单站区域电离层TEC建模及精度分析

为了分析单站区域电离层总电子含量(total electron content,TEC)模型的适用范围和精度,基于2～15阶次球谐函数,分别建立了欧洲区域16个单站区域电离层TEC模型,生成了区域格网TEC,并与欧洲定轨中心(Center for Orbit Determination in Europe,CODE)、...     

Consistency of seven different GNSS global ionospheric mapping techniques during one solar cycle

In the context of the International GNSS Service (IGS), several IGS Ionosphere Associated Analysis Centers have developed different techniques to provide global ionospheric maps (GIMs) of vertical total electron content (VTEC) since 1998. In this paper we present a comparison of the performances of all the GIMs created in the frame of IGS. Indeed we compare the classical ones (for the ionospheric analysis centers CODE, ESA/ESOC, JPL and UPC) with the new ones (NRCAN, CAS, WHU). To assess the quality of them in fair and completely independent ways, two assessment methods are used: a direct comparison to altimeter data (VTEC-altimeter) and to the difference of slant total electron content (STEC) observed in independent ground reference stations (dSTEC-GPS). The main conclusion of this study, performed during one solar cycle, is the consistency of the results between so many different GIM techniques and implementations.     

跟踪站分布对非组合精密单点定位提取GPS卫星差分码偏差的影响

提出利用非组合精密单点定位获取跟踪站和卫星差分码偏差(differential code bias,DCB)的电离层观测量,并结合“IGGDCB(institute of geodesy and geophysics DCB)两步法”精确分离电离层斜延迟与DCB参数的新思路。为了研究跟踪站的分布对上述方法提取卫星DCB的影响,本文分别选取欧洲区域集中分布和全球均匀分布的不同数量IGS(international GNSS service)跟踪站,利用太阳活动高峰期间连续15 d的实测数据进行卫星DCB的提取实验,并将结果与CODE(center for orbit determination in Europe)发布的DCB当月产品进行比较。实验结果表明,本文提出的方法可以精确提取卫星DCB,其精度优于载波相位平滑码方法,其中,采用欧洲区域的跟踪站提取差异的RMS优于0.2 ns,而全球分布的跟踪站提取差异的RMS优于0.1 ns,全球布站有利于同时提高RMS和单天解稳定性,并且随着跟踪站数量的增加,卫星DCB单天解的稳定性将会得到提高。     

iGMAS全球电离层TEC格网产品精度分析

为了分析与评估国际GNSS监测评估系统(iGMAS)全球电离层TEC格网产品精度,该文基于iGMAS及IGS各电离层分析中心发布的全球电离层TEC格网产品,进行了精度比较分析,结果表明:iGMAS与IGS、CODE、JPL、ESOC、UPC等IGS电离层工作组发布的全球电离层TEC格网产品,在全球、不同纬度带和欧洲等不同区域均表现出较高的一致性和强相关性,互差为0~2.0 TECU;JPL分析中心GIM的内符合精度约为2.5 TECU,iGMAS、IGS、CODE、ESOC和UPC等分析中心GIM的内符合精度均小于1.5 TECU;在2~8 TECU的精度范围内,iGMAS全球电离层TEC格网产品的精度总体与IGS、CODE、JPL、ESOC、UPC等IGS电离层工作组的精度相当。     

M_DCB: Matlab code for estimating GNSS satellite and receiver differential code biases

Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) have been widely used to monitor variations in the earth’s ionosphere by estimating total electron content (TEC) using dual-frequency observations. Differential code biases (DCBs) are one of the important error sources in estimating precise TEC from GNSS data. The International GNSS Service (IGS) Analysis Centers have routinely provided DCB estimates for GNSS satellites and IGS ground receivers, but the DCBs for regional and local network receivers are not provided. Furthermore, the DCB values of GNSS satellites or receivers are assumed to be constant over 1?day or 1?month, which is not always the case. We describe Matlab code to estimate GNSS satellite and receiver DCBs for time intervals from hours to days; the software is called M_DCB. The DCBs of GNSS satellites and ground receivers are tested and evaluated using data from the IGS GNSS network. The estimates from M_DCB show good agreement with the IGS Analysis Centers with a mean difference of less than 0.7?ns and an RMS of less than 0.4?ns, even for a single station DCB estimate.     

Performance of various predicted GNSS global ionospheric maps relative to GPS and JASON TEC data

When using predicted total electron content (TEC) products to generate preliminary real-time global ionospheric maps (GIMs), validation of these ionospheric predicted products is essential. In this study, we evaluate the accuracy of five predicted GIMs, provided by the international GNSS service (IGS), over continental and oceanic regions during the period from September 2009 to September 2015. Over continental regions, the GPS TEC data collected from 41 IGS continuous tracking stations are used as a reference data set. Over oceanic regions, the TEC data from the JASON altimeter are used for comparison. An initial performance comparison between the IGS combined final GIM product and the predicted GIMs is also included in this study. The evaluation results show that the predicted GIMs produced by CODE outperform the other predicted GIMs for all three validation results. The accuracy of the 1-day predicted GIMs, produced by the IGS associate analysis centers (IAACs), is higher than that of the 2-day predicted GIMs. Compared to the 2-day UPC predicted GIMs, the 2-day ESA predicted GIMs are observed to have slightly worse performances over ocean regions and better positioning performances over continental regions.     

