Global distortion of GPS networks associated with satellite antenna model errors

Abstract

Recent studies of the GPS satellite phase center offsets (PCOs) suggest that these have been in error by ∼1 m. Previous studies had shown that PCO errors are absorbed mainly by parameters representing satellite clock and the radial components of site position. On the basis of the assumption that the radial errors are equal, PCO errors will therefore introduce an error in network scale. However, PCO errors also introduce distortions, or apparent deformations, within the network, primarily in the radial (vertical) component of site position that cannot be corrected via a Helmert transformation. Using numerical simulations to quantify the effects of PCO errors, we found that these PCO errors lead to a vertical network distortion of 6–12 mm per meter of PCO error. The network distortion depends on the minimum elevation angle used in the analysis of the GPS phase observables, becoming larger as the minimum elevation angle increases. The steady evolution of the GPS constellation as new satellites are launched, age, and are decommissioned, leads to the effects of PCO errors varying with time that introduce an apparent global‐scale rate change. We demonstrate here that current estimates for PCO errors result in a geographically variable error in the vertical rate at the 1–2 mm yr−1 level, which will impact high‐precision crustal deformation studies.