Abstract
A software package known as MIT Automated Processing of GPS (MAPGPS) has been developed to automate the processing of GPS data into global total electron density (TEC) maps. The goal of the MAPGPS software is to produce reliable TEC data automatically, although not yet in real time. Observations are used from all available GPS receivers during all geomagnetic conditions where data has been successfully collected. In this paper, the architecture of the MAPGPS software is described. Particular attention is given to the algorithms used to estimate the individual receiver biases. One of the largest sources of error in estimating TEC from GPS data is the determination of these unknown receiver biases. The MAPGPS approach to solving the receiver bias problem uses three different methods: minimum scalloping, least squares, and zero-TEC. These methods are described in detail, along with their relative performance characteristics. A brief comparison of the JPL and MAPGPS receiver biases is presented, and a possible remaining error source in the receiver bias estimation is discussed. Finally, the Madrigal database, which allows Web access to the MAPGPS TEC data and maps, is described.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Blewitt G (1990) An automatic editing algorithm for GPS data. Geophys Res Lett 17(3):199–202
Coster A, Skone S, Taylor B, Colerico M (2006) Analysis of mid-latitude space weather events and their user impacts. In: Proceedings of ION NTM 2006. Monterey, CA, pp 1028–1035
Coster AJ, Niell AE, Solheim FS, Mendes VB, Toor PC, Buchmann KP, Upham CA (1996) Measurements of precipitable water vapor by GPS, radiosondes, and a microwave water vapor radiometer. In: Proceedings of ION GPS-96, Kansas City, MO, 17–20 September 1996, pp 625–634
Coster AJ, Foster JC, Erickson PJ, Rich FJ (2001) Regional GPS mapping of storm enhanced density during the 15–16 July 2000 geomagnetic storm. In: Proceedings of ION GPS 2001, 11–14 September 2001, Salt Lake City, Utah, pp 2531–2539
Feltens J, Schaer S (1998) IGS products for the ionosphere, In: Proceedings of IGS 1998 analysis center workshop, ESOC, Darmstadt, Germany, February 9–11, pp 225–232
Foster JC, Erickson PJ, Coster AJ, Goldstein J, Rich FJ (2002) Ionospheric signatures of plasmaspheric tails. Geophys Res Lett 29(13). DOI 10.1029/2002GL015067
Foster JC, Coster AJ, Erickson PJ, Rich FJ, Sandel BR (2004), Stormtime observations of the flux of plasmaspheric ions to the dayside cusp/magnetopause. Geophys Res Lett 31. DOI 1029/2004GL020082
Foster JC, Coster AJ, Erickson PJ, Rideout W, Rich FJ, Immel TJ, Sandel BR (2005a) Redistribution of the stormtime ionosphere and the formation of a plasmaspheric bulge, Inner magnetosphere interactions: new perspectives from imaging. Geophys Monograph Ser 159. DOI 10.1029/159GM21
Foster JC, Coster AJ, Erickson PJ, Holt JM, Lind FD, Rideout W, McCready M, van Eyken A, Barnes RJ, Greenwald RA, Rich FJ (2005b), Multiradar observations of the polar tongue of ionization, J Geophys Res 110. DOI 10.1029/2004JA010928
Fuller-Rowell T (2005) USTEC: a new product from the space environment center characterizing the ionospheric total electron content. GPS Solutions 9(3):236–239. DOI 10.1007/s10291-005-0005-5
Gaposchkin EM, Coster AJ (1993) GPS L1–L2 bias determination, Technical Report 971, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, 12 January 1993
Hernandez-Pajares M, Juan JM, Sanz J (1999) New approaches in global ionospheric determination using ground GPS data. J Atmos Sol Terr Phy 61:1237–1247
Jursa A (ed) (1985) Handbook of geophysics and the space environment, Air Force Geophysics Laboratory, Air Force Systems Command, U.S. Air Force
Komjathy A (1997) Global ionospheric total electron content mapping using the global positioning system. Ph.D. dissertation, Department of Geodesy and Geomatics Engineering Technical Report No. 188, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, 248 pp
