Research on a method of real-time combination of precise GPS clock corrections

GPS Solutions - The acquisition of real-time satellite orbit and clock corrections is necessary for real-time PPP. There are nine International GNSS Service (IGS) analysis centers (ACs) that...     

Global GPS data analysis at the National Geodetic Survey

NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) has been one of the Analysis Centers (ACs) of the International GNSS Service (IGS) since its inception in 1994. Solutions for daily GPS orbits and Earth orientation parameters are regularly contributed to the IGS Rapid and Final products, as well as solutions of weekly station positions. These solutions are combined with those of the other ACs and then the resultant IGS products are distributed to users. To perform these tasks, NGS has developed and refined the Program for the Adjustment of GPS EphemerideS (PAGES) software. Although PAGES has continuously evolved over the past 15 years, recent efforts have focused mostly on updating models and procedures to conform more closely to IGS and the International Earth Rotation Service (IERS) conventions. Details of our processing updates and demonstrations of the improvements will be provided.     

Quality assessment of GPS reprocessed terrestrial reference frame

The International GNSS Service (IGS) contributes to the construction of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) by submitting time series of station positions and Earth Rotation Parameters (ERP). For the first time, its submission to the ITRF2008 construction is based on a combination of entirely reprocessed GPS solutions delivered by 11 Analysis Centers (ACs). We analyze the IGS submission and four of the individual AC contributions in terms of the GNSS frame origin and scale, station position repeatability and time series seasonal variations. We show here that the GPS Terrestrial Reference Frame (TRF) origin is consistent with Satellite laser Ranging (SLR) at the centimeter level with a drift lower than 1 mm/year. Although the scale drift compared to Very Long baseline Interferometry (VLBI) and SLR mean scale is smaller than 0.4 mm/year, we think that it would be premature to use that information in the ITRF scale definition due to its strong dependence on the GPS satellite and ground antenna phase center variations. The new position time series also show a better repeatability compared to past IGS combined products and their annual variations are shown to be more consistent with loading models. The comparison of GPS station positions and velocities to those of VLBI via local ties in co-located sites demonstrates that the IGS reprocessed solution submitted to the ITRF2008 is more reliable and precise than any of the past submissions. However, we show that some of the remaining inconsistencies between GPS and VLBI positioning may be caused by uncalibrated GNSS radomes.     

GBM快速轨道产品及非差模糊度固定对其精度的改进

GNSS是实时定位导航最重要的方法,精密卫星轨道钟差产品是GNSS高精度服务的前提。国际GNSS服务中心(IGS)及其分析中心长期致力于GNSS数据处理的研究及高精度轨道和钟差产品的提供。GFZ作为分析中心之一,提供GBM多系统快速产品。本文基于2015—2021年GBM提供的精密轨道产品,阐述了数据处理策略,分析了轨道的精度,介绍了非差模糊度固定的原理和对精密定轨的影响。结果表明:GBM快速产品中的GPS轨道精度与IGS后处理精密轨道相比的精度约为11~13 mm,轨道6 h预报精度约为6 cm;GLONASS预报精度约为12 cm,Galileo在该时期的精度均值为10 cm,但是在2016年底以后精度提升到5 cm左右;北斗系统的中轨卫星(medium earth orbit,MEO)在2020年以后预报精度约为10 cm;北斗的静止轨道卫星(geostationary earth orbit,GEO)卫星和QZSS卫星的预报精度在米级;卫星激光测距检核表明,Galileo、GLONASS、BDS-3 MEO卫星轨道精度分别为23、41、47 mm;此外,采用150 d观测值的试验结果表明,采用非差模糊度固定能显著改善MEO卫星轨道精度,对GPS、GLONASS、Galileo、BDS-2和BDS-3的MEO卫星的6 h时预报精度改善率分别为9%~15%、15%~18%、11%~13%、6%~17%和14%~25%。     

The IGS-combined station coordinates, earth rotation parameters and apparent geocenter

The International GNSS Service (IGS) routinely generates a number of weekly, daily and sub-daily products. Station coordinates and velocities, earth rotation parameters (ERPs) and apparent geocenter are among these products generated weekly by the IGS Reference Frame Coordinator. They have been determined since 1999 by combining independent estimates from at least seven IGS Analysis Centers (ACs). Two Global Network Associate Analysis Centers (GNAACs) also provide independent combinations using the same AC weekly solutions and they are currently used to quality control the IGS combination. The combined solutions are aligned to an IGS realization (IGS05) of the ITRF2005 using a carefully selected set of the IGS Reference Frame (RF) stations (nominally 132). During the combination process, the contributing solutions are compared and outliers are removed to ensure a high level of consistency of the estimated parameters. The ACs and the weekly combined solution are consistent at the 1–2 and 3–4 mm levels for the horizontal and vertical components. Similarly, the excess Length of Day (LOD), the pole positions and pole rates are consistent at the 10μs, 0.03–0.05 mas and 0.10–0.20 mas/day levels, respectively. The consistency of the apparent geocenter estimate is about 5 mm in the X and Y components and 10 mm in the Z component. Comparison of the IGS-combined ERP estimates with the IERS Bulletin A suggests a small bias of the order of ?0.04 mas and + 0.05 mas (both ±0.05 mas) in the x and y components.     

