Evaluation of SARAL/AltiKa performance using GNSS/IMU equipped buoy in Sajafi,Imam Hassan and Kangan Ports

Performance of SARAL/AltiKa mission has been evaluated within 2016 altimeter calibration/validation framework in Persian Gulf through three campaigns conducted in the offshore waters of Sajafi, Imam Hassan and Kangan Ports, while the altimeter overflew the passes 470, 111 and 25 on 13 Feb, 7 March and 17 June 2016, respectively. As the preparation, a lightweight buoy was equipped with a GNSS receiver/choke-ring antenna and a MEMS-based IMU to measure independent datasets in the field operations. To obtain accurate sea surface height (SSH) time series, the offset of the onboard antenna from the equilibrium sea level was predetermined through surveying operations as the buoy was deploying in the onshore waters of Kangan Port. Accordingly, the double-difference carrier phase observations have been processed via the Bernese GPS Software v. 5.0 so as to provide the GNSS-derived time series at the comparison points of the calibration campaigns, once the disturbing effects due to the platform tilt and heave have been eliminated. Owing to comparing of the SSH time series and the associating altimetry 1?Hz GDR-T datasets, the calibration/validation of the SARAL/AltiKa has been performed in the both cases of radiometer and ECMWF wet troposphere corrections so as to identify potential land contamination. An agreement of the present findings in comparison with those attained in other international calibrations sites confirms the promising feasibility of Persian Gulf as a new dedicated site for calibration/validation of ongoing and future altimetry missions.     

Carrier phase prediction method for GNSS precise positioning in challenging environment

Since the signals of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) are blocked frequently in challenging environments, the discontinuous carrier phases seriously affect the application of GNSS precise positioning. To improve the carrier phase continuity, this paper proposes a carrier phase prediction method based on carrier open-loop tracking. In the open-loop tracking mode, the carrier numerically controlled oscillator (NCO) is controlled by the predicted Doppler, but not by the loop filter output. To improve the phase prediction effective time, accurate receiver clock drift estimation is studied in the prediction method. The phase prediction performance is tested on GNSS software receiver. In the phase prediction effective time tests, open-loop processes were set for the tested channel. The test results show that, when some satellite signals are blocked in 15?s, the probability of carrier phase error less than quarter cycles is more than 94%. In the real time kinematic (RTK) positioning tests, some satellite signals are blocked in 10–15?s repeatedly. The test results show that, the carrier phase continuity is basically not affected by the signal interruption, and the RTK can almost keep continuous centimeter-level positioning accuracy without re-fixing the integer ambiguity.     

GNSS观测数据ZTD建模的质量控制方法

针对目前基于GNSS观测数据的对流层天顶总延迟(ZTD)模型缺乏有效质量控制手段的现状,提出了一套综合考虑数据量、网格分辨率以及模型稳定性的ZTD建模质量控制方法,并采用内华达大地测量实验室(NGL)解算的高空间分辨率GNSS对流层数据,选取了近十年德国及周边区域[47°N-55°N,5°E-15°E]183个测站的实测ZTD,对该方法进行了校验。实验结果表明:在该质量控制方法下建立的新模型精度稳定,平均均方根误差(RMS)为3.4 cm,相对于UNB3m、EGNOS、GPT2w+Saas平均改善了42.4%、35.8%、33.3%。本文提出的质量控制方法有效提升了基于GNSS观测数据的ZTD模型的性能,对于ZTD建模研究具有一定的参考价值。     

北斗三号系统卫星自主完好性监测技术

完好性对于全球卫星导航系统(GNSS)来说至关重要,关乎到其能否被放心应用。卫星自主完好性监测(SAIM)技术,是完好性监测技术发展的前沿趋势,国内外卫星导航系统均竞相发展。介绍了北斗三号系统SAIM技术设计与实现的重要意义,从功能设计和实现原理两个方面,阐述了北斗三号SAIM技术体制。针对SAIM实际在轨监测数据的正态分布特性服从程度和长期稳定性等问题,随机选取某一颗中圆轨道(MEO)卫星自2020年7月31日北斗三号系统正式开通服务以来至2021年7月31日连续1年期间的监测数据,得到真实在轨监测数据的分布特性。最后,提出了告警门限优化、分级告警策略设计、星历完好性自主监测等方面的后续发展必要性建议,旨在为北斗系统更好地为全球用户提供更优质的完好性服务提供参考。     

