Investigation on the Contribution of GLONASS Observations to GPS Precise Point
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Investigation on the contribution of GLONASS observations to GPS Precise Point Positioning (PPP) THESIS Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Hilmi Can Deliktas, B.S. Graduate Program in Civil Engineering The Ohio State University 2016 Master's Examination Committee: Dr. Charles Toth, Advisor Dr. Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska Dr. Alper Yilmaz Copyright by Hilmi Can Deliktas 2016 Abstract The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is a generic term which embraces all satellite-based radio navigation systems that are currently operating or planned to operate globally (Hoffmann-Wellenhof, Lichtenegger & Wasle, 2008). This term includes the GPS (United States), GLONASS (Russia), GALILEO (European Union), BEIDOU (China), QZSS (Japan), and IRNSS (India) systems. Although the latter two satellite-based radio navigation systems are regional systems, they are classified under the term GNSS. As of 2016, there are only two fully operational GNSS systems: the United States’ GPS and the Russian GLONASS. The GPS is a well- established GNSS system which has been widely used for high-accuracy Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) solutions over the last 20 years. The GLONASS regained its Full Operational Capability (FOC) in 2011 after being inoperative for more than a decade, and became a second operational GNSS system which is not only an alternative but also a complementary utility to GPS in low satellite visibility areas. Besides the availability of the GPS and GLONASS systems, the development of new GNSS systems (i.e. GALIEO and BEIDOU) brings the integration and interoperability issues that will allow users to take advantage of all available GNSS systems. With the resurrection of GLONASS system, analyzing the feasibility of using GLONASS observations along with GPS observations in global positioning with regard to accuracy and precision has drawn the researchers’ attention. In recent years, the ii practicability of combined GPS/GLONASS observations has been especially investigated for Precise Point Positioning (PPP) method since the integration of two systems leads to considerable increase in the number of visible satellites worldwide, which is one of the crucial factors that may improve the positioning accuracy and precision obtained from PPP. In addition, PPP’s potential as an alternative to precise relative positioning in terms of performance, time, and cost in remote areas has made it attractive to the GNSS community. This thesis provides an evaluation of using combined GPS/GLONASS observations in post-processed static and kinematic PPP methods. In static PPP use, the benefits of combining GPS/GLONASS observations on accuracy and precision are investigated as a function of different latitude regions and observation duration by utilizing the data collected at three selected IGS stations with accurately known coordinates. Furthermore, the positioning accuracy of GPS and GPS/GLONASS static PPP is compared under different sky view conditions by simulating various satellite visibility. The investigation includes the assessment of the contribution of combined GPS/GLONASS observations to the convergence time of static PPP solutions. In kinematic PPP method, the advantage of combined GPS/GLONASS observations to positioning accuracy is evaluated through three datasets collected in Columbus Ohio. The assessment of the positioning accuracy of kinematic PPP is carried out by comparing the PPP solution against carrier phase based differential kinematic GPS solution which is considered as a ground truth. In addition, the effect of initialization time iii on positioning accuracy of kinematic PPP is examined by processing static observations of different duration along with kinematic observation. With the analyses aforementioned, it has been demonstrated that combined GPS/GLONASS observations could improve the 3D positioning accuracy of static PPP for the observations with a short duration (<= 4-hour) in high latitude and equatorial regions, and enhance the 3D positioning accuracy regardless of the observation duration in mid-latitude region. The percentage of improvement in the positioning accuracy increases with respect to the worsening sky view condition. It has also been determined that there is no meaningful positive effect of using combined GPS/GLONASS observations on the precision of static PPP. Lastly, it has been revealed that combined GPS/GLONASS observations could significantly speed up the convergence time of static PPP solutions. As for kinematic PPP, it has been shown that up to a 48% improvement in 3D positioning accuracy could be achieved using the combined GPS/GLONASS observations depending on the quality of collected data. Regarding the impact of initialization time on positioning accuracy, it has been demonstrated that relatively short initialization (~ 20 minutes) with combined GPS/GLONASS observations could be adequate to improve 3D positioning accuracy by about 23%. iv Dedication This document is dedicated to Can. v Acknowledgments I would like to express my sincere thanks to my advisor, Dr. Charles Toth, for providing help and guidance throughout my study. I would like to specifically thank Dr. Brzezinska and Dr. Yilmaz for being on my committee and reviewing my thesis. vi Vita 2006................................................................Fatih Sultan Mehmet High School 2012................................................................B.S. Geomatics Engineering, Istanbul Technical University August 2016 ...................................................M.S Geodetic Engineering, The Ohio State University Fields of Study Major Field: Civil Engineering vii Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................... ii Dedication ........................................................................................................................... v Acknowledgments.............................................................................................................. vi Vita .................................................................................................................................... vii Fields of Study .................................................................................................................. vii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................. viii List of Tables ................................................................................................................... xiv List of Figures ................................................................................................................. xvii List of Abbreviations ..................................................................................................... xxiii Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Background ............................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Motivation ................................................................................................................. 5 1.3 Overview ................................................................................................................... 5 Chapter 2: Satellite Navigation Systems ............................................................................. 7 2.1 Global Positioning System (GPS) ............................................................................. 7 viii 2.1.1 GPS Signal Structure ........................................................................................ 10 2.1.2 GPS Modernization .......................................................................................... 11 2.2 GLONASS .............................................................................................................. 13 2.3 GALILEO................................................................................................................ 16 2.4 BEIDOU .................................................................................................................. 17 2.5 QZSS ....................................................................................................................... 18 2.6 IRNSS...................................................................................................................... 20 Chapter 3: GNSS Measurements, Error Sources, and Error Mitigation ........................... 22 3.1 GNSS Measurements .............................................................................................. 23 3.1.1 Pseudorange (Code Phase) Measurements ....................................................... 23 3.1.2 Carrier Phase Measurements ............................................................................ 25 3.2 GNSS Error Sources and Error Mitigation ............................................................. 27 3.2.1 Satellite Related Errors ..................................................................................... 29 3.2.1.1 Satellite Ephemeris and Clock Errors ....................................................... 29 3.2.1.1.1 International GNSS Service (IGS) ..................................................... 31 3.2.1.2 Relativistic Effects ...................................................................................