Combination of long time-series of troposphere zenith delays observed by VLBI

Within the International Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) Service for Geodesy and Astrometry (IVS), long time-series of zenith wet and total troposphere delays have been combined at the level of parameter estimates. The data sets were submitted by eight IVS Analysis Centers (ACs) and cover January 1984 to December 2004. In this paper, the combination method is presented and the time-series submitted by the eight IVS ACs are compared with each other. The combined zenith delays are compared with time-series provided by the International Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Service (IGS), and with zenith delays derived from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). Before the combination, outliers are eliminated from the individual time-series using the robust BIBER (bounded influence by standardized residuals) estimator. For each station and AC, relative weight factors are obtained by variance component estimation. The mean bias of the IVS ACs’ time-series with respect to the IVS combined time-series is 0.89 mm and the mean root mean square is 7.67 mm. Small differences between stations and ACs can be found, which are due to the inhomogeneous analysis options, different parameterizations, and different treatment of missing in-situ pressure records. Compared to the IGS zenith total delays, the combined IVS series show small positive mean biases and different long-term trends. Zenith wet delays from the ECMWF are used to validate the IVS combined series. Inconsistencies, e.g., long-term inhomogeneity of the in-situ pressure data used for the determination of VLBI zenith delays, are identified.     

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.     

海量IGS数据实时线程池并发获取

随着全球卫星导航系统（GNSS）的迅猛发展,国际GNSS服务组织（IGS）发布了各类海量高精度服务数据。目前,IGS数据在GNSS基线解算、精密单点定位、卫星精密定轨、地壳形变监测、地球电离层和地球动力学研究等领域得到了广泛应用。传统的IGS服务数据下载过程烦琐而耗时,且易出错。如何快速且正确获取IGS数据是当前用户迫切关心的问题。本文基于FTP文件传输协议,设计了实时线程池并发和断点续传算法,并对海量IGS数据进行一站式分类下载测试,通过对试验结果进行分析比较,最终得出海量数据最优的获取方法。     

iGMAS GNSS钟差产品综合与评估

高精度卫星导航定位离不开精密钟差改正信息,钟差产品综合与评估是产品综合与服务中心(ISC)的重要任务之一。本文首先介绍了ISC钟差产品综合策略和抗差估计方法,重点阐述了非线性系统误差处理、钟差参考基准统一及残余线性偏差补偿;然后,对比逐历元对准方法和"三步"校准法两种不同综合产品的精度和稳定性,并对iGMAS近两年的钟差产品进行了评估和详细分析;最后,为验证综合产品的精度和一致性,采用5个测站的静态数据进行了PPP测试。计算结果表明:综合钟差的RMS最优且稳定,可作为评估分析中心产品精度的参考解。此外,综合产品北斗单系统静态PPP的结果优于多数分析中心,位置精度在4cm以内。     

The International GNSS Service in a changing landscape of Global Navigation Satellite Systems

The International GNSS Service (IGS) is an international activity involving more than 200 participating organisations in over 80 countries with a track record of one and a half decades of successful operations. The IGS is a service of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG). It primarily supports scientific research based on highly precise and accurate Earth observations using the technologies of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), primarily the US Global Positioning System (GPS). The mission of the IGS is “to provide the highest-quality GNSS data and products in support of the terrestrial reference frame, Earth rotation, Earth observation and research, positioning, navigation and timing and other applications that benefit society”. The IGS will continue to support the IAG’s initiative to coordinate cross-technique global geodesy for the next decade, via the development of the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS), which focuses on the needs of global geodesy at the mm-level. IGS activities are fundamental to scientific disciplines related to climate, weather, sea level change, and space weather. The IGS also supports many other applications, including precise navigation, machine automation, and surveying and mapping. This article discusses the IGS Strategic Plan and future directions of the globally-coordinated ~400 station IGS network, tracking data and information products, and outlines the scope of a few of its numerous working groups and pilot projects as the world anticipates a truly multi-system GNSS in the coming decade.     

