Global Navigation Satellite System Network Research Articles

A New Approach of the Global Navigation Satellite System Tomography for Any Size of GNSS Network

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) tomography is a popular method for measuring and modelling water vapor in the troposphere. Presently, most studies use a cuboid-shaped tomographic region in their modelling, which represents the modelling region for all measurement epochs. This region is defined by the distribution of the GNSS signals skywards from a network of ground based GNSS stations for all epochs of measurements. However, in reality at each epoch the shape of the GNSS tomographic region is more likely to be an inverted cone. Unfortunately, this fixed conic tomographic region does not properly reflect the fact that the GNSS signal changes quickly over time. Therefore a dynamic or adaptive tomographic region is better suited. In this study, a new approach that adjusts the GNSS tomographic model to adapt the size of the GNSS network is proposed, which referred to as The High Flexibility GNSS Tomography (HFGT). Test data from different numbers of the GNSS stations are used and the results from HFGT are compared against that of radiosonde data (RS) to assess the accuracy of the HFGT approach. The results showed that the new approach is feasible for different numbers of the GNSS stations when a sufficient and uniformed distribution of GNSS signals is used. This is a novel approach for GNSS tomography.

Antenna phase center correction differences from robot and chamber calibrations: the case study LEIAR25

In recent years, the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) have been intensively modernized, resulting in the introduction of new carrier frequencies for GPS and GLONASS and the development of new satellite systems such as Galileo and BeiDou (BDS). For this reason, the absolute field antenna calibrations performed so far for the two legacy carrier frequencies, the GPS and GLONASS, seem to be insufficient. Hence, all antennas will require a re-calibration of their phase center variations for the new signals to ensure the highest measurement accuracy. Currently, two absolute calibration methods are used to calibrate GNSS antennas: field calibration using a robot and calibration in an anechoic chamber. Unfortunately, differences in these methodologies also result in a disparity in the obtained antenna phase center corrections (PCC). Therefore, we analyze the differences between individual PCC obtained with these two methods, specifically for the Leica AR-25 antenna model (LEIAR25). In addition, the influence of PCC differences on the GNSS-derived position time series for 19 EUREF Permanent GNSS Network (EPN) stations was also assessed. The results show that the calibration method has a noticeable impact on PCC models. PCC differences determined for the ionosphere-free combination may reach up over 20 mm and can be transferred to the position domain. Further tests concerning the positioning accuracy showed that for horizontal coordinates differences between solutions were mostly below 1 mm, exceeding 2 mm only at two stations for the GLONASS solution. However, the height component differences exceeded 5 mm for four, six and six stations out of 19 for the GPS, GLONASS and Galileo solutions, respectively. These differences are strongly dependent on large L2 calibration differences.

Equatorial plasma bubbles developing around sunrise observed by an all-sky imager and global navigation satellite system network during storm time

Abstract. A large number of studies have shown that equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) occur mainly after sunset, and they usually drift eastward. However, in this paper, an unusual EPB event was simultaneously observed by an all-sky imager and the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) network in southern China, during the recovery phase of a geomagnetic storm that happened on 6–8 November 2015. Observations from both techniques show that the EPBs appeared near dawn. Interestingly, the observational results show that the EPBs continued to develop after sunrise, and they disappeared about 1 h after sunrise. The development stage of EPBs lasted for at least about 3 h. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the evolution of EPBs developing around sunrise was observed by an all-sky imager and the GNSS network. Our observation showed that the EPBs drifted westward, which was different from the usual eastward drifts of post-sunset EPBs. The simulation from the Thermosphere–Ionosphere–Electrodynamics General Circulation Model (TIE-GCM) suggest that the westward drift of EPBs should be related to the enhanced westward winds at storm time. Besides this, bifurcation and merging processes of EPBs were observed by the all-sky imager in the event. Associated with the development of EPBs, an increase in the peak height of the ionospheric F region was also observed near sunrise, and we suggest the enhanced upward vertical plasma drift during the geomagnetic storm plays a major role in triggering the EPBs near sunrise.

Structures of Multiple Large‐Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances Observed by Dense Global Navigation Satellite System Networks in China

AbstractThe propagation features of three groups of multiple large‐scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (LSTIDs), which formed on 22 June 2015 during the passage of LSTIDs that propagated in different directions simultaneously over China, were investigated using the total electron content data from 341 Global Navigation Satellite System stations. The ranges of the periods and horizontal phase velocities of the LSTIDs were ~40–120 min and ~209–750 m/s, respectively. The first two groups were observed during 0700–1400 UT. The meeting of LSTIDs propagating in opposite directions yielded a differential of total electron content (DTEC) variation net structure, where the enhancement and reduction of DTEC amplitude appeared successively and reached a maximum amplitude of ~16% in the overlapping areas. DTEC series based on the observations of geostationary satellites from China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System addressed the propagation and meeting of fronts. The third group contained two southward propagating LSTIDs, a northward LSTID, and a northwestward one. The joint propagation of the northward LSTID and northwestward LSTID led to a large‐amplitude mixed front, which was broadened both in latitudinal and meridional range. The mixed front moved northward at a distance of ~1,500‐km until it separated into two fronts, due to the difference in propagation velocities and directions. After separation, the northward LSTID continued to propagate and encountered a southward LSTID. The northwestward LSTID dissipated within 30 min in the northwest of China. Such multi‐LSTIDs have mainly been observed previously in equatorial regions, and our observations imply that the propagation of LSTIDs in the mid and low latitudes is more complicated than previously reported.

