Abstract
GPS Differential Code Biases (DCBs) computation is usually based on ground networks of permanent stations. The drawback of the classical methods is the need for the ionospheric delay so that any error in this quantity will map into the solution. Nowadays, many low-orbiting satellites are equipped with GPS receivers which are initially used for precise orbitography. Considering spacecrafts at an altitude above the ionosphere, the ionized contribution comes from the plasmasphere, which is less variable in time and space. Based on GPS data collected onboard JASON-2 spacecraft, we present a methodology which computes in the same adjustment the satellite and receiver DCBs in addition to the plasmaspheric vertical total electron content (VTEC) above the satellite, the average satellite bias being set to zero. Results show that GPS satellite DCB solutions are very close to those of the IGS analysis centers using ground measurements. However, the receiver DCB and VTEC are closely correlated, and their value remains sensitive to the choice of the plasmaspheric parametrization.
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(credits: G. Zaouche, CNES)
(Sources: https://www.ngdc.noaa.gov for K p and F10.7 and http://wdc.kugi.kyoto-u.ac.jp for DST)
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the International GNSS Service (IGS) for providing orbits and RINEX data of its high-quality network of permanent stations. They would also thank all colleagues from Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES) in Toulouse for the interesting discussions and advice while writing and revising this work. In particular, they thank Gérard Zaouche for providing hardware temperature data of GPSP-B instrument onboard JASON-2.
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Wautelet, G., Loyer, S., Mercier, F. et al. Computation of GPS P1–P2 Differential Code Biases with JASON-2. GPS Solut 21, 1619–1631 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10291-017-0638-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10291-017-0638-1