A New Spatial Filtering Algorithm for Noisy and Missing GNSS Position Time Series Using Weighted Expectation Maximization Principal Component Analysis: A Case Study for Regional GNSS Network in Xinjiang Province

Abstract

Common Mode Error (CME) presents a kind of spatially correlated error that is widespread in regional Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) networks and should be eliminated during postprocessing of a GNSS position time series. Several spatiotemporal filtering methods have been developed to mitigate the effects of CME. However, such methodologies become inappropriate when missing and noisy data exists. In this research, we introduce a novel spatial filtering algorithm called Weighted Expectation Maximization Principal Component Analysis (WEMPCA) for detecting and removing CME from noisy GNSS position time series with missing values, among which formal errors of daily GNSS solutions are utilized to weight the input data. Compared with traditional PCA and the special case of EMPCA, simulation experiments demonstrate that the new WEMPCA algorithm always has outstanding performance over others. The WEMPCA algorithm was then successfully used to extract the CME from real noisy and missing GNSS position time series in Xinjiang province. Our results show that only the first principal component exhibits significant spatial response, with average values of 70.11%, 66.53%, and 52.45% for North, East, and Up (NEU) components, respectively, indicating that it represents the CME of this region. After removing CME, the canonical correlation coefficients and root mean square error of GNSS residual time series, as well as the amplitudes of power-law noises (PLN), are obviously decreased in all three directions. However, the white noise (WN) amplitudes are found to diminish exclusively in the North and East component, not in the Up components. Moreover, the average velocity differences before and after filtering CME are 0.19 mm/year, 0.03 mm/year, and −0.56 mm/year for the NEU components, respectively, indicating that CME has an influence on the GNSS station velocity estimation. The velocity uncertainty is also reduced by 43.51%, 38.64%, and 40.39% on average for the NEU components, respectively, implying that the velocity estimates are more reliable and accurate after removing CME. Therefore, we conclude that the new WEMPCA approach provides an efficient solution to detect and mitigate CME from the noisy and missing GNSS position time series.