美国“气旋全球导航卫星系统”与应用

正2019年6月5日,我国在黄海海域利用长征11号运载火箭发射了基于全球卫星导航系统反射信号技术(GNSS-R)的捕风一号A/B试验卫星,实现了我国全天候探测海面风场零的突破,为台风海洋监测预报业务提供重要数据支撑。早在1993年,欧洲航天局(ESA)就提出了GNSS-R概念,2003年,英国灾难监测星座(UK-DMC)卫星利用其搭载的GNSS-R仪器成功获得了海面粗糙度等数据,2014年,英国发射搭载了"海状态载荷"的技术试验验证卫星-1(TDS-1),首次提供延迟多普勒映射(DDM)数据产品,开启了星载反射测量的应用。2016年12月15日,美国国家航空航天局(NASA)利用飞马座-XL(Pegasus-XL)运载火箭从佛罗里达州卡纳维拉尔角空军基地成功发射了采用GPS技术改进天基飓风观测能力的"气旋全球导航卫星系统"(CYGNSS)。本文拟对CYGNSS卫星星座的技术指标及其应用情况进行介绍,供读者进一步理解全球导航卫星系统与遥感技术的融合应用。     

基于GMF方法的捕风一号风速反演分析

全球尺度高时空分辨率海面风场探测是当前全球气象研究及预报预测领域的关注热点之一,传统海面风场探测技术存在测量区域有限,且受天气环境限制明显等问题.基于全球导航卫星系统-反射(GNSS-R)测量技术风速反演原理,以捕风一号1级数据产品为输入,欧洲中期天气预报中心再分析风速数据为参考风速,采用地球物理模型函数(GMF)方法...     

飓风天气下机载SFMR与星载微波遥感海面风速的对比分析

飓风天气下多种探测技术提供的海面风速的一致性备受关注。飓风侦察机搭载的步进频率微波辐射计(SFMR)提供的海面高风速数据是海面风速最主要的现场观测数据源。本文旨在分析SFMR风速与星载微波散射计(C波段欧洲MetOp系列卫星散射计ASCAT,Ku波段中法海洋卫星散射计CSCAT和中国HY-2系列卫星散射计HSCAT)和微波辐射计(SMAP和SMOS)遥感风速的一致性。通过分析SFMR风速随空间尺度变化的关系,进而提出了SFMR与散射计和辐射计数据进行时空匹配的方法。结果表明,高风速(>15 m·s^–1)辐射计比散射计风速与SFMR风速的一致性更好,风速高于25 m·s^–1时Ku波段散射计风速趋于饱和。高风速下降雨也是影响散射计风速误差的重要因素,但依赖于风速的误差显著高于降雨影响带来的误差。基于SFMR数据进一步揭示了星载微波散射计和辐射计提供海面风速的误差特征,为遥感数据应用提供参考。     

星载GNSS-R海面风场观测载荷关键技术设计与验证

目前海面风场观测手段有限,基于全球导航卫星系统反射信号处理(global navigation satellite system reflection,GNSS-R)的天基观测为全球风场信息获取提供了全新的手段.GNSS-R海面风速探测技术具有全天时、全天候、低功耗、宽覆盖、多信号源、低成本等特点,日益获得了广泛的关注...     

捕风一号卫星总体设计与技术特点

捕风一号卫星是中国首次实现基于星载导航卫星反射信号测量(global navigation satellite system-reflection,GNSS-R)技术的气象卫星,采用新型L波段海面风场信息探测技术,在风场测量、海面飓风风速反演等方面为国家气象、防灾减灾等行业提供服务.从系统设计角度介绍了捕风一号卫星的总...     

基于相关功率修正的地基GNSS-R土壤湿度反演

利用全球导航卫星系统反射信号测量技术(GNSS-R)进行土壤湿度反演过程中，实际接收天线方向性会造成GNSS直反信号相关功率测量偏差。针对地基观测场景下天线方向性造成的相关功率的类余弦振荡问题，提出了基于多项式拟合的信号相关功率修正方法。为了验证所提方法的有效性，开展了地基GNSS-R土壤湿度观测实验，结果表明:基于多项式拟合的相关功率修正可以消除信号相关功率的类余弦振荡，提升GNSS-R土壤湿度反演中的观测数据有效性和反演结果准确性。      

