Generating GPS satellite fractional cycle bias for ambiguity-fixed precise point positioning

With the development of precise point positioning (PPP), the School of Geodesy and Geomatics (SGG) at Wuhan University is now routinely producing GPS satellite fractional cycle bias (FCB) products with open access for worldwide PPP users to conduct ambiguity-fixed PPP solution. We provide a brief theoretical background of PPP and present the strategies and models to compute the FCB products. The practical realization of the two-step (wide-lane and narrow-lane) FCB estimation scheme is described in detail. With GPS measurements taken in various situations, i.e., static, dynamic, and on low earth orbit (LEO) satellites, the quality of FCB estimation and the effectiveness of PPP ambiguity resolution (AR) are evaluated. The comparison with CNES FCBs indicated that our FCBs had a good consistency with the CNES ones. For wide-lane FCB, almost all the differences of the two products were within ±0.05 cycles. For narrow-lane FCB, 87.8 % of the differences were located between ±0.05 cycles, and 97.4 % of them were located between ±0.075 cycles. The experimental results showed that, compared with conventional ambiguity-float PPP, the averaged position RMS of static PPP can be improved from (3.6, 1.4, 3.6) to (2.0, 1.0, 2.7) centimeters for ambiguity-fixed PPP. The average accuracy improvement in the east, north, and up components reached 44.4, 28.6, and 25.0 %, respectively. A kinematic, ambiguity-fixed PPP test with observation of 80 min achieved a position accuracy of better than 5 cm at the one-sigma level in all three coordinate components. Compared with the results of ambiguity-float, kinematic PPP, the positioning biases of ambiguity-fixed PPP were improved by about 78.2, 20.8, and 65.1 % in east, north, and up. The RMS of LEO PPP test was improved by about 23.0, 37.0, and 43.0 % for GRACE-A and GRACE-B in radial, tangential, and normal directions when AR was applied to the same data set. These results demonstrated that the SGG FCB products can be produced with high quality for users anywhere around the world to carry out ambiguity-fixed PPP solutions.     

Weak GPS signal tracking using FFT discriminator in open loop receiver

An open loop tracking architecture, which tracks GPS signals under weak and challenging conditions, is analyzed. The in-phase and quadrature-phase integration pair is regarded as a single tone complex signal. An FFT-based method is used as a frequency discriminator to estimate the Doppler frequency residual of the single tone signal. Another FFT-based method applies complex squaring to eliminate the effect of the navigation data bits polarities. The performance of the FFT-based discriminators is assessed in three criteria. Those criteria are the signal strength and dynamic range that can be tracked and the accuracy of the estimated Doppler frequency. In addition, the performance of the discriminators is analyzed to provide the theoretical and simulated peak detection probability. The results indicate that the FFT discriminator can track signals about 5 dB weaker than the signals that can be tracked by the complex squared FFT discriminator. In a quasi-static environment, the Doppler frequency residual can be assumed to be around zero, which can enable the FFT-based discriminators to track signals with approximately 2 dB less power. Moreover, the performance of the FFT-based discriminators is compared with the performance of two other frequency discriminators, namely the fast–slow and power-based. The comparison results indicate that these two frequency discriminators give higher frequency estimation accuracy, but they have a narrower dynamic range.     

An Immune Genetic Algorithm to Buildings Displacement in Cartographic Generalization

Spatial conflicts may occur when map data are displayed at a scale smaller than that of the source map. This study applies the displacement operator in cartographic generalization to resolve such spatial conflicts and to improve the clarity and legibility of map. The immune genetic algorithm (IGA) is used in this study for buildings displacement to solve conflicts. IGA is based on the genetic algorithm (GA) and employs the self‐adjusting mechanism of antibody concentration to enhance population diversity. Meanwhile, the elitism retention strategy is adopted in IGA to guarantee that the best individual (antibody) is not lost and destroyed in the next generation to strengthen convergence efficiency. The compared experiment between IGA and GA shows that the displacement result produced by IGA performs better than GA. Finally, in order to make the displaced map more attractive to cartographers, two constraints – the building alignment constraint and building tangent relation constraint – are applied in IGA to restrict the buildings’ displacement. The same experimental data are adopted to prove that the improved IGA is useful for maintaining the two constraints.     

Study on Strength Influence Mechanism of Fiber-Reinforced Expansive Soil Using Jute

This study was undertaken to research the effects of jute fiber content, fiber length, water content and dry density of reinforced and unreinforced soil on the strength influence mechanism by implementing a series of laboratory tests and analysis. The most efficient fiber reinforcement effects was achieved by means of adding jute fiber with content of 0.6 % and length of 6 mm into expansive soil specimen prepared at maximum dry density and optimum moisture content. The cohesion of reinforced specimens increased first with increasing fiber content and fiber length and then decreased with further increase in fiber content and fiber length. The internal friction angle of reinforced specimens were not affected significantly by fiber content and fiber length. Higher water content reduces the fiber reinforcement effects by means of acting as lubricant in the interface of fiber and soil particles. Fiber reinforcement effects is more prominent for specimens prepared at higher dry density by increasing the effective contact area of fiber/soil. The application prospect of soil reinforcement using natural fiber is impeded by the hydrophilic nature and biodegradability of natural fiber, thus, studies on using chemical additive to do surface treatment for natural fiber are needed to improve the interfacial interaction of fiber/soil so as to widen the application of natural fiber.     

