CORS Networks Research Articles

CORS Networks, Aspects of Business Models in Europe and the Region

<p>The paper describes the functioning of CORS permanent networks in the world. Special attention has been paid to the EPN network and the regional CORS networks in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Croatia. BiHPOS: SRPOS and FBiHPOS, AGROS, CROPOS, and MONTEPOS were analyzed from the aspect of mutual data exchange with the aim of achieving better location accuracy and removing deficiencies in the network geometries. Due to their individual development, as well as mutually concluded agreements on data exchange, measurements obtained using GNSS today have a wide range of applications, such as maritime communication, aviation, engineering work, earth monitoring, and many more. Also, the points of the region included in the EPN network with the aim of exchanging data at the European level are shown.</p>

The effect of GLONASS on position accuracy in CORS-TR measurements at different baseline distances

GLONASS system; It has become the second system operating on a global scale after the GPS system in the world, after completing the satellite constellation and using it at full capacity as of 8 December 2011. Due to the increasing need for high accuracy and precision real-time location information, CORS networks have become widespread in the world. In Turkey, it was established as CORS-TR and opened for use in December 2008. Comprehensive studies investigating the effects of Network-Based RTK techniques (VRS, FKP, and MAC) in the CORS-TR network are very limited due to the fact that the GLONASS system has been used at full capacity recently. In this paper, it is aimed to determine the effect of measurements derived from the Network-Based RTK techniques in the CORS-TR network of the GLONASS system on the location accuracy, and thus to make a business plan according to the accuracy and precision requirements of all civil and military users. For this purpose, simultaneous measurements were made with 6 GNSS receiver devices of the same brand and model. A total of 308,908 epoch data (northing value, easting value, and ellipsoidal height: projection coordinates (ITRF96 Datum, 2005.00 Reference Epoch)) were collected at one-second intervals in each technique and for seven days of measurements. As a result of the evaluation and analysis of the data sets obtained with the measurements; It has been observed that the GLONASS system has a positive effect on position accuracy, but in some cases, it also has disruptive effects. It has been observed that the most important contribution is to increase the number of visible satellites and to enable measurements with GLONASS satellites in cases where GPS satellites alone are not sufficient, especially in areas where the satellite elevation angle is narrowed, such as city centers, and forest areas.

Reliability of CSRS-PPP for Validating the Egyptian Geodetic Cors Networks

Abstract The development, utilization, and maintenance of continuously operating reference stations (CORS) network are vital in many areas of surveying and geodesy, such as controlling geodetic networks, developing local ionospheric models, and estimating the tectonic plate movements. Accordingly, the Egyptian Surveying Authority (ESA) established a CORS network consisting of 40 stations covering the Nile valley and its delta in 2011. CORS collect global navigation satellite system (GNSS) data. Recently, Egypt has witnessed rapid growth in many infrastructure projects and the development of new cities on a national scale. Therefore, there is an urgent need to investigate the ESA-CORS accuracy; the quality of data from the ESA-CORS must be considered for monitoring continuous tectonic motion, coordinating changes, and for Egypt’s development plan. Contemporary research worldwide identified considerable benefits of the precise point positioning (PPP) solution of dual- or single-frequency GNSS data. This study investigates the reliability of using the CSRS-PPP service for three consecutive observation days of 32 ESA-CORS networks in Egypt and the surrounding six international GNSS services (IGS)-CORS. For ESA-CORS, the PPP solution showed a root mean square error (RMSE) value of 6 mm (standard deviation [SD] = 3–4 mm) in east and north; for the height direction, the solution indicated an RMSE value of 22 mm (SD was about 14 mm). At a confidence level of 95%, this study revealed that SD95% was 2 mm in east and north directions and 6–7 mm for the height direction. This study shows that the PPP solution shown from the ESA-CORS stations is associated with two times better for horizontal and four times for the height direction than the delivered form ESA-CORS stations.

Relative Positioning in Remote Areas Using a GNSS Dual Frequency Smartphone.