基于低频磁信标的全天时自主定位方法

由于以GPS、北斗为代表的GNSS信号容易受到天气和位置的影响,单纯使用GNSS在某些条件下会有较大的定位误差,甚至无法提供定位服务。针对这种情况研究了基于低频磁信标的自主定位方法,分析了电磁学中的毕奥-萨伐尔定律等原理,建立了基于低频磁信标定位的系统模型,给出了分离式双信标定位方法。通过实验分析了信标安装的误差特性,最后通过仿真和实际实验验证了该定位方法的有效性,对于室内机器人导航、地下生物探索、水下跟踪定位等单独采用GNSS定位影响较大的场景下的自主定位与导航具有重要的工程应用价值。     

Instantaneous BeiDou–GPS attitude determination: A performance analysis

The advent of modernized and new global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) has enhanced the availability of satellite based positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) solutions. Specifically, it increases redundancy and yields operational back-up or independence in case of failure or unavailability of one system. Among existing GNSS, the Chinese BeiDou system (BDS) is being developed and will consist of geostationary (GEO) satellites, inclined geosynchronous orbit (IGSO) satellites, and medium-Earth-orbit (MEO) satellites. In this contribution, a BeiDou–GPS robustness analysis is carried out for instantaneous, unaided attitude determination.     

Tropospheric wet refractivity tomography using multiplicative algebraic reconstruction technique

Algebraic reconstruction techniques (ART) have been successfully used to reconstruct the total electron content (TEC) of the ionosphere and in recent years be tentatively used in tropospheric wet refractivity and water vapor tomography in the ground-based GNSS technology. The previous research on ART used in tropospheric water vapor tomography focused on the convergence and relaxation parameters for various algebraic reconstruction techniques and rarely discussed the impact of Gaussian constraints and initial field on the iteration results. The existing accuracy evaluation parameters calculated from slant wet delay can only evaluate the resultant precision of the voxels penetrated by slant paths and cannot evaluate that of the voxels not penetrated by any slant path. The paper proposes two new statistical parameters Bias and RMS, calculated from wet refractivity of the total voxels, to improve the deficiencies of existing evaluation parameters and then discusses the effect of the Gaussian constraints and initial field on the convergence and tomography results in multiplicative algebraic reconstruction technique (MART) to reconstruct the 4D tropospheric wet refractivity field using simulation method.     

GNSS服务空域空间信号可用性比较与分析

通过基本参数对全球卫星导航系统（GPS、GLONASS、Galileo和北斗）空间信号可用性影响实验,得出四系统的A knee 值分别为3800km、1100km、3800km和1000km,对应的平均可见卫星数为25、16、22和14/22（亚太地区、MEO星座/混合星座）。分析了三种典型轨道用户的卫星可见性,北斗和GLONASS对MEO和HEO用户的空间信号可用性能较GPS和Galileo稍差,而在LEO用户的应用中,北斗空间信号可用性能却表现最优,平均可见卫星数约为20颗,可用性时间分布比较均匀。最后对GNSS空间有效持续时间段进行统计,随着用户高度的增加,有效持续时间段数增多、总有效持续时间减少;四系统提供全弧段有效服务空间分别为地面至6100km、1600km、6100km和1700km。     

Assessment of the NeQuick model at mid-latitudes using GNSS TEC and ionosonde data

The modelling of the total electron content (TEC) plays an important role in global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) accuracy, especially for single-frequency receivers, the most common ones constituting the mass market. For the latter and in the framework of Galileo, the NeQuick model has been chosen for correcting the ionospheric error contribution and will be integrated into a global algorithm providing the users with daily updated information.     

Performance evaluation of IRI-2007 at equatorial latitudes and its Matlab version for GNSS applications

International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model is the widely used empirical model for ionospheric predictions, especially TEC which is an important parameter for radio navigation and communication. The Fortran based IRI-2007 does not support real-time interactive visualization and debugging. Therefore, the source code is converted into Matlab and is validated for the purposes of this study. This facilitates easy representation of results and for near real-time implementation of IRI in the applications including spacecraft launching, now casting, pseudolite based navigation systems etc. In addition, the vertical delay results over the equatorial region derived from IRI and GPS data of three IGS stations namely Libreville (Garbon, Africa), Brasilia (Brazil, South America) and Hyderabad (India, Asia) are compared. As the IRI model does not account for plasmasphere TEC, the vertical delays are underestimated compared to vertical delays of GPS signals. Therefore, the model should be modified accordingly for precise TEC estimation.