DORIS system: The new age

The boarding of the first DGXX DORIS instrument on Jason-2 mission gives us the opportunity to present the improvements that have been implemented on the DORIS system. The goal of this paper is to present information about the new capacities of the DORIS system and to give the current status of its components. An overview of the DORIS system, the International DORIS Service and the Jason-2 satellite mission are first presented. Then the new characteristics of the on-board instrument are detailed. The capacity to track up to seven ground beacons simultaneously dramatically increases the number of measurements performed: a factor of three increase over Jason-1 is observed at the altitude of 1330 km. It also increases the diversity of directions of observation and allows low elevation measurements from 0°. The new phase measurements capability allows now phase processing. The instability of the Jason-1 USOs (Ultra-Stable Oven-controlled quartz oscillator) while crossing the South Atlantic Anomaly has been solved by decreasing the sensitivity to radiation by a factor of 10. New features of the on-board software enhance the coastal and inland water altimetry and increase the robustness of the data. The new software also improves the real time orbit accuracy for operational altimetry. The improvements introduced concurrently on the ground segment have also significantly enhanced capability. The new RINEX exchange formats provide simultaneous phase and pseudo-range measurements. The maintenance of the DORIS Beacons Network and the work done by the DORIS Signal Integrity monitoring team lead to an increased availability of the Network from 75% to 90% and so to a more homogenous orbit coverage.     

IDS contribution to ITRF2008

For the first time, the International DORIS Service (IDS) has produced a technique level combination based on the contributions of seven analysis centers (ACs), including the European Space Operations Center (ESOC), Geodetic Observatory Pecny (GOP), Geoscience Australia (GAU), the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), the Institut Géographique National (IGN), the Institute of Astronomy, Russian Academy of Sciences (INASAN, named as INA), and CNES/CLS (named as LCA). The ACs used five different software packages to process the DORIS data from 1992 to 2008, including NAPEOS (ESA), Bernese (GOP), GEODYN (GAU, GSC), GIPSY/OASIS (INA), and GINS (LCA). The data from seven DORIS satellites, TOPEX/Poseidon, SPOT-2, SPOT-3, SPOT-4, SPOT-5, Envisat and Jason-1 were processed and all the analysis centers produced weekly SINEX files in either variance–covariance or normal equation format. The processing by the analysis centers used the latest GRACE-derived gravity models, forward modelling of atmospheric gravity, updates to the radiation pressure modelling to improve the DORIS geocenter solutions, denser parameterization of empirically determined drag coefficients to improve station and EOP solutions, especially near the solar maximum in 2001–2002, updated troposphere mapping functions, and an ITRF2005-derived station set for orbit determination, DPOD2005. The CATREF software was used to process the weekly AC solutions, and produce three iterations of an IDS global weekly combination. Between the development of the initial solution IDS-1, and the final solution, IDS-3, the ACs improved their analysis strategies and submitted updated solutions to eliminate troposphere-derived biases in the solution scale, to reduce drag-related degradations in station positioning, and to refine the estimation strategy to improve the combination geocenter solution. An analysis of the frequency content of the individual AC geocenter and scale solutions was used as the basis to define the scale and geocenter of the IDS-3 combination. The final IDS-3 combination has an internal position consistency (WRMS) that is 15 to 20 mm before 2002 and 8 to 10 mm after 2002, when 4 or 5 satellites contribute to the weekly solutions. The final IDS-3 combination includes solutions for 130 DORIS stations on 67 different sites of which 35 have occupations over 16 years (1993.0–2009.0). The EOPs from the IDS-3 combination were compared with the IERS 05 C04 time series and the RMS agreement was 0.24 mas and 0.35 mas for the X and Y components of polar motion. The comparison to ITRF2005 in station position shows an agreement of 6 to 8 mm RMS in horizontal and 10.3 mm in height. The RMS comparison to ITRF2005 in station velocity is at 1.8 mm/year on the East component, to 1.2 mm/year in North component and 1.6 mm/year in height.     