The use of GPS positioning and navigation capabilities in mobile phones is present in our daily lives for more than a decade, but never with the centimeter level of precision that can actually be reached with several of the most recent smartphones. The introduction of the new GNSS systems (Global Navigation Satellite Systems), the European system Galileo, is opening new horizons in a wide range of areas that rely on precise georeferencing, namely the mass market smartphones apps. The constant growth of this market has brought new devices with innovative capabilities in hardware and software. The introduction of the Android 7 by Google, allowing access to the GNSS raw code and phase measurements, and the arrival of the new chip from Broadcom BCM47755 providing dual frequency in some smartphones came to revolutionize the positioning performance of these devices as never seen before. The Xiaomi Mi8 was the first smartphone to combine those features, and it is the device used in this work. It is well known that it is possible to obtain centimeter accuracy with this kind of device in relative static positioning mode with distances to a reference station up to a few tens of kilometers, which we also confirm in this paper. However, the main purpose of this work is to show that we can also get good positioning accuracy using long baselines. We used the ability of the Xiaomi Mi8 to get dual frequency code and phase raw measurements from the Galileo and GPS systems, to do relative static positioning in post-processing mode using wide baselines, of more than 100 km, to perform precise surveys. The results obtained were quite interesting with RMSE below 30 cm, showing that this type of smartphone can be easily used as a low-cost device, for georeferencing and mapping applications. This can be quite useful in remote areas where the CORS networks are not dense or even not available.

Unification of GNSS CORS coordinates in Thailand

This study estimates station coordinates of GNSS CORS networks in Thailand, based on ITRF2014, by applying the Precise Point Positioning (PPP) technique computed by the GipsyX software. Datum transformation parameters between ITRF2005 and ITRF2014 were investigated to transform station coordinates from ITRF2005 to ITRF2014. The Molodensky-Badekas model provides more reliable results than the Bursa-Wolf model on these transformations. The accuracy of coordinate transformations can be increased by interpolating the remained residuals from transformed coordinates into grid residual corrections. The analyses show that the seven parameters with the grid residual corrections can significantly improve the accuracy of the coordinate transformation.

Real-Time PPP-RTK Performance Analysis Using Ionospheric Corrections from Multi-Scale Network Configurations

The long convergence time required to achieve high-precision position solutions with integer ambiguity resolution-enabled precise point positioning (PPP-RTK) is driven by the presence of ionospheric delays. When precise real-time ionospheric information is available and properly applied, it can strengthen the underlying model and substantially reduce the time required to achieve centimeter-level accuracy. In this study, we present and analyze the real-time PPP-RTK user performance using ionospheric corrections from multi-scale regional networks during a day with medium ionospheric disturbance. It is the goal of this contribution to measure the impact the network dimension has on the ambiguity-resolved user position through the predicted ionospheric corrections. The user-specific undifferenced ionospheric corrections are computed at the network side, along with the satellite phase biases needed for single-receiver ambiguity resolution, using the best linear unbiased predictor. Such corrections necessitate the parameterization of an estimable user receiver code bias, on which emphasis is given in this study. To this end, we process GPS dual-frequency data from four four-station evenly distributed CORS networks in the United States with varying station spacings in order to evaluate if and to what extent the ionospheric corrections from multi-scale networks can improve the user convergence times. Based on a large number of samples, our experimental results showed that sub-10 cm horizontal accuracy can be achieved almost instantaneously in the ionosphere-weighted partially-ambiguity-fixed kinematic PPP-RTK solutions based on corrections from a network with 68 km spacing. Most of the solutions (90%) were shown to require less than 6.0 min, compared to the ionosphere-float PPP solutions that needed 68.5 min. In case of sparser networks with 115, 174 and 237 km spacing, 50% of the horizontal positioning errors are shown to become less than one decimeter after 1.5, 4.0 and 7.0 min, respectively, while 90% of them require 10.5, 16.5 and 20.0 min. We also numerically demonstrated that the user’s convergence times bear a linear relationship with the network density and get shorter as the density increases, for both full and partial ambiguity resolution.

Ambiguity-Resolved Real-Time Precise Point Positioning as a Potential Fill-In Service for Sparse CORS Networks

AbstractPrecise point positioning (PPP) employs readily available Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) orbit- and clock-correction products to perform point positioning using a single GNSS rec...

Practical Application of a Horizontal Intraplate Velocity Field Model for the Territory of Bulgaria

The Republic of Bulgaria is situated on the edge of the Eurasian tectonic plate. This is defined by active tectonic and seismic activity, which is an issue in the implementation of the official coordinate reference system in the country - the ETRS89, as far as precise solutions are concerned. The reason is that the intraplate, relative to Eurasia, tectonic movements south of Stara Planina are about 5 times larger than those north of it. Over a period of time (about 10 years), the coordinate errors of the points from a static network become bigger than the uncertainties of GNSS measurements and thus limit their potential. Thanks to the presence of networks of continuously operating reference GNSS stations (CORS networks), and advanced methods of processing and analysis of the results, it is possible to monitor the crustal deformations with sufficient precision. A model of horizontal intraplate velocities was developed based on measurements from different epochs of the CORS networks operating on the territory of Bulgaria. Precise coordinates and velocities of the stations were estimated using the Bernese GNSS Software v5.2, and the deformation modeling was performed using a method of determining parameters of local deformation and Euler poles of distinctive tectonic blocks to which the country is divided according to the authors. This paper presents the practical applicability of this model for interpolation the velocities of stations from static networks and verification of the official results for the points of the National GPS Network. The results are encouraging for the practical realization of ETRS89 on the territory of Bulgaria.