底水油层水平井产液剖面均衡性评价

胜利油田开采底水特征高含水油层的水平井数量多,其中油层向水平井非均衡供液现象普遍。为评价此类水平井产液剖面均衡性,量化其生产动态改善潜力,定义了产液剖面基尼系数GN,并结合现场案例介绍其计算方法,随后统计胜利油田60口样本井,分析GN对见水时间tRL和底水突破前累积产油量QRL的影响,最后据此对GN分级。计算和分析结果表明:GN可以整体表征实际非均衡产液剖面偏离理想均衡产液剖面的程度,通常取值0~1之间,数值越大,均衡性越差;划分GN0.1为产液剖面不均衡,其样本井数54口,占比90%,以理想均衡产液状态为基准,tRL和QRL分别至少有100%和69.5%的提升潜力。     

阿根廷米纳毕戈塔地区水系沉积物采样粒度试验研究

中国地质调查局与阿根廷地质矿产调查局合作在阿根廷西北部米纳毕戈塔地区进行1︰25万水系沉积物测量,该区属于干旱-半干旱高寒山区,为突出找矿效果,消除或减少风积物干扰,需要确定适合于该区的水系沉积物采样粒度。为此,在该区选择一个有已知矿床的1︰5万图幅进行采样粒度试验,分别选择10~60目、-60目、60~80目、-80目4个粒度级进行粒度试验;根据我国区域地球化学勘查规范,每个粒度分析39种元素。结果表明,大部分元素在4种粒度水系沉积物中的分布形态基本一致,都能够较好地反映出区内已知矿床,说明采用的采样方法可以有效地避免风成砂干扰;金、银、铜、锡等成矿元素在4种粒度中的分布略有差异,10~60目的金、铜和锡异常对已知矿体的反应更清晰准确。因此,本区水系沉积物地球化学测量的最佳采样粒度是10~60目。根据本次试验结果,中-阿地调局在本区联合开展1︰25万水系沉积物地球化学测量时采用了10~60目水系沉积物作为采样介质,取得了很好的效果。这是本区第一次进行水系沉积粒度试验,对本区将来的地球化学调查和研究具有指导意义。     

强潮流作用下桥墩不对称“双肾型”冲刷地貌特征与机理

本文在海图地形资料分析桥轴线附近的海床自然冲刷的基础上,利用多波束测深技术研究大桥主墩附近局部冲刷地形。结果表明,该大桥桥位附近地形冲刷较显著,且大桥主墩位置有持续冲刷的趋势;主墩上、下游群桩最大冲刷深度呈上游最深、中部淤积、下游渐深的不对称形态,最大局部冲刷深度为4 m;桥墩整体冲刷坑形态呈南北“双肾型”;潮流流向与桥墩迎流面存在偏南的入射角,使得各桥墩南侧的最大冲深和冲刷范围均大于北侧。     

Factors driving riverbed scouring and sedimentation in the Bayangaole to Toudaoguai reaches of the Upper Yellow River

The Inner Mongolia reaches of the Yellow River face problems of severe sedimentation caused by a variety of complex factors. The sedimentation process in those reaches has been characterized using the sediment balance method, and the key factors affecting the process have been analyzed using the correlation analysis method. The results show that during the period 1952–2012 the Bayangaole (Bayan Gol) to Toudaoguai reaches in Inner Mongolia have undergone successive processes of accumulative sedimentation, then relative balance, and then accumulative sedimentation once again. The total annual sedimentation is 12.0341×10⁸ m³, of which accumulations from July to October account for 95.1% and the reaches from Sanhuhekou to Toudaoguai account for 98.5%. The main factor affecting scouring and sedimentation of the Bayangaole to Sanhuhekou reaches is the combined water and sediment condition. The critical conditions for equilibrium are an incoming sediment coefficient < 0.007 kg·s·m^–6 and a flow discharge > 700 m³·s^–1. The main factor affecting scouring and sedimentation of the Sanhuhekou to Toudaoguai reaches is the incoming sediment from the tributaries on the south bank and the combined water and sediment condition of the main stream. The critical conditions of the main stream for maintaining equilibrium status are a flow discharge of the main stream exceeding 800 m³·s^–1 and a comprehensive incoming sediment coefficient < 0.005 kg·s·m^–6. The incoming sediment from the tributaries has little impact on the main stream when the annual sediment load is less than 0.1×10⁸ t. The incoming sediment coefficient of the main stream and the incoming sediment from the tributaries both play vital roles in the riverbed evolution of the Inner Mongolia reaches, but the latter contributes the most.     

Spatiotemporal distribution and historical evolution of polders in the Dongting Lake area,China

Dongting Lake is the largest lake in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River in China. For centuries, people inhabiting the Dongting Lake area have been reclaiming land and constructing dams for flood resistance, agricultural production, and rural settlement, forming geographical entities known as polders. In this study, the regional spatial distributions of polders in the Dongting Lake area in 1949, 1998, and 2013 were obtained using historical maps and modern remotely sensed data, revealing changes since the establishment of the People’s Republic of China. Nanxian County was then selected to demonstrate polder changes at the county level, because it has undergone the most dramatic changes in the area. Different polder change models for the Datonghu, Yule, and Renhe polders were analyzed for eight periods: 1644 (the early Qing Dynasty), 1911 (the late Qing Dynasty), 1930 (the Republic of China), 1949 (the People’s Republic of China), 1963, 1970, 1998, and 2013. Three resulting polder evolution models are: 1) reclaiming polders from lakes, 2) integrating polders by stream merging, and 3) abandoning polders for flood release. The polder evolution models demonstrate the wisdom of local people in using land resources according to the specific regional conditions. Throughout their long-term historical evolution, the spatial distribution of polders in the Dongting Lake area tended to be homogeneous, and the degree of human disturbance tended to be stable. However, a shift occurred, from pure polder area growth or removal to more comprehensive management and protection of the regional environment.