MGEX精密星历卫星钟差精度分析

IGS的多GNSS实验项目(Multi-GNSS Experiment,MGEX)所提供的事后精密卫星钟差作为一种基础性的GNSS数据产品。在分析MGEX事后精密钟差产品特点的基础上,设计用于卫星钟差精度评价的内符合精度指标和外符合精度指标。基于该指标对MGEX的欧洲定轨中心(CODE)、波茨坦地学中心(GFZ)和武汉大学(WUM)三个分析中心2015年的事后精密卫星钟差进行精度分析。结果表明:GFZ的卫星钟差精度相对最差,CODE的卫星钟差内符合精度最高,WUM的卫星钟差外符合精度最高,三个分析中心的卫星钟差内外符合精度平均值分别为0.307ns和0.322ns;随着GPS系统的更新其卫星钟差的精度有所提高,同时GPS系统中BLOCK IIF铯钟的钟差内外符合精度均最高;CODE的卫星钟差内符合精度随卫星钟类型的不同变化相对较小。     

IGS08: the IGS realization of ITRF2008

On April 17, 2011, the International GNSS Service (IGS) stopped using the IGS05 reference frame and adopted a new one, called IGS08, as the basis of its products. The latter was derived from the latest release of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF2008). However, the simultaneous adoption of a new set of antenna phase center calibrations by the IGS required slight adaptations of ITRF2008 positions for 65 of the 232 IGS08 stations. The impact of the switch from IGS05 to IGS08 on GNSS station coordinates was twofold: in addition to a global transformation due to the frame change from ITRF2005 to ITRF2008, many station coordinates underwent small shifts due to antenna calibration updates, which need to be accounted for in any comparison or alignment of an IGS05-consistent solution to IGS08. Because the heterogeneous distribution of the IGS08 network makes it sub-optimal for the alignment of global frames, a smaller well-distributed sub-network was additionally designed and designated as the IGS08 core network. Only 2?months after their implementation, both the full IGS08 network and the IGS08 core network already strongly suffer from the loss of many reference stations. To avoid a future crisis situation, updates of IGS08 will certainly have to be considered before the next ITRF release.     

GAMIT采用快速星历处理GNSS数据的可行性分析

针对IGS最终精密有约12—18 d的时延,不利于C、D级GNSS工程控制网的实时解算,本文以实际工程为例,尝试用IGS发布的快速星历IGR、超快速星历(IGU、IGV)代替IGS最终星历进行基线解算。通过与IGS最终星历的解算结果对比发现,对同一等级的GNSS网,不同星历对基线、测站坐标精度均无明显影响,故在实际应用中用快速星历或超快速星历进行GNSS控制网解算是可行的。     

PPP网解UPD模糊度固定技术监测尼泊尔Ms8.1级地震对中国珠峰地区及周边地震同震位移

利用UPD模糊度固定技术无需顾及基线解算基站地震所带来的影响,可以进行高精度非差PPP解算,"真实"获取地震周边地区GNSS站点高精度同震位移变化。为此,本文利用"国家基准一期工程""中国大陆构造环境监测网络"以及国家测绘地理信息局在珠峰周边所观测的GNSS观测资料,基于UPD模糊度固定技术高精度非差解算2015年4月25日尼泊尔Ms8.1级地震对我国珠峰地区及周边地震同震位移影响。首先,本文选取全国及周边IGS均匀分布、站点稳定、远离震区的GNSS连续观测网络数据计算卫星端的宽、窄巷UPD,采用PPP网解UPD模糊度固定技术,对解算地震区域内的GNSS测站的载波相位模糊度进行固定,得到无模糊度的精确相位观测值,进行高精度非差PPP解算;通过对平静日IGS测站数据处理与ITRF2008历元坐标对比分析,验证了该方法的精确性;最后,对2015年4月25日、5月12日地震以及地震前后数据,进行了UPD模糊度固定技术的非差PPP解算,分析了中国珠峰地区及周边GNSS站的同震位移;同时也分析了中国珠峰地区在2005—2015年10年的位移变化情况。UPD模糊度固定技术整网解算的方法也证实了能够为GNSS用于监测地震同震位移等,提供了一种精确、可靠的技术手段。     

The contribution of Very Long Baseline Interferometry to ITRF2005

The contribution of the International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry (IVS) to the ITRF2005 (International Terrestrial Reference Frame 2005) has been computed by the IVS Analysis Coordinator’s office at the Geodetic Institute of the University of Bonn, Germany. For this purpose the IVS Analysis Centres (ACs) provided datum-free normal equation matrices in Solution INdependent EXchange (SINEX) format for each 24 h observing session to be combined on a session-by-session basis by a stacking procedure. In this process, common sets of parameters, transformed to identical reference epochs and a prioris, and especially representative relative weights have been taken into account for each session. In order to assess the quality of the combined IVS files, Earth orientation parameters (EOPs) and scaling factors have been derived from the combined normal equation matrices. The agreement of the EOPs of the combined normal equation matrices with those of the individual ACs in terms of weighted root mean square (WRMS) is in the range of 50–60 μas for the two polar motion components and about 3 μs for UT1−UTC. External comparisons with International GNSS Serive (IGS) polar motion components is at the level of 130–170 μas and 21 μs/day for length of day (LOD). The scale of the terrestrial reference frame realized through the IVS SINEX files agrees with ITRF2000 at the level of 0.2 ppb.     

