Grid point search algorithm for fast integer ambiguity resolution

Abstract.

A Grid Point Search Algorithm (GRIPSA) for fast integer ambiguity resolution is presented. In the proposed algorithm, after the orthogonal transformation of the original ambiguity parameters, the confidence ellipsoid of the new parameters is represented by a rectangular polyhedron with its edges parallel to the corresponding axes. A cubic grid covering the whole polyhedron is then identified and transformed back to the original coordinate system. The integer values of the corresponding transformed grid points are obtained by rounding off the transformed values to their nearest integer values. These values are then tested as to whether they are located inside the polyhedron. Since the identification of the grid points in the transformed coordinate system greatly reduces the search region of the integer ambiguities, marked improvements are obtained in the computational effort.