Comparison of a GPS-defined global reference frame with ITRF2000

Abstract

The Global Positioning System is a constellation of 24–28 satellites, which can be used to define a global terrestrial reference frame. Daily offsets between a GPS defined frame and ITRF2000 have been estimated using more than a decade of GPS observations from 1990–2001. A linear fit to the full span of data shows agreement between the two frames at the level of –1 ppb and –0.1 ppb/year for scale, 5 mm and 0 mm/year for the X component of center of mass, –2 mm and –3 mm/year for the Y component, and 4 mm and 6 mm/year for the Z component. GPS is a viable tool for defining the global reference frame either alone, or in combination with other geodetic techniques.