Global Satellite Navigation Systems at High Latitudes, Visibility and Geometry

Abstract

Abstract Since few years the significance of the navigation at high latitudes (60° and more), increases incessantly, e.g. northern passages between Atlantic and Pacific Waters. In these regions the user’s position can be obtained mainly from global satellite navigation systems (SNS). Nowadays (September 2016) two systems, American GPS and Russian GLONASS, are fully operational, two next, Galileo in Europe and BeiDou in China, are under construction. As the error of user’s position obtained from these systems depends on geometry factor DOP (Dilution Of Precision) among other things the knowledge of the number of satellites visible by this user above given masking elevation angle Hmin and the distributions of DOP coefficient values, GDOP in particular, is very important. The lowest and the greatest number of satellites visible in open area by the user at high latitudes for different Hmin, the percentage of satellites visible above angle H, distributions of satellites azimuths and GDOP coefficient values for different Hmin for all these four SNSs at different user’s latitudes (beginning from 60°) and other distributions are presented in the paper. All calculations were made for constellation of BeiDou 27 MEO satellites, Galileo 24 satellites, GLONASS 24 and GPS 31 satellites.