNSS Signals and Sensors)

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