基于TechDemoSat-1卫星的GPS反射信号海面高度反演

针对星载GPS反射信号（GPS-R）海面测高的误差问题，基于星载GPS-R实测数据进行星载海面测高模型和误差修正模型的研究，并验证其有效性。利用TechDemoSat-1（TDS-1）数据，使用时延多普勒图（DDM）海面高度反演技术，着重分析了星载GPS-R海面高度反演中的各类误差，并建立了相应的误差模型。对星载GPS-R海面高度反演模型进行优化，采用DTU15全球平均海面模型、DTU全球海潮模型验证反演精度。结果证明:优化后反演模型得到的全球海面高度反演结果的平均绝对误差（MAD）为6.05 m，精度提高了约29%，有效提高了海面高度反演的精度。研究成果对于推广星载GNSS反射信号（GNSS-R）的海面测高应用具有一定的意义。      

基于树模型机器学习方法的GNSS-R海面风速反演

GNSS-R是基于GNSS卫星反射信号的一种新技术.GNSS-R技术可以运用到海面风场反演中，传统的GNSS-R技术反演海面风场主要有波形匹配和经验函数两种方法，风速反演精度约为2m·s-1.波形匹配方法耗时多，计算量大；经验函数方法通常只使用少量物理观测量，会造成信息浪费，损失一定的反演精度.为了提高海面风速的反演精度，引入机器学习领域常用的树模型算法决策树、随机森林、GBDT等对海面风速进行预测.利用GNSS-R与ECMWF数据构成训练集和验证集，训练集用于模型学习，验证集用于检验模型的反演效果.实验结果显示，决策树和随机森林预测误差约为0.6m·s-1，GBDT等算法的预测误差约为2m·s-1，满足风速反演要求.与GNSS-R传统反演方法相比，机器学习树模型算法效果更好，在验证集上表现稳定且误差较小.因此，可以将机器学习树模型算法运用到海面风速反演中.      

Improved specular point prediction precision using gradient descent algorithm

Global Navigation Satellite Systems Reflectometry (GNSS-R) utilizes GNSS signals reflected off the Earth surface for remote sensing applications. Due to weak power of reflected signals, GNSS-R receiver needs to track reflected signals by open loop. The first step is to calculate the position of specular point. The specular point position error of the existing algorithm—Quasi-Spherical Earth (QSE) Approach—is about 3 km which may cause troubles in data post-processing. In this paper, gradient descent algorithm is applied to calculate position of specular point and the calculation is based on World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84) ellipsoid in geodetic coordinate. The benefit of this coordinate is that it is easy to investigate the effect of real surface’s altitude. Learning rate—the key parameter of the algorithm—is adaptively adjusted according to initial error, latitude and gradient descent rate. With self-adaptive learning rate strategy, the algorithm converges fast. Through simulation and test on Global Navigation Satellite System Occultation Sounder II (GNOS II), the performances of the algorithm are validated. The specular point position error of the proposed algorithm is about 10 m. The speed of the proposed algorithm is competitive compared with the existing algorithm. The test on GNOS II shows that the proposed algorithm has good real-time performance.     

GNSS-R open-loop difference phase altimetry: Results from a bridge experiment

The paper explores a method to obtain accurate lake surface heights using measurements of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) carrier phase reflected from the lake surface. The method is referred to as Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflection (GNSS-R) open-loop difference phase altimetry method. It consists of two key technologies: one is the open-loop tracking method to track the GNSS-R signals, where the direct GNSS signal’s frequency is used as a reference frequency to obtain the carrier phases of the GNSS-R signals; the other key technology is time difference phase altimetry method to invert the lake surface heights using two or more carrier phases of GNSS-R signals received simultaneously. A validation experiment is carried out on the SANYING bridge over GUANTING lake using a GNSS-R receiver developed by the Center for Space Science and Applied Research (CSSAR), processing the data with GNSS-R open-loop difference phase altimetry method. The lake surface height results are consistent with the height results of GPS dual-frequency differential positioning altimetry. The results show that we can achieve centimeter level height in one minute average, by using 11 minutes carrier phase data of three GNSS-R signals received simultaneously.     