Anomalies in broadcast ionospheric coefficients recorded by GPS receivers over the past two solar cycles (1992–2013)

The anomaly phenomenon of broadcast ionospheric model coefficients of the Global Positioning System (GPS) is revealed after analyzing the navigation file data collected from all the IGS (International GNSS Service) stations worldwide over a 22-year period (1992–2013). GPS broadcast ionospheric coefficients widely used by many single-frequency users to correct the ionosphere errors for numerous GPS applications are usually believed to have only one set/version per day. However, it is found that GPS receivers from the IGS network can report as many as eight sets/versions of ionospheric coefficients in a day. In order to investigate the possible factors for such an anomalous phenomenon, the relationship between the number of coefficient sets and solar cycle, the receiver geographic locations, and receiver types/models are analyzed in detail. The results indicate that most of the coefficients show an annual variation. During the active solar cycle period from mid-1999 to mid-2001, all of the coefficients extracted from IGS navigation files behaved anomalously. Our analysis shows that the anomaly is also associated with GPS receiver types/models. Some types/models of GPS receivers report one set/version of ionospheric coefficients daily, while others report multiple sets. Our analysis also suggests that the ionospheric coefficient anomaly is not necessarily related to ionospheric scintillations. No correlation between the anomaly and geographic location of GPS receivers has been found in the analysis. Using the ionospheric coefficient data collected from 1998 to 2013, the impact of ionospheric coefficient anomaly on vertical total electron content (VTEC) calculation using the Klobuchar model has been evaluated with respect to the Global Ionospheric Maps generated by the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe. With different sets of coefficients recorded on the same day, the resulting VTEC values are dramatically different. For instance on June 1, 2000, the largest VTEC at one of our test stations can be as large as 153.3 TECu (total electron content unit) using one set of coefficients, which is 16.36 times larger than the smallest VTEC of 9.37 TECu computed from using another set of coefficients.     

Two-step method for the determination of the differential code biases of COMPASS satellites

The differential code bias (DCB) in satellites of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) should be precisely corrected when designing certain applications, such as ionospheric remote sensing, precise point positioning, and time transfer. In the case of COMPASS system, the data used for estimating DCB are currently only available from a very limited number of global monitoring stations. However, the current GPS/GLONASS satellite DCB estimation methods generally require a large amount of geographically well-distributed data for modeling the global ionospheric vertical total electron content (TEC) and are not particularly suitable for current COMPASS use. Moreover, some satellites with unstable DCB (i.e., relatively large scatter) may affect other satellite DCB estimates through the zero-mean reference that is currently imposed on all satellites. In order to overcome the inadequacy of data sources and to reduce the impact of unstable DCB, a new approach, designated IGGDCB, is developed for COMPASS satellite DCB determination. IGG stands for the Institute of Geodesy and Geophysics, which is located in Wuhan, China. In IGGDCB, the ionospheric vertical TEC of each individual station is independently modeled by a generalized triangular series function, and the satellite DCB reference is selected using an iterative DCB elimination process. By comparing GPS satellite DCB estimates calculated by the IGGDCB approach based on only a handful (e.g., seven) of tracking stations against that calculated by the currently existing methods based on hundreds of tracking stations, we are able to demonstrate that the accuracies of the IGGDCB-based DCB estimates perform at the level of about 0.13 and 0.10?ns during periods of high (2001) and low (2009) solar activity, respectively. The iterative method for DCB reference selection is verified by statistical tests that take into account the day-to-day scatter and the duration that the satellites have spent in orbit. The results show that the impact of satellites with unstable DCB can be considerably reduced using the IGGDCB method. It is also confirmed that IGGDCB is not only specifically valid for COMPASS but also for all other GNSS.     

A new algorithm for single receiver DCB estimation using IGS TEC maps

A new algorithm for single receiver DCB estimation using GIM vertical TEC gridded values is proposed. It estimates receiver DCB and vertical residual ionospheric delays using the least squares approach with linear constraints. The performance of the proposed algorithm was assessed by comparing estimated receiver DCBs with those provided by the IGS. The same comparisons were done using two other algorithms for receiver DCB estimation. It is demonstrated that the proposed algorithm is capable of reproducing IGS DCB values at the level of 0.1?C0.3?ns, which is better than the level of agreement observed for the other two algorithms. For our tests, we considered data from more than 100 IGS stations, daily, such that all major regions of the world were covered. Besides, both ionospherically quiet and disturbed days were considered. It provides some evidence that the aforementioned level of agreement with IGS receiver DCB values does not significantly dependent on geographical region and the state of the ionosphere. The algorithm is easy to implement and can be considered for online use.     