Evaluation of the GPS Precise Point Positioning technique during the 21 July 2017 Kos-Bodrum (East Aegean Sea) Mw 6.6 earthquake

Precise Point Positioning (PPP) algorithms have been widely used in the Global Positioning System (GPS)-based applications. A PPP technique with a single receiver provides effective solutions where accurate absolute positioning is required. This paper provides the performance assessment of GPS PPP for detecting the displacements caused by an earthquake. For this purpose, the earthquake that occurred on 21 July 2017 at Kos-Bodrum with the impact of Mw 6.6 was investigated by analyzing the data of the permanent GPS stations located around the related region with the PPP technique. The location distances of these GPS stations range from 10 to 89 km to the epicenter of this earthquake. GPS data provided from seven permanent stations from the Continuously Operating Reference Stations-Turkey (CORS-TR) and local Bodrum CORS networks were processed to determine the co-seismic displacements during the earthquake. The data of these stations for days of year (DOYs) 200, 201, 202, and 203 were analyzed with post-process static PPP and kinematic PPP methods. GIPSY-OASIS II v6.4 was used for processing the data and all of the solutions were performed in the ITRF2008 reference frame. Two strategies were followed on the post-process static solutions. In the first strategy, 4-day data with 24-h observations were separately analyzed day by day. In the second strategy, the 24-h data were divided into 3-h duration, which is the minimum duration for optimum PPP solutions, and then the analyses were performed. When the displacements between DOYs 200 and 203 are considered in the 24-h data analysis, significant displacements have been observed through northwest direction in the northern stations whereas MUG1 is excluded. Moreover, there is significant displacement through the southeast direction in the station DATC located in the south of the epicenter. When the 3-h solutions are examined, displacements, especially on n and e directions, are observed starting from the solutions, which include Mw 6.6 earthquake. According to the kinematic PPP solutions, the effects of the Mw 6.6 earthquake can be seen clearly in the stations DATC, ORTA, TRKB, and YALI. Considering all outcomes, the PPP technique with both static and kinematic solutions provides effective results for detecting the displacements during the earthquake.

Application of Indian space-based augmentation service on geospatial data collections in Sri Lanka

GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (GAGAN) is the Indian Satellite-based Augmentation System, fully operational since 2013 with the objective of providing the accuracy and integrity required for civilian and aviation applications. This study investigates the usability of GAGAN service as an accurate, reliable and a cost-effective source of positioning and navigation for geospatial applications in Sri Lanka. Point, line and polygon features were collected under different challenging conditions to test the usability and potential accuracy of GAGAN. The average 3D positional accuracy enhancement over SPS is about 70 and 78% for GAGAN and DGPS observations, respectively. Similarly, the average GAGAN enhancement over SPS observation was 79% and 83% for linear and area measurements, respectively, and the improvement for DGPS was 86% for both feature types. This confirms that GAGAN can improve geospatial data collection accurately, almost similar to DGPS without a use of local reference station, or national CORS networks.

GNSS ambiguity resolution with controllable failure rate for long baseline network RTK