Generating precise and homogeneous orbits for Jason-1 and Jason-2

Driven by the GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) and GGOS (Global Geodetic Observing System) initiatives the user community has a strong demand for high-quality altimetry products. In order to derive such high-quality altimetry products, precise orbits for the altimetry satellites are a necessity. With the launch of the TOPEX/Poseidon mission in 1992 a still on-going time series of high-accuracy altimetry measurements of ocean topography started, continued by the altimetry missions Jason-1 in 2001 and Jason-2/OSTM in 2008. This paper contributes to the on-going orbit reprocessing carried out by several groups and presents the efforts of the Navigation Support Office at ESA/ESOC using its NAPEOS software for the generation of precise and homogeneous orbits referring to the same reference frame for the altimetry satellites Jason-1 and Jason-2. Data of all three tracking instruments on-board the satellites (beside the altimeter), i.e. GPS, DORIS, and SLR measurements, were used in a combined data analysis. About 7 years of Jason-1 data and more than 1 year of Jason-2 data were processed. Our processing strategy is close to the GDR-C standards. However, we estimated slightly different scaling factors for the solar radiation pressure model of 0.96 and 0.98 for Jason-1 and Jason-2, respectively. We used 30 s sampled GPS data and introduced 30 s satellite clocks stemming from ESOC’s reprocessing of the combined GPS/GLONASS IGS solution. We present the orbit determination results, focusing on the benefits of adding GPS data to the solution. The fully combined solution was found to give the best orbit results. We reach a post-fit RMS of the GPS phase observation residuals of 6 mm for Jason-1 and 7 mm for Jason-2. The DORIS post-fit residuals clearly benefit from using GPS data in addition, as the DORIS data editing improves. The DORIS observation RMS for the fully combined solution is with 3.5 mm and 3.4 mm, respectively, 0.3 mm better than for the DORIS-SLR solution. Our orbit solution agrees well with external solutions from other analysis centers, as CNES, LCA, and JPL. The orbit differences between our fully combined orbits and the CNES GDR-C orbits are of about 0.8 cm for Jason-1 and at 0.9 cm for Jason-2 in the radial direction. In the cross-track component we observe a clear improvement when adding GPS data to the POD process. The 3D-RMS of the orbit differences reveals a good orbit consistency at 2.7 cm and 2.9 cm for Jason-1 and Jason-2. Our resulting orbit series for both Jason satellites refer to the ITRF2005 reference frame and are provided in sp3 file format on our ftp server.     

Impact of ITRS 2014 realizations on altimeter satellite precise orbit determination

This paper evaluates orbit accuracy and systematic error for altimeter satellite precise orbit determination on TOPEX, Jason-1, Jason-2 and Jason-3 by comparing the use of four SLR/DORIS station complements from the International Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS) 2014 realizations with those based on ITRF2008. The new Terrestrial Reference Frame 2014 (TRF2014) station complements include ITRS realizations from the Institut National de l’Information Géographique et Forestière (IGN) ITRF2014, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) JTRF2014, the Deutsche Geodätisches Forschungsinstitut (DGFI) DTRF2014, and the DORIS extension to ITRF2014 for Precise Orbit Determination, DPOD2014. The largest source of error stems from ITRF2008 station position extrapolation past the 2009 solution end time. The TRF2014 SLR/DORIS complement impact on the ITRF2008 orbit is only 1–2 mm RMS radial difference between 1992–2009, and increases after 2009, up to 5 mm RMS radial difference in 2016. Residual analysis shows that station position extrapolation error past the solution span becomes evident even after two years, and will contribute to about 3–4 mm radial orbit error after seven years. Crossover data show the DTRF2014 orbits are the most accurate for the TOPEX and Jason-2 test periods, and the JTRF2014 orbits for the Jason-1 period. However for the 2016 Jason-3 test period only the DPOD2014-based orbits show a strong and statistically significant margin of improvement. The positive results with DTRF2014 suggest the new approach to correct station positions or normal equations for non-tidal loading before combination is beneficial. We did not find any compelling POD advantage in using non-linear over linear station velocity models in our SLR & DORIS orbit tests on the Jason satellites. The JTRF2014 proof-of-concept ITRS realization demonstrates the need for improved SLR+DORIS orbit centering when compared to the Ries (2013) CM annual model. Orbit centering error is seen as an annual radial signal of 0.4 mm amplitude with the CM model. The unmodeled CM signals show roughly a 1.8 mm peak-to-peak annual variation in the orbit radial component. We find the TRF network stability pertinent to POD can be defined only by examination of the orbit-specific tracking network time series. Drift stability between the ITRF2008 and the other TRF2014-based orbits is very high, the relative mean radial drift error over water is no larger than 0.04 mm/year over 1993–2015. Analyses also show TRF induced orbit error meets current altimeter rate accuracy goals for global and regional sea level estimation.     