基于GPS的2003年10月28日太阳耀斑的电离层响应研究

本文利用VTEC(the Vertical Total Electron Contents)增量和VTEC变化率分析了电离层在2003年10月28日太阳耀斑期间中国的四个IGS跟踪站的响应情况.通过分析比较说明用VTEC变化率似更适合探测电离层对太阳耀斑的响应,并有望发现耀斑期间电离层的一些扰动现象,但在能得到高精度的绝对离层延迟的情况下,利用VTEC增量能准确全面地反映电离层对耀斑响应的整体变化情况.     

高阶电离层延迟对不同区域测站坐标的影响

针对如何有效控制、改正甚至消除不同区域与时段的电离层高阶项延迟对全球导航卫星系统定位结果产生的影响,该文选取了不同区域内有代表性的IGS基准站1999—2003年的观测数据进行解算,并详细分析了各测站坐标受高阶电离层延迟影响的规律。在此基础上,总结出测站的高阶项改正与测站区域地理位置的关系,并探究产生这种影响的原因。最后从全球的角度研究了电离层高阶项改正对基准站坐标的影响。结果表明,要获得高精度的定位结果,需要顾及高阶电离层延迟的影响,尤其是在赤道以及地球两极区域的精密定位,此外,需要顾及电离层变化活跃期的影响。     

基于GPS的南极电离层电子总含量空间分布特征研究

利用南极区域内的中国中山站GPS常年跟踪站(ZHON)和国际GPS服务站GPS观测数据,计算出2000-2006年期间南极地区上空高精度电离层电子总含量值,分别对极光区内、极光区外、极隙、极盖区的电离层电子总含量进行分析比较.结果表明,极光区外的电子总含量峰值要大于极光区内,极光区内的电子总含量峰值又大于极盖区,而每日...     

Estimation and analysis of GPS satellite DCB based on LEO observations

The Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite differential code bias (DCB) should be precisely calibrated when obtaining ionospheric slant total electron content (TEC). So far, it is ground-based GPS observations that have been used to estimate GPS satellite DCB. With the increased Low Earth Orbit (LEO) missions in the near future, the real-time satellite DCB estimation is a crucial factor in real-time LEO GPS data applications. One alternative way is estimating GPS DCB based on the LEO observations themselves, instead of using ground observations. We propose an approach to estimate the satellite DCB based on Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) and Challenging Minisatellite Payload (CHAMP) GPS observations during the years 2002–2012. The results have been validated through comparisons with those issued by Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE). The evaluations indicate that: The approach can estimate satellite DCB in a reasonable way; the DCB estimated based on CHAMP observations is much better than those on COSMIC observations; the accuracy and precision of DCB show a possible dependency on the ionospheric ionization level. This method is significance for the real-time processing of LEO-based GNSS TEC data from the perspective of real-time applications.     

基于北斗GEO的电离层延迟修正方法比较与分析

电离层延迟是影响导航定位精度的最主要因素。北斗卫星导航系统采用Klobuchar模型修正单频接收机用户的电离层延迟误差,对于双频接收机,可以利用不同频率信号的伪距观测数据解算得到电离层延迟值。为比较两种方法在天津地区的电离层延迟修正效果,利用NovAtel GPStation6接收机(GNSS电离层闪烁和TEC监测接收机)采集到的卫星实测数据进行计算。以国际全球导航卫星系统服务组织(IGS)发布的全球电离层格网数据为参考,对两种方法的修正效果进行比较分析。结果表明,在天津地区,利用双频观测值解算电离层延迟比Klobuchar模型计算结果更加精确,且平均每天的修正值达到IGS发布数据的82.11％,比Klobuchar模型计算值高948％      

随机模型对北斗DCB估计和电离层建模的影响

差分码偏差(DCB)作为电离层建模和导航定位中一项重要的误差源,对其进行估计求解至关重要.为提高北斗卫星导航系统(BDS) DCB估计和电离层建模精度,提出了一种综合高度角、卫地距和测站纬度多因素的随机模型,并对比分析了不同随机模型对BDS DCB估计和电离层垂直总电子含量(VTEC)建模精度的影响.结果表明：不同随机模型对卫星端DCB解算产生约0.2 ns差异.相较于高度角随机模型,采用高度角、卫地距组合模型测站DCB估计精度平均提高0.13 ns,电离层建模精度提高了约0.2 TECU.新提出的随机模型,在低纬度测站DCB解算精度上差于高度角模型和高度角、卫地距组合模型,但在高纬度测站DCB解算结果上更优,且对电离层VTEC建模精度提升效果明显,与前两种随机模型相比分别提升了0.88 TECU和0.68TECU.     

