Improvement of the transformation between ITRF and Doppler-Realized WGS84

Abstract

The WGS84 (World Geodetic System 1984) reference system is, originally, mathematically defined from the NSWC-9Z2 (Naval Surface Weapons Center — 9Z2) reference system. The WGS84 associated realization, called in this paper WGS84-D, is a 1 meter consistency NNSS (US Navy Navigation Satellite System) Doppler realized reference frame. In contrast, the ITRF (IERS Terrestrial Reference Frame) is a 1 centimeter consistency reference frame realized through the most accurate techniques of Space Geodesy. This work intends to improve the transformation parameters between the WGS84-D and the ITRF through the use of both a NSWC-9Z2/Doppler realization and an extension of the ITRF network. A strong linear correlation was also modeled between the Doppler determined scale factor and the mean smoothed sunspot number, due to uncompensated ionospheric effects. This correction improved NSWC-9Z2 (i.e. WGS84) Doppler realization consistency. The uncertainty of adjusted transformation parameters between the ITRF and the WGS84-D is improved by a factor 2 over previous determinations.