Many large-scale GNSS CORS networks have been deployed around the world to support various commercial and scientific applications. To make use of these networks for real-time kinematic positioning services, one of the major challenges is the ambiguity resolution (AR) over long inter-station baselines in the presence of considerable atmosphere biases. Usually, the widelane ambiguities are fixed first, followed by the procedure of determination of the narrowlane ambiguity integers based on the ionosphere-free model in which the widelane integers are introduced as known quantities. This paper seeks to improve the AR performance over long baseline through efficient procedures for improved float solutions and ambiguity fixing. The contribution is threefold: (1) instead of using the ionosphere-free measurements, the absolute and/or relative ionospheric constraints are introduced in the ionosphere-constrained model to enhance the model strength, thus resulting in the better float solutions; (2) the realistic widelane ambiguity precision is estimated by capturing the multipath effects due to the observation complexity, leading to improvement of reliability of widelane AR; (3) for the narrowlane AR, the partial AR for a subset of ambiguities selected according to the successively increased elevation is applied. For fixing the scalar ambiguity, an error probability controllable rounding method is proposed. The established ionosphere-constrained model can be efficiently solved based on the sequential Kalman filter. It can be either reduced to some special models simply by adjusting the variances of ionospheric constraints, or extended with more parameters and constraints. The presented methodology is tested over seven baselines of around 100 km from USA CORS network. The results show that the new widelane AR scheme can obtain the 99.4 % successful fixing rate with 0.6 % failure rate; while the new rounding method of narrowlane AR can obtain the fix rate of 89 % with failure rate of 0.8 %. In summary, the AR reliability can be efficiently improved with rigorous controllable probability of incorrectly fixed ambiguities.

Analysis of Regionally Enhanced GPS Orbit and Clock Solutions and Contribution to Improvement of Real-Time Precise Point Positioning

This work experimentally examines the performance benefits of a regional CORS network to the GPS orbit and clock solutions for supporting real-time Precise Point Positioning (PPP). The regionally enhanced GPS precise orbit solutions are derived from a global evenly distributed CORS network added with a densely distributed network in Australia and New Zealand. A series of computational schemes for different network configurations are adopted in the GAMIT-GLOBK and PANDA data processing. The precise GPS orbit results show that the regionally enhanced solutions achieve the overall orbit improvements with respect to the solutions derived from the global network only. Additionally, the orbital differences over GPS satellite arcs that are visible by any of the five Australia-wide CORS stations show a higher percentage of overall improvements compared to the satellite arcs that are not visible from these stations. The regional GPS clock and Uncalibrated Phase Delay (UPD) products are derived using the PANDA real time processing module from Australian CORS networks of 35 and 79 stations respectively. Analysis of PANDA kinematic PPP and kinematic PPP-AR solutions show certain overall improvements in the positioning performance from a denser network configuration after solution convergence. However, the clock and UPD enhancement on kinematic PPP solutions is marginal. It is suggested that other factors, such as effects of ionosphere, incorrectly fixed ambiguities, may be the more dominating, deserving further research attentions.

Investigation of accurate method in 3-D position using Cors-Net in Istanbul

In this study, for Istanbul, there are two Cors Networks (Cors-TR, Iski Cors) providing Virtual Reference Station (VRS), and Flachen Korrektur Parameter (FKP), corrections to rover receiver for determining 3-D positions in real time by Global Positioning System (GPS). To determine which method (or technique) provides accurate method for position fixing, a test network consisting of 49 stations was set up in Yildiz Technical University Davudpasa Campus. The coordinates of the stations in the test network were determined by conventional geodetic, classical RTK, VRS and FKP methods serviced by both Cors-TR and Iski Cors. The results were compared to the coordinates by the conventional method by using total station. The results showed a complex structure as the accuracy differs from one component to another such as in horizontal coordinates, Y components by CorsTR_VRS and Cors_TR_ FKP showed 'best' results while the same technique provided X components consistent accuracy with the Y component but less accurate than by real time kinematic (RTK). In vertical components, of all the techniques used for the h components, CorsTR_VRS showed 'best' accuracy with three outliers.

A New Kind of Real‐Time PPP Method for GPS Single‐Frequency Receiver Using CORS Network

AbstractRapid and precise positioning using cheaper single‐frequency receivers in wide areas has become one of the research hot spots in present satellite geodesy field. The author proposes a new real‐time modeling method based on regional CORS network. A new precise point positioning service for single‐frequency receiver is also designed and realized. Through serial analysis of practical examples from the CORS networks of Shanxi Province, Hubei Province and Wuhan in China, this paper testifies the feasibility of providing real‐time positioning service for single‐frequency users based on the above methods developed. Results verify that, for reference network with station separation of less than 71 km, user's SD L1 ambiguity can be fixed within several seconds. Once the ambiguity is fixed, single‐frequency user could gain rapid and cm‐level positioning service in absolute positioning mode. Our work provides a new way of rapid and precise point positioning using single‐frequency receivers.