The crustal dynamics data information system: A resource to support scientific analysis using space geodesy

Since 1982, the Crustal Dynamics Data Information System (CDDIS) has supported the archive and distribution of geodetic data products acquired by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as well as national and international programs. The CDDIS provides easy, timely, and reliable access to a variety of data sets, products, and information about these data. These measurements, obtained from a global network of nearly 650 instruments at more than 400 distinct sites, include DORIS (Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite), GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), SLR and LLR (Satellite and Lunar Laser Ranging), and VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry). The CDDIS data system and its archive have become increasingly important to many national and international science communities, particularly several of the operational services within the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) and its observing system the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS), including the International DORIS Service (IDS), the International GNSS Service (IGS), the International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS), the International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry (IVS), and the International Earth rotation and Reference frame Service (IERS). Investigations resulting from the data and products available through the CDDIS support research in many aspects of Earth system science and global change. Each month, the CDDIS archives more than one million data and derived product files totaling over 90 Gbytes in volume. In turn, the global user community downloads nearly 1.2 Tbytes (over 10.5 million files) of data and products from the CDDIS each month. The requirements of analysts have evolved since the start of the CDDIS; the specialized nature of the system accommodates the enhancements required to support diverse data sets and user needs. This paper discusses the CDDIS, including background information about the system and its user communities, archive contents, available metadata, and future plans.     

DPOD2005: An extension of ITRF2005 for Precise Orbit Determination

For Precise Orbit Determination of altimetry missions, we have computed a data set of DORIS station coordinates defined for specific time intervals called DPOD2005. This terrestrial reference set is an extension of ITRF2005. However, it includes all new DORIS stations and is more reliable, as we disregard stations with large velocity formal errors as they could contaminate POD computations in the near future. About 1/4 of the station coordinates need to be defined as they do not appear in the original ITRF2005 realization. These results were verified with available DORIS and GPS results, as the integrity of DPOD2005 is almost as critical as its accuracy. Besides station coordinates and velocities, we also provide additional information such as periods for which DORIS data should be disregarded for specific DORIS stations, and epochs of coordinate and velocity discontinuities (related to either geophysical events, equipment problem or human intervention). The DPOD model was tested for orbit determination for TOPEX/Poseidon (T/P), Jason-1 and Jason-2. Test results show DPOD2005 offers improvement over the original ITRF2005, improvement that rapidly and significantly increases after 2005. Improvement is also significant for the early T/P cycles indicating improved station velocities in the DPOD2005 model and a more complete station set. Following 2005 the radial accuracy and centering of the ITRF2005-original orbits rapidly degrades due to station loss.     

Analysis of the DORIS contributions to ITRF2008

In its function as an ITRS Combination Centre, DGFI is in charge with the computation of an ITRF2008 solution. The computation methodology of DGFI is based on the combination of datum-free normal equations (weekly or session data sets, respectively) of station positions and Earth orientation parameters (EOP) from the geodetic space techniques DORIS, GPS, SLR and VLBI. In this paper we focus on the DORIS part within the ITRF2008 computations. We present results obtained from the analysis of the DORIS time series for station positions, network translation and scale parameters, as well as for the terrestrial pole coordinates. The submissions to ITRF2008 benefit from improved analysis strategies of the seven contributing IDS analysis centres and from a combination of the weekly solutions of station positions and polar motion. The results show an improvement by a factor of two compared to past DORIS data submitted to ITRF2005, which has been evaluated by investigating the repeatabilities of position time series. The DORIS position time series were analysed w.r.t. discontinuities and other non-linear effects such as seasonal variations. About 40 discontinuities have been identified which have been compared with the results of an earlier study. Within the inter-technique combination we focus on the DORIS contribution to the integration of the different space geodetic observations and on a comparison of the geodetic local ties with the space geodetic solutions. Results are given for the 41 co-location sites between DORIS and GPS.     

