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Improving the (re-)convergence of multi-GNSS real-time precise point positioning through regional between-satellite single-differenced ionospheric augmentation

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Abstract

The long (re-)convergence time seriously limits many applications of real-time precise point positioning (RTPPP) in challenging environments like urban vehicle navigation and hazards monitoring. Thus, we proposed a real-time fast-positioning model by introducing the regional between-satellite single-differenced (SD) ionospheric constraints into the undifferenced and uncombined PPP (UU-PPP). The line-of-sight ionospheric observables are extracted by the multi-GNSS (GPS + Galileo) UU-PPP method. The polynomial function with simple structure and high efficiency is applied to establish the real-time regional between-satellite SD ionospheric vertical total electron content (VTEC) model. The differential slant total electron content (dSTEC) variations retrieved from three VTEC models are validated with the between-satellite SD and epoch-differenced geometry-free combinations of dual-frequency phase observations. The average RMS values are 0.77, 0.78 and 0.47 TEC unit for the CLK93 real-time VTEC, CODE final GIM and regional between-satellite SD ionospheric VTEC model, respectively. In the positioning domain, the data of ten stations for 12 consecutive days in 2020 were used for implementing kinematic RTPPP with single-frequency (SF) and dual-frequency (DF) observations. Compared with the GPS + Galileo SF-RTPPP based on the GRoup And PHase Ionospheric Correction model, the initialization time of the SD ionospheric-constrained (SDIC) SF-RTPPP when converged to 0.2 m at the 68% confidence level can be improved from 58 to 32 min in horizontal and 72 to 49 min in vertical, and its positioning accuracy can be improved by 29.7 and 20.3% in the horizontal and vertical components, respectively. Meanwhile, the re-convergence errors of SDIC SF-RTPPP from the first epoch can be maintained at 0.15 m in three components. As to GPS + Galileo SDIC DF-RTPPP, the re-convergence time when converged to 0.1 m can be lower than 3 min in horizontal and 9 min in vertical, and the re-convergence errors at the first epoch could even be lower than 0.15 m in horizontal. Hence, the new positioning model can maintain high accuracy and improve the continuity of real-time kinematic positioning in a short time when the number of tracked satellites in the urban or canyon environment was greatly dropped due to signal blocking.

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Data availability

The GNSS data are provided by the Asia–Pacific Reference Frame (APREF) network, which are available from ftp://ftp.ga.gov.au/geodesy-outgoing/gnss/data/. The merging broadcast ephemeris file (BRDM) is routinely generated as part of the Multi-GNSS Experiment (MGEX) at ftp://cddis.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/gps/data/campaign/mgex/daily/rinex3/. The DCB and Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE) GIM products are provided by the IGS analysis center at ftps://gdc.cddis.eosdis.nasa.gov/gnss/products/.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the GA (Geoscience Australia), CNES, GFZ and CODE for the provision of APREF observation data, real-time data streams including SSR satellite orbit and clock corrections as well as the VTEC products, final precise satellite orbits and clocks, post-processed DCB and final GIM products. Funded by State Key Laboratory of Geo-Information Engineering and Key Laboratory of Surveying and Mapping Science and Geospatial Information Technology of MNR, CASM (No. 2021-01-08); the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 11673050); the Key R&D Program of Guangdong province (No. 2018B030325001).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Geoscience and Surveying Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology-Beijing, Beijing, 100083, China

    Ahao Wang

  2. Key Laboratory of Surveying and Mapping Science and Geospatial Information Technology of MNR, CASM, Beijing, 100830, China

    Ahao Wang

  3. Shanghai Astronomical Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200030, China

    Yize Zhang & Junping Chen

  4. School of Astronomy and Space Science, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Junping Chen

  5. Chinese Academy of Surveying & Mapping, Beijing, 100830, China

    Hu Wang

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  1. Ahao Wang
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  2. Yize Zhang
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  4. Hu Wang
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Correspondence to Yize Zhang.

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Wang, A., Zhang, Y., Chen, J. et al. Improving the (re-)convergence of multi-GNSS real-time precise point positioning through regional between-satellite single-differenced ionospheric augmentation. GPS Solut 26, 39 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10291-022-01229-z

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