The IGS VTEC maps: a reliable source of ionospheric information since 1998

The International GNSS Service (IGS) Working Group on Ionosphere was created in 1998. Since then, the Scientific community behind IGS, in particular CODE, ESA, JPL and UPC, have been continuosly contributing to reliable IGS combined vertical total electron content (VTEC) maps in both rapid and final schedules. The details on how these products are being generated, performance numbers, proposed improvement as far as VTEC evolution trends during near one Solar Cycle, are summarized in this paper. The confirmation of (1) the good performance of the IGS combined VTEC maps, and (2) the characteristic VTEC variability periods, are two main results of this work.     

多分析中心站坐标产品的综合方法研究

首先介绍了多分析中心产品融合处理的两种综合策略,然后基于解层面的综合策略,提出了站坐标和地球自转参数同时综合的方法。采用国际GNSS服务组织（International GNSS Service,IGS）9个分析中心1 a的数据进行试验,从站坐标、地球自转参数精度以及地心运动3个方面验证了该方法的正确性。结果表明,基于综合方法得到的综合解和IGS综合解处于同一精度水平。站坐标在平面和高程方向的一致性分别为0.5 mm和1.0 mm,极移和极移速率的一致性分别优于7.0×10-6"和40.0×10-6"/d,日长参数优于7.7×10-6 s/d。所提出的综合方法可用于全球连续监测评估系统（international GNSS monitoring and assessment system,iGMAS）的站坐标/地球自转参数产品综合。     

A new type of troposphere zenith path delay product of the international GNSS service

The International GNSS Service (IGS) has been producing the total troposphere zenith path delay (ZPD) product that is based on combined ZPD contributions from several IGS Analysis Centers (AC) since GPS week 890 in 1997. A new approach to the production of the IGS ZPD has been proposed that replaces the direct combination of diverse ZPD products with point positioning estimates using the IGS Combined Final orbit and clock products. The new product was formally adopted in 2007 after several years of concurrent production with the legacy product. We describe here the advantages of the new approach for the IGS ZPD product, which enhance the value of the new ZPD product for climate studies. We also address the impact the IGS adoption in November 2006 of new GPS antenna phase center standards has had on the new ZPD product. Finally we describe plans to further enhance the ZPD products.     

Ionospheric tomography using GNSS: multiplicative algebraic reconstruction technique applied to the area of Brazil

Experimental analysis was performed using multiplicative algebraic reconstruction technique (MART) to map the ionosphere over Brazil. Code and phase observations from the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) together with the international reference ionosphere (IRI) enabled the estimation of ionospheric profiles and total electron content (TEC) over the entire region. Twenty-four days of data collected from existing ground-based GNSS receivers during the recent solar maximum period were used to analyze the performance of the MART algorithm. The results were compared with four ionosondes. It was demonstrated that MART estimated the electron density peak with the same degree of accuracy as the IRI model in regions with appropriate geometrical coverage by GNSS receivers for tomographic reconstruction. In addition, the slant TEC, as estimated with MART, presented lower root-mean-square error than the TEC calculated by ionospheric maps available from the International GNSS Service (IGS). Furthermore, the daily variations of the ionosphere were better represented with the algebraic techniques, compared to the IRI model and IGS maps, enabling a correlation of the elevation of the ionosphere at higher altitudes with the equatorial ionization anomaly intensification. The tomographic representations also enabled the detection of high vertical gradients at the same instants in which ionospheric irregularities were evident.     

基于Kalman滤波的大规模GNSS网参数估计方法

针对传统方法存在的缺陷,研究了利用Kalman滤波技术进行大规模GNSS网参数（主要包括测站位置参数、卫星轨道参数及极移参数）估计的理论方法与关键技术,并利用40个全球均匀分布的IGS站多天的观测数据对理论成果进行了验证。结果表明,本文估计得到的测站位置参数与IGS结果各分量较差的RMS值分别为0.85、1.1、1.21 cm,得到的卫星轨道参数外推1 h后与IGS最终星历各分量较差的RMS值分别为9.8、8.6、7.2 cm,得到的极移参数与IERS结果的较差基本在1 mas之内;该方法具有较高的估值精度,可有效地用于GNSS网各类参数的估计。