Refining DORIS atmospheric drag estimation in preparation of ITRF2008

In preparation of ITRF2008, all geodetic technique services (VLBI, SLR, GPS and DORIS) are generating new solutions based on combination of individual analysis centers solutions. These data reprocessing are based on a selection of models, parameterization and estimation strategy unique to each analysis center and to each technique. While a good agreement can be found for models between groups, thanks to the existence of the IERS conventions, a great diversity still exist for parameter estimation, allowing possible future improvements in this direction. The goal of this study is to focus on the atmospheric drag estimation used to generate the new DORIS/IGN ignwd08 time series prepared for ITRF2008. We develop here a method to inter-compare different processing strategies. In a first step, by analyzing single-satellite solutions for a few weeks of data but for a large number of possible analysis strategies, we demonstrate that estimating drag coefficient more frequently (typically every 1–2 h instead of previously every 4–8 h) for the lowest DORIS satellites (SPOTs and Envisat) provides better geodetic results for station coordinates and polar motion. This new processing strategy also solved earlier problem found when processing DORIS data during intense geomagnetic events, such as geomagnetic storms. Differences between drag estimation strategies can mostly be found during these few specific periods of extreme geomagnetic activity (few days per year). In such a case, when drag coefficient is only estimated every 6 h or less often for single-satellite solution, a significant degradation in station coordinate accuracy can be observed (120 mm vs. 20 mm) and significant biases arose in polar motion estimation (5 mas vs. 0.3 mas). In a second step, we reprocessed a full year of DORIS data (2003) in a standard multi-satellite mode. We were able to provide statistics on a more reliable data set and to strengthen these conclusions. Our proposed DORIS analysis is easy to implement in all software packages and is now already used by several analysis centers of the International DORIS Service (IDS) when submitting reprocessed solutions for ITRF2008.     

Towards development of a consistent orbit series for TOPEX,Jason-1, and Jason-2

The TOPEX/Poseidon, Jason-1 and Jason-2 set of altimeter data now provide a time series of synoptic observations of the ocean that span nearly 17 years from the launch of TOPEX in 1992. The analysis of the altimeter data including the use of altimetry to monitor the global change in mean sea level requires a stable, accurate, and consistent orbit reference over the entire time span. In this paper, we describe the recomputation of a time series of orbits that rely on a consistent set of reference frames and geophysical models. The recomputed orbits adhere to the IERS 2003 standards for ocean and earth tides, use updates to the ITRF2005 reference frame for both the SLR and DORIS stations, apply GRACE-derived models for modeling of the static and time-variable gravity, implement the University College London (UCL) radiation pressure model for Jason-1, use improved troposphere modeling for the DORIS data, and apply the GOT4.7 ocean tide model for both dynamical ocean tide modeling and for ocean loading. The new TOPEX orbits have a mean SLR fit of 1.79 cm compared to 2.21 cm for the MGDR-B orbits. These new TOPEX orbits agree radially with independent SLR/crossover orbits at 0.70 cm RMS, and the orbit accuracy is estimated at 1.5–2.0 cm RMS over the entire TOPEX time series. The recomputed Jason-1 orbits agree radially with the Jason-1 GDR-C orbits at 1.08 cm RMS. The GSFC SLR/DORIS dynamic and reduced-dynamic orbits for Jason-2 agree radially with independent orbits from the CNES and JPL at 0.70–1.06 cm RMS. Applying these new orbits, and using the latest altimeter corrections for TOPEX, Jason-1, and Jason-2 from September 1992 to May 2009, we find a global rate in mean sea level of 3.0 ± 0.4 mm/yr.     

Jason-2 DORIS phase measurement processing

The DORIS instrument on Jason-2 is the first of a new generation. The satellite receivers have now seven simultaneous measurement channels, with synchronous dual frequency phase and pseudo-range measurements. These measurements are now described in a similar manner as GPS measurements and an extension of the RINEX 3.0 format has been defined for DORIS. Data are available to users with a shorter latency.     

