Methodical questions and accuracy problems of GPS observations by the example of the geodynamic proving ground in Bishkek

Abstract

The key questions concerning the modern methodical tasks and accuracy of GPS measurements of crustal motion spanning are discussed for a full cycle of the survey from the organization of the field operations to the interpretation of the final results. The presented data rely on the 20-year experience of the geophysicists of the Research Station of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Bishkek (RS RAS) in GPS monitoring at the Geodynamic Proving Ground in Bishkek (GPGB) and in a large part of Central Asia. The comparative characteristics of the constellations of visible GPS and GLONASS satellites are analyzed from the standpoint of their practical application for precise scientific observations of crustal motions. The studies of the contemporary movements of the Earth’s crust by the methods of satellite geodesy generally comprise three stages: (1) organization of the measurement networks and acquisition of the data; (2) data processing; and (3) interpretation of the results. Each stage is associated with its own block of the tasks and problems, and neither is guaranteed against uncertainties and errors which may affect the results, conclusions, and reconstructions.