A real-time GNSS-R system based on software-defined radio and graphics processing units

Reflected signals of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) from the sea or land surface can be utilized to deduce and monitor physical and geophysical parameters of the reflecting area. Unlike most other remote sensing techniques, GNSS-Reflectometry (GNSS-R) operates as a passive radar that takes advantage from the increasing number of navigation satellites that broadcast their L-band signals. Thereby, most of the GNSS-R receiver architectures are based on dedicated hardware solutions. Software-defined radio (SDR) technology has advanced in the recent years and enabled signal processing in real-time, which makes it an ideal candidate for the realization of a flexible GNSS-R system. Additionally, modern commodity graphic cards, which offer massive parallel computing performances, allow to handle the whole signal processing chain without interfering with the PC’s CPU. Thus, this paper describes a GNSS-R system which has been developed on the principles of software-defined radio supported by General Purpose Graphics Processing Units (GPGPUs), and presents results from initial field tests which confirm the anticipated capability of the system.     

POBI interpolation algorithm for CYGNSS near real time flood detection research: A case study of extreme precipitation events in Henan,China in 2021

In late 2016, NASA launched the first constellation of the global navigation satellite system reflectometry (GNSS-R) small satellites called the Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS). The stable data quality and continuous free availability of CYGNSS scientific data provided a new method for flood monitoring. However, owing to the pseudorandom distribution of CYGNSS data, researchers must always choose between high temporal resolution and high spatial resolution during the performance of flood monitoring based on CYGNSS data. For floods caused by extreme precipitation with sudden and short durations, the current flood mapping based on CYGNSS data cannot be updated in near real time. However, the near real time update of the flood distribution range is meaningful for postdisaster emergency response and rapid rescue. This study aimed to address this problem using a newly proposed spatial interpolation method based on previously observed behaviour (POBI). First, a method for calculating the surface reflectivity of the CYGNSS was introduced, followed by the principle of the POBI spatial interpolation method. The applicability of the POBI method in Henan Province, China, was then analysed, and by using the flood in Henan Province, China, in July 2021 as an example, the feasibility of CYGNSS near real time flood mapping based on the POBI method was evaluated. Based on the results, near real time and 3 km flood distribution monitoring results can be obtained using the proposed new method. The results were evaluated using MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) images and compared with the observations of SMAP (Soil Moisture Active Passive) and GPM (Global Precipitation Measurement) in the same period. The results show that the flooded areas obtained by CYGNSS correspond to the inundated areas in MODIS images and are also in high agreement with the SMAP. In addition, CYGNSS allows for finer mapping and quantification of inundation areas and flood duration. Moreover, we also discussed the potential of CYGNSS to detect floods in shorter periods of time (a few hours) and did a preliminary evaluation using precipitation data from meteorological stations. The results are also highly consistent.     

Waveform-based spaceborne GNSS-R wind speed observation: Demonstration and analysis using UK TechDemoSat-1 data

This paper explores two types of mathematical functions to fit single- and full-frequency waveform of spaceborne Global Navigation Satellite System-Reflectometry (GNSS-R), respectively. The metrics of the waveforms, such as the noise floor, peak magnitude, mid-point position of the leading edge, leading edge slope and trailing edge slope, can be derived from the parameters of the proposed models. Because the quality of the UK TDS-1 data is not at the level required by remote sensing mission, the waveforms buried in noise or from ice/land are removed by defining peak-to-mean ratio, cosine similarity of the waveform before wind speed are retrieved. The single-parameter retrieval models are developed by comparing the peak magnitude, leading edge slope and trailing edge slope derived from the parameters of the proposed models with in situ wind speed from the ASCAT scatterometer. To improve the retrieval accuracy, three types of multi-parameter observations based on the principle component analysis (PCA), minimum variance (MV) estimator and Back Propagation (BP) network are implemented. The results indicate that compared to the best results of the single-parameter observation, the approaches based on the principle component analysis and minimum variance could not significantly improve retrieval accuracy, however, the BP networks obtain improvement with the RMSE of 2.55 m/s and 2.53 m/s for single- and full-frequency waveform, respectively.     

The impact on tsunami detection from space using GNSS-reflectometry when combining GPS with GLONASS and Galileo

