First results of DORIS data analysis at Geodetic Observatory Pecný

Abstract

In a cooperation between the Astronomical Institute, University of Bern (AIUB), the Geodetic Observatory Pecný (GOPE), and the Institut Geographique National (IGN), DORIS data analysis capabilities were implemented into a development version of the Bernese GPS software. The DORIS Doppler observables are reformulated such that they are similar to global navigation satellite system (GNSS) carrier-phase observations, allowing the use of the same observation models and algorithms as for GNSS carrier-phase data analysis with only minor software modifications. As such, the same algorithms may be used to process DORIS carrier-phase observations. First results from the analysis of 3 weeks of DORIS data (September 2004, five DORIS-equipped satellites) at GOPE are promising and are presented here. They include the comparison of station coordinates with coordinate estimates derived by the Laboratoire d’Etudes en Geophysique et Oceanographie Spatiale/Collecte Localisation Satellites analysis centre (LCA) and the Institut Geographique National/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (IGN/JPL), and the comparison of Earth orientation parameters (EOPs) with the International Earth Rotation and Reference Frames Service (IERS) C04 model. The modified Bernese results are of a slightly lower, but comparable, quality than corresponding solutions routinely computed within the IDS (International DORIS Service). The weekly coordinate repeatability RMS is of the order of 2–3 cm for each 3D station coordinate. Comparison with corresponding estimates of station coordinates from current IDS analysis centers demonstrates similar precision. Daily pole component estimates show a mean difference from IERS-C04 of 0.6 mas in Xp and − 0.5 mas in Yp and a RMS of 0.8 mas in Xp and 0.9 mas in Yp(mean removed). An automatic analysis procedure is under development at GOPE, and routine DORIS data processing will be implemented in the near future.