The International DORIS Service (IDS): Toward maturity

DORIS is one of the four space-geodetic techniques participating in the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS), particularly to maintain and disseminate the Terrestrial Reference Frame as determined by International Earth rotation and Reference frame Service (IERS). A few years ago, under the umbrella of the International Association of Geodesy, a DORIS International Service (IDS) was created in order to foster international cooperation and to provide new scientific products. This paper addresses the organizational aspects of the IDS and presents some recent DORIS scientific results. It is for the first time that, in preparation of the ITRF2008, seven Analysis Centers (AC’s) contributed to derive long-term time series of DORIS stations positions. These solutions were then combined into a homogeneous time series IDS-2 for which a precision of less than 10 mm was obtained. Orbit comparisons between the various AC’s showed an excellent agreement in the radial component, both for the SPOT satellites (e.g. 0.5–2.1 cm RMS for SPOT-2) and Envisat (0.9–2.1 cm RMS), using different software packages, models, corrections and analysis strategies. There is now a wide international participation within IDS that should lead to future improvements in DORIS analysis strategies and DORIS-derived geodetic products.     

DPOD2014: A new DORIS extension of ITRF2014 for precise orbit determination

To support precise orbit determination of the altimetry missions, the International DORIS Service (IDS) regularly estimates the DPOD (DORIS terrestrial reference frame for Precise Orbit Determination) solution which includes mean positions and velocities of all the DORIS stations. This solution is aligned to the current realization of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) and so, can be seen as a DORIS extension of the ITRF. In 2016, moving to the IDS Combination Center, the DPOD construction scheme changed. The new DPOD solution is produced from a DORIS cumulative position and velocity solution. We present the new methodology used to compute DPOD2014 and its validation procedure. In order to present geophysical applications and interpretations of these results, we show two examples: (1) the Gorkha earthquake (M7.8 – April 2015) generates a 3-D mis-positioning of nearly 55?mm of the EVEB DORIS station at the Everest base camp 90?km from the epicenter. (2) Applying the results the DPOD2014 realization, we show that the most recent vertical velocity of Thule, Greenland is similar to that observed between 2006 and 2010, indicating further ongoing ice mass loss in the Thule region of northwest Greenland.     

Contributions of the French Institut Géographique National (IGN) to the International DORIS Service

DORIS is one of the four geodetic space techniques participating to the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS). Since the early development of this system, the Institut Géographique National played a specific and active role. Within, the International DORIS Service (IDS), IGN is in a particular position. While it is responsible for the installation and the maintenance of the DORIS ground tracking stations, it also handles one of the two IDS data center delivering DORIS data and products and has been an IDS Analysis Center for years, providing all possible IDS products, in particular the latest ignwd08 time series in preparation of ITRF2008. This paper explains the different aspects of the IGN contribution to IDS from an historical point of view, presents current activities and scientific results and provides a perspective for future activities. Recent DORIS results show a 10 mm precision or better when more than four DORIS satellites are available. Comparisons between recent DORIS solutions (ign07d02 and ign09d02) and past ITRF realizations show that errors are shared between the DORIS and the ITRF realizations. Some problems related to DORIS data processing are also discussed and possible ways to solve them in the future are discussed. In particular, we can now reject the tropospheric origin of the problem detected in the Envisat data after the software upload of October 12, 2004. A few applications in geodesy (terrestrial reference frame, Earth’s polar motion) and geophysics are also discussed as a natural extension of these service-type activities.     

Status of the T2L2/Jason2 Experiment

The T2L2 (Time Transfer by Laser Link) project, developed by CNES and OCA will permit the synchronization of remote ultra stable clocks and the determination of their performances over intercontinental distances. The principle of the experiment derives from Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) technology with dedicated space equipment. T2L2 was accepted in 2005 to be on board the Jason2 altimetry satellite. The payload consists of both event timer and photo detection modules. The system uses the ultra-stable quartz oscillator of DORIS as on-board reference clock on one hand, and the Laser Reflector Array, making T2L2 a real two-way time transfer system on the other hand. The expected time stability of the T2L2 instrument (detection and timing), referenced by the DORIS oscillator and including all internal error sources should be at the level of 10–12 ps at 1 s and <1 ps at 1000 s. The metrological specifications of T2L2 should permit to maintain a precision of 1 to a few ps when measuring the phase of a clock during around 1000 seconds.     