Is the long-term variation of the estimated GPS differential code biases associated with ionospheric variability?

The global positioning system (GPS) differential code biases (DCB) provided by the International GNSS Service (IGS) show solar-cycle-like variation during 2002–2013. This study is to examine whether this variation of the GPS DCBs is associated with ionospheric variability. The GPS observations from low earth orbit (LEO) satellites including CHAMP, GRACE and Jason-1 are used to address this issue. The GPS DCBs estimated from the LEO-based observations at different orbit altitudes show a similar tendency as the IGS DCBs. However, this solar-cycle-like dependency is eliminated when the DCBs of 13 continuously operating GPS satellites are constrained to zero-mean. Our results thus revealed that ionospheric variation is not responsible for the long-term variation of the GPS DCBs. Instead, it is attributed to the GPS satellite replacement with different satellite types and the zero-mean condition imposed on all satellite DCBs.     

Evaluation of the impact of atmospheric pressure loading modeling on GNSS data analysis

In recent years, several studies have demonstrated the sensitivity of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) station time series to displacements caused by atmospheric pressure loading (APL). Different methods to take the APL effect into account are used in these studies: applying the corrections from a geophysical model on weekly mean estimates of station coordinates, using observation-level corrections during data analysis, or solving for regression factors between the station displacement and the local pressure. The Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE) is one of the global analysis centers of the International GNSS Service (IGS). The current quality of the IGS products urgently asks to consider this effect in the regular processing scheme. However, the resulting requirements for an APL model are demanding with respect to quality, latency, and—regarding the reprocessing activities—availability over a long time interval (at least from 1994 onward). The APL model of Petrov and Boy (J Geophys Res 109:B03405, 2004) is widely used within the VLBI community and is evaluated in this study with respect to these criteria. The reprocessing effort of CODE provides the basis for validating the APL model. The data set is used to solve for scaling factors for each station to evaluate the geophysical atmospheric non-tidal loading model. A consistent long-term validation of the model over 15 years, from 1994 to 2008, is thus possible. The time series of 15 years allows to study seasonal variations of the scaling factors using the dense GNSS tracking network of the IGS. By interpreting the scaling factors for the stations of the IGS network, the model by (2004) is shown to meet the expectations concerning the order of magnitude of the effect at individual stations within the uncertainty given by the GNSS data processing and within the limitations due to the model itself. The repeatability of station coordinates improves by 20% when applying the effect directly on the data analysis and by 10% when applying a post-processing correction to the resulting weekly coordinates compared with a solution without taking APL into account.     

中低纬电离层理论模式的构建和一个观测系统数据同化试验

电离层总电子含量TEC (total electron content)是影响卫星导航定位的主要误差源之一。为了构建精确的电离层TEC模型,基于Chapman函数建立了基于物理机制的电离层TEC同化模型背景场,并着重以IGS发布的2008年4个时段低纬度、中纬度和高纬度地区的电离层TEC数据为样本,同化稀疏点上的已知电离层TEC值,分析模型计算值的残差和相对精度分布,利用模型对电离层TEC进行了2 h短期预报和1 d预报,并将1 d的预报值和IGS发布值进行对比。实验结果表明:(1)由同化模型计算得到的TEC残差值超过92%分布在±2 TECU以内,并且除边缘区域外,同化模型TEC计算值的相对精度均在90%以上;(2)2 h和1 d预报残差小于±3 TECU的比例分别为81.8%和81.5%。     

基于PPP技术估计的接收机P1-P2码偏差研究

提出了基于PPP技术估计接收机P1-P2码偏差的方法,并对全球分布IGS跟踪站的P1-P2码偏差进行了估计。结果表明,这种方法获取的P1-P2码偏差精度在中高纬度地区优于1dm,在低纬度地区为1～2dm。     

高性能原子钟钟差建模及其在精密单点定位中的应用

鉴于当前许多IGS跟踪站均配置有高性能原子钟的现状,本文首先采用修正Allan方差法分析了不同IGS跟踪站的接收机钟随机噪声的时域特性,进而评估了不同类型接收机的短期稳定度及钟差建模的可行性,然后利用IGS站配有氢原子钟的观测数据,在精密单点定位算法中,通过对钟差参数进行短时建模约束接收机钟差的随机变化,进而改进精密单点定位(PPP)的定位性能。试验结果表明钟差建模方法显著降低了高程分量参数、天顶对流层延迟参数与接收机钟差参数之间的相关性,GNSS高程分量的精度可提高50%。该方法对于提升PPP技术在地壳形变监测、低轨卫星定轨、水汽监测及预报等高精度GNSS地学领域的应用水平具有一定意义。