The devastating Sumatra tsunami in 2004 demonstrated the need for a tsunami early warning system in the Indian Ocean. Such a system has been installed within the German-Indonesian Tsunami Early Warning System (GITEWS) project. Tsunamis are a global phenomenon and for global observations satellites are predestined. Within the GITEWS project a feasibility study on a future tsunami detection system from space has therefore been carried out. The Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry (GNSS-R) is an innovative way of using GNSS signals for remote sensing. It uses ocean reflected GNSS signals for sea surface altimetry. With a dedicated Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellation of satellites equipped with GNSS-R receivers, densely spaced sea surface height measurements could be established to detect tsunamis. Some general considerations on the geometry between LEO and GNSS are made in this simulation study. It exemplary analyzes the detection performance of a GNSS-R constellation at 900 km altitude and 60° inclination angle when applied to the Sumatra tsunami as it occurred in 2004. GPS is assumed as signal source and the combination with GLONASS and Galileo signals is investigated. It can be demonstrated, that the combination of GPS and Galileo is advantageous for constellations with few satellites while the combination with GLONASS is preferable for constellations with many satellites. If all three GNSS are combined, the best detection performance can be expected for all scenarios considered. In this case an 18 satellite constellation will detect the Sumatra tsunami within 17 min with certainty, while it takes 53 min if only GPS is considered.     

GNSS reflectometry and remote sensing: New objectives and results

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has been a very powerful and important contributor to all scientific questions related to precise positioning on Earth’s surface, particularly as a mature technique in geodesy and geosciences. With the development of GNSS as a satellite microwave (L-band) technique, more and wider applications and new potentials are explored and utilized. The versatile and available GNSS signals can image the Earth’s surface environments as a new, highly precise, continuous, all-weather and near-real-time remote sensing tool. The refracted signals from GNSS radio occultation satellites together with ground GNSS observations can provide the high-resolution tropospheric water vapor, temperature and pressure, tropopause parameters and ionospheric total electron content (TEC) and electron density profile as well. The GNSS reflected signals from the ocean and land surface could determine the ocean height, wind speed and wind direction of ocean surface, soil moisture, ice and snow thickness. In this paper, GNSS remote sensing applications in the atmosphere, oceans, land and hydrology are presented as well as new objectives and results discussed.     

An introduction to China FY3 radio occultation mission and its measurement simulation

GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) radio occultation mission for remote sensing of the Earth’s atmosphere will be performed by GNOS (GNSS Occultation Sounder) instrument on China FengYun-3 (FY3) 02 series satellites, the first of which FY3-C will be launched in the year 2013. This paper describes the FY3 GNOS mission and presents some results of measurement simulation. The key designed specifications of GNOS are also shown. The main objective of simulation is to provide scientific support for GNOS occultation mission on the FY3-C satellites. We used EGOPS software to simulate occultation measurements according to GNOS designed parameters. We analyzed the accuracy of retrieval profiles based on two typical occultation events occurring in China South–East area among total simulated events. Comparisons between the retrieval atmospheric profiles and background profiles show that GNOS occultation has high accuracy in the troposphere and lower stratosphere. The sensitivities of refractivity to three types of instrumental error, i.e. Doppler biases, clock stability and local multipath, were analyzed. The results indicated that the Doppler biases introduced by along-ray velocity error and GNOS clock error were the primary error sources for FY3-C occultation mission.     

LEO enhanced Global Navigation Satellite System (LeGNSS) for real-time precise positioning services

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has been widely used in many geosciences areas with its Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) service. However, GNSS still has its own bottleneck, such as the long initialization period of Precise Point Positioning (PPP) without dense reference network. Recently, the concept of PNTRC (Positioning, Navigation, Timing, Remote sensing and Communication) has been put forward, where Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations are recruited to fulfill diverse missions. In navigation aspect, a number of selected LEO satellites can be equipped with a transmitter to transmit similar navigation signals to ground users, so that they can serve as GNSS satellites but with much faster geometric change to enhance GNSS capability, which is named as LEO constellation enhanced GNSS (LeGNSS). As a result, the initialization time of PPP is expected to be shortened to the level of a few minutes or even seconds depending on the number of the LEO satellites involved. In this article, we simulate all the relevant data from June 8th to 14th, 2014 and investigate the feasibility of LeGNSS with the concentration on the key issues in the whole data processing for providing real-time PPP service based on a system configuration with fourteen satellites of BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), twenty-four satellites of the Global Positioning System (GPS), and sixty-six satellites of the Iridium satellite constellations. At the server-end, Precise Orbit Determination (POD) and Precise Clock Estimation (PCE) with various operational modes are investigated using simulated observations. It is found out that GNSS POD with partial LEO satellites is the most practical mode of LeGNSS operation. At the user-end, the Geometry Dilution Of Precision (GDOP) and Signal-In-Space Ranging Error (SISRE) are calculated and assessed for different positioning schemes in order to demonstrate the performance of LeGNSS. Centimeter level SISRE can be achieved for LeGNSS.