한반도 지각의 2011 도호쿠 대지진 영향 분석

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced that an earthquake of 9.0 magnitude had occurred near the east coast of Japan on March 11, 2011, resulting in a displacement of the crust of about 2.4 meters. The Korean peninsula is located on the Eurasian tectonic plate that stretches out to Japan; therefore, there is a high possibility of being affected by an earthquake. The Korean GPS CORS network operated by the National Geographic Information Institute (NGII) was processed for ten days before and after the earthquake. Both static and kinematic baseline processing were tested for the determination of crustal deformation. The static baseline processing was performed in two scenarios: 1) fixing three IGS stations in China, Mongolia and Russia; 2) fixing SUWN, one of the CORS networks in Korea, in order to effectively verify crustal deformation. All data processing was carried out using Bernese V5.0. The test results show that most of the parts of the Korean peninsula have moved to the east, ranging 1.2 to 5.6 cm, compared to the final solution of the day before the earthquake. The stations, such as DOKD and ULLE that are established on the islands closer to the epicenter, have clearly moved the largest amounts. Furthermore, the station CHJU, located on the southwestern part of Korea, presents relatively small changes. The relative positioning between CORS confirms the fact that there were internal distortions of the Korean peninsula to some extent. In addition, the 30-second interval kinematic processing of CORS data gives an indication of earthquake signals with some delays depending on the distance from the epicenter.

A Novel Un-differenced PPP-RTK Concept

In this contribution, a novel un-differenced (UD) (PPP-RTK) concept, i.e. a synthesis of Precise Point Positioning and Network-based Real-Time Kinematic concept, is introduced. In the first step of our PPP-RTK approach, the UD GNSS observations from a regional reference network are processed based upon re-parameterised observation equations, corrections for satellite clocks, phase biases and (interpolated) atmospheric delays are calculated and provided to users. In the second step, these network-based corrections are used at the user site to restore the integer nature of his UD phase ambiguities, which makes rapid and high accuracy user positioning possible. The proposed PPP-RTK approach was tested using two GPS CORS networks with inter-station distances ranging from 60 to 100 km. The first test network is the northern China CORS network and the second is the Australian Perth CORS network. In the test of the first network, a dual-frequency PPP-RTK user receiver was used, while in the test of the second network, a low-cost, single-frequency PPP-RTK user receiver was used. The performance of fast ambiguity resolution and the high accuracy positioning of the PPP-RTK results are demonstrated.

GPSnet CORS network management validation through user feedback

Australian state sponsored RTK CORS networks cover limited areas, operate in isolation and lack consistent management. This has resulted from the independent and largely uncoordinated efforts of state and territory governments to establish and manage RTK CORS networks. This study investigated CORS network management in relation to institutional, legal, commercial and operational requirements. Responses to two questionnaires, one directed to Victoria's GPSnet users and another made available in Australia and internationally, were analysed. The study found user satisfaction with Victoria's GPSnet management arrangements, indicating their potential to underpin a nationally consistent approach to CORS network management in other jurisdictions.

Alternatives to current GPS-RTK services and some implications for CORS infrastructure and operations

The justification for the establishment of CORS networks was initially in support of geodesy and other geoscientific applications at the global and regional level. However, increasingly GPS CORS network operators have sought ways of making their network infrastructure the basis of a profitable business. This has arisen with the introduction of real-time centimeter-level accuracy services, carrier phase-based modes of operation generally referred to as GPS-RTK (real-time kinematic). One approach is to try to recruit a core group of users who are prepared to pay for the GPS-RTK services. But this is only feasible if the number of users, and the fees that are charged, are sufficient to generate a reasonable return-on-investment (ROI). This ROI (or at the very least “cost-recovery”) is important for many network operators in order that they may provide for the maintenance and upgrade of the CORS infrastructure. On the other hand, there are those who advocate that there is no need to recoup CORS investment, that the installed GPS receivers should be seen as public infrastructure in a similar manner to roads, bridges, etc. This paper discusses some new business and operational models for GPS-RTK services. These include models for the establishment and operation of CORS infrastructure, service provision, business cases, and options for value-added services beyond the standard GPS-RTK service. One concept is based on a “client–server” model. Currently GPS-RTK service providers have no control over the quality of the results computed by users. This makes it difficult for them to justify charging for their services. What if instead of broadcasting RTK corrections and placing the onus of obtaining a final solution on the user and his equipment, the user’s coordinates are determined by the service provider? Putting the computational effort on the server side will justify more easily the charging of users for a value-added product: an accurate and quality assured coordinate in the local reference frame. This paper describes the client–server concept as well as possible business models that may underpin such a service model. These models include some derived from mobile telephony and service/hospitality businesses. Furthermore, with the projected proliferation of independent, competitive GPS-RTK services, the concept of a GPS data or service “broker” is worth exploring.