Komjathy A, Langley RB (1996) The effect of shell height on high precision ionospheric modelling using GPS. In: Proceedings of the international GPS service for geodynamics (IGS) workshop in Silver Spring, MD, 19–21 March 1996, pp 193–203
Komjathy A, Sparks L, Wilson BD, Mannucci AJ (2005) Automated daily processing of more than 1,000 ground-based GPS receivers for studying intense ionospheric storms. Radio Sci 40, RS6006. DOI 10.1029/2005RS003279
Lei J, Liu L, Wan W, Zhang S-R, Holt JM (2004) A statistical study of ionospheric profile parameters derived from Millstone Hill incoherent scatter radar measurements. Geophys Res Lett 31(14), L14804. DOI 10.1029/2004GL020578
Lei J, Liu L, Wan W, Zhang S-R (2005) Variations of eletron density based on long-term incoherent scatter radar and ionosonde measurements over Millstone Hill. Radio Sci 40, RS2008. DOI 10.1029/2004RS003106
Mannucci A, Wilson B, Edwards C (1993) A new method for monitoring the earth’s ionospheric total electron content using the GPS global network. In: Proceedings of ION GPS-93, the 6th international technical meeting of the satellite division of The Institute of Navigation, Salt Lake City, UT, 22–24 September 1993, pp 1323–1332
Mannucci AJ, Wilson BD, Yuan DN, Ho CH, Lindqwister UJ, Runge TF (1998) A global mapping technique for GPS-derived ionospheric total electron content measurements. Radio Sci 33(3):565–583
Nicolls MJ, Kelly MC, Coster AJ, Gonzalez SA, Makela JJ (2004) Imaging the structure of a large-scale TID using ISR and TEC Data. Geophys Res Lett 31, L09812. DOI 10.1029/2004GC 019797
Niell AE, Coster AJ, Solheim FS, Mendes VB, Toor PC, Langley RB, Upham CA (2001) Comparison of measurements of atmospheric wet delay by radiosonde, water vapor radiometer, GPS, and VLBI. J Atmos Ocean Tech 18:830–850
Renfro B, Harris RB, Tolman BW, Gaussiran T, Munton D, Little J, Mach R, Nelsen S (2005) The open source GPS toolkit: a review of the first year. In: Proceedings of ION GNSS 2005, the 18th international technical meeting of the satellite division of The Institute of Navigation, Long Beach, CA, 13–16 September 2005, pp 543–551
Sardon E, Rius A, Zarraoa N (1994) Estimation of the transmitter and receiver differential biases and the ionospheric total electron content from global positioning system observations. Radio Science 29(3):577–586
Sica RJ, Richmond AD, Emery BA, Chakrabarti S, Wickwar VB (1988) The CEDAR data base. Eos Trans AGU 69(3):35
Wilson BD, Yinger CH, Feess WA, Shank C (1999) New and improved—the broadcast interfrequency biases. GPS World 10(9):56–66
Zhang S-R, Holt JM, Zalucha AM, Amory-Mazaudier C (2004) Mid-latitude ionospheric plasma temperature climatology and empirical model based on Saint Santin incoherent scatter radar data from 1966–1987. J Geophys Res 109, A11311. DOI 10.1029/2004JA010709
Zhang S-R, Holt JM, van Eyken AP, McCready M, Amory-Mazaudier C, Fukao S, Sulzer M (2005) Ionospheric local model and climatology from long-term databases of multiple incoherent scatter radars. Geophys Res Lett 32, L20102. DOI 10.1029/2005GL023603
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Dr. Marlene Colerico for her help with the figures and other members of the MIT Haystack Observatory staff for their support. The authors would also like to thank the reviewers for their careful readings. Their suggestions significantly improved the content of this paper.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rideout, W., Coster, A. Automated GPS processing for global total electron content data. GPS Solut 10, 219–228 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10291-006-0029-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10291-006-0029-5