Impact of orbit modeling on DORIS station position and Earth rotation estimates

The high precision of estimated station coordinates and Earth rotation parameters (ERP) obtained from satellite geodetic techniques is based on the precise determination of the satellite orbit. This paper focuses on the analysis of the impact of different orbit parameterizations on the accuracy of station coordinates and the ERPs derived from DORIS observations. In a series of experiments the DORIS data from the complete year 2011 were processed with different orbit model settings. First, the impact of precise modeling of the non-conservative forces on geodetic parameters was compared with results obtained with an empirical-stochastic modeling approach. Second, the temporal spacing of drag scaling parameters was tested. Third, the impact of estimating once-per-revolution harmonic accelerations in cross-track direction was analyzed. And fourth, two different approaches for solar radiation pressure (SRP) handling were compared, namely adjusting SRP scaling parameter or fixing it on pre-defined values.     

Estimation of differential code biases with Jason-2/3 onboard GPS observations

With the continuous deployment of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites, the estimation of differential code biases (DCBs) based on GNSS observations from LEO has gained increasing attention. Previous studies on LEO-based DCB estimation are usually using the spherical symmetry ionosphere assumption (SSIA), in which a uniform electron density is assumed in a thick shell. In this study, we propose an approach (named the SHLEO method) to simultaneously estimate the satellite and LEO onboard receiver DCBs by modeling the distribution of the global plasmaspheric total electron content (PTEC) above the satellite orbit with a spherical harmonic (SH) function. Compared to the commonly used SSIA method, the SHLEO model improves the GPS satellite DCB estimation accuracy by 13.46% and the stability by 22.34%, respectively. Compared to the GPS satellite DCBs estimated based on the Jason-3-only observations, the accuracy and monthly stability of the satellite DCBs can be improved by 14.42% and 26.8% when both Jason-2 and Jason-3 onboard observations are jointly processed. Compared with the Jason-2 solutions, the GPS satellite DCB estimates based on the fusion of Jason-2 and Jason-3 observations have an improved consistency of better than 18.26% and 9.71% with the products provided by the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE) and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Taking the DCB products provided by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) as references, there is no improvement in accuracy of the GPS satellite DCB estimates based on the fusion of Jason-2 and Jason-3 observations than the Jason-2 solutions alone. A periodic variation is found in the time series of both the Jason-3 and Jason-2 onboard receiver DCB estimates. Preliminary analysis of the PTEC distribution based on the estimated SH coefficients are also presented.     

Impact of DORIS ground antennas environment on their radio signal quality

Among the factors which may disrupt the DORIS measurements quality, the ground antennas environment is of high importance. For a set of 15 selected DORIS beacon, the differences between the effective and theoretical power received on-board the satellites (SPOT-5 and Envisat) have been analyzed in terms of spatial direction around the antenna. Such antenna maps have also been established regarding the Doppler residuals of the least-square precise orbit adjustment. Thanks to 360° views from the antennas and aerial views of the sites, the impact of the signal obstructions (trees, roofs, antennas …) on power attenuation and Doppler residuals is discussed. Depending on the nature of the obstructed object, the attenuation level can reach more than 5 dB, and the residual RMS of the orbit adjustment may be doubled from the nominal value, reaching 1 mm/s locally. The nature of the ground at the foot of the antennas has been correlated to DORIS signal quality at high elevation: reflections on flat surfaces (e.g. roofs) affect the signal more significantly than reflections on natural ground (e.g. soil). In particular, a modeling of the multipath phenomenon affecting Fairbanks site has been established and fits remarkably with the observations. Finally, an evaluation of the direct impact of obstructing objects on the orbit has also been performed. The example of a scaffolding at Kauai site displays a few millimeters error in the along-track position of the satellite.