A performance comparison of single and dual frequency GPS ambiguity resolution strategies

The impact of observation selection, observation combination and model parameterization on GPS carrier phase ambiguity resolution and position accuracy under operational conditions is investigated. The impact of an ionospheric bias for a generic linear combination of L1 and L2 measurements is assessed and the results are used to clearly outline the desirable characteristics for improving ambiguity resolution versus positioning accuracy performance. Ambiguity resolution performance and position accuracy are shown for widelane (WL), L1-only, and ionospheric-free (IF) combinations. Several techniques for dealing with the ionospheric bias are also presented and compared, including stochastic ionospheric modelling. Multiple carrier phase combination solutions estimated in the same filter are also compared. The concept of an optimal processing strategy—in terms of both reliable ambiguity resolution and high accuracy positions—is presented. In total, eight strategies, which vary in observables and parameters, are tested on several datasets ranging from 13 km to 43 km.