Assessing the Impact of GNSS ZTD Data Assimilation into the WRF Modeling System during High-Impact Rainfall Events over Greece

The derivation of global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs) tropospheric products is nowadays a state-of-the-art technique that serves both research and operational needs in a broad range of applications in meteorology. In particular, GNSS zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) data assimilation is widely applied in Europe to enhance numerical weather predictions (NWPs). The current study presents the first attempt at introducing assimilation of ZTDs, derived from more than 48 stations of the Hellenic GNSS network, into the operational NWP system of the National Observatory of Athens (NOA) in Greece, which is based on the mesoscale Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. WRF was applied during seven high-impact precipitation events covering the dry and wet season of 2018. The simulation employing the ZTD data assimilation reproduces more accurately, compared to the control experiment, the observed heavy rainfall (especially for high precipitation events, exceeding 20 mm in 24h) during both dry and wet periods. Assimilating ZTDs also improves the simulation of intense (>20 mm) convective precipitation during the time window of its occurrence in the dry season, and provides a beneficial influence during synoptic-scale events in the wet period. The above results, which are statistically significant, highlight an important positive impact of ZTD assimilation on the model’s precipitation forecast skill over Greece. Overall, the modelling system’s configuration, including the assimilation of ZTD observations, satisfactorily captures the spatial and temporal distribution of the observed rainfall and can therefore be used as the basis for examining further improvements in the future.

Spatiotemporal Evolution of Long‐ and Short‐Term Slow Slip Events in the Tokai Region, Central Japan, Estimated From a Very Dense GNSS Network During 2013–2016

AbstractWe analyzed Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data from 1 January 2008 to 31 January 2016 for the Tokai region of the Nankai subduction zone, in order to study long‐ and short‐term slow slip events (SSEs) on the subduction interface. The dataset included our new temporary stations to obtain high resolution observations with station spacing of about 5 km. Long‐ and short‐term SSEs have been reported in the Tokai region, over the past two decades. It is difficult to directly compare those SSEs because long‐term SSEs were observed by GNSS, while short‐term SSEs were mainly observed by tiltmeters and strainmeters. We applied a time‐dependent inversion with improved temporal resolution to GNSS data and successfully obtained the spatiotemporal evolution of long‐ and short‐term SSEs. Our results show the very slow and stable slip of a long‐term SSE with Mw 6.6, along with several episodes of accelerated slip associated with short‐term SSEs (Mw 6.0–6.1). Our results showed the details of the migrating slip patterns and slip rates for the short‐term SSEs and possible relation with low frequency tremor (LFT). LFT is more associated with smaller magnitude short‐term SSEs rather than the larger long‐term SSEs. However, the maximum daily slip rates for short‐term SSEs are an order of magnitude larger than those for the long‐term SSEs. This suggests an explanation that the LFT may be directly related to the loading of the plate interface by the short‐term SSEs.

Assessment of Integrated Water Vapor Estimates from the iGMAS and the Brazilian Network GNSS Ground-Based Receivers in Rio de Janeiro

There is pressing demand for knowledge improvement of the integrated water vapor (IWV) distribution in regions affected by heat islands that are associated with extreme rainfall events such as in the metropolitan area of Rio de Janeiro (MARJ). This work assessed the suitability and evaluation of the spatiotemporal distribution of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) IWV from the cooperation of the International GNSS Monitoring and Assessment System (iGMAS) and the National Observatory (Observatório Nacional, ON) of Brazil, from the Brazilian Network for Continuous Monitoring (RBMC), and IWV products from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and radiosonde, jointly with surface meteorological data, in two sectors of the state of Rio de Janeiro from February 2015–August 2018. High variability of the near surface air temperature (T) and relative humidity (RH) were observed among eight meteorological sites. The mean T differences between sites, up to 4.4 °C, led to mean differences as high as 3.1 K for weighted mean temperature (Tm) and hence 0.83 mm for IWV differences. Local grid points of MODIS IWV estimates had relatively good agreement with the GNSS-derived IWV, with mean differences from –2.4–1.1 mm for the daytime passages of the satellites TERRA and AQUA and underestimation from –9 mm to –3 mm during nighttime overpasses. A contrasting behavior was found in the radiosonde IWV estimates compared with the estimates from GNSS. There were dry biases of 1.4 mm (3.7% lower than expected) by radiosonde IWV during the daytime, considering that all other estimates were unbiased and the differences between IWVGNSS and IWVRADS were consistent. Based on the IWV comparisons between radiosonde and GNSS at nighttime, the atmosphere over the radiosonde site is about 1.2 mm and 2.3 mm wetter than that over the RBMC RIOD and iGMAS RDJN stations, respectively. The atmosphere over the site RIOD was 1.2 mm wetter than over that of RDJN for all three-hour means. These results showed that there were important variabilities in the meteorological conditions and in the distribution of water vapor in the MERJ. The data from the iGMAS RDJN station were feasible, together with those from the RBMC, MODIS, and radiosonde data, to investigate IWV in the region with occurrence of heat islands and peculiar physiographic and meteorological characteristics. This work recommends the magnification of the GNSS network in the state of Rio de Janeiro with the use of data from complete meteorological station collocated near every GNSS receiver, aiming to improve local IWV estimates and serving as additional support for operational numerical assimilation, weather forecast, and nowcast of extreme rainfall and flooding events.

Spatial Interpolation of GNSS Troposphere Wet Delay by a Newly Designed Artificial Neural Network Model

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals arrive at the Earth in a nonlinear and slightly curved way due to the refraction effect caused by the troposphere. The troposphere delay of the GNSS signal consists of hydrostatic and wet parts. In particular, tropospheric wet delay prediction and interpolation are more difficult than those of the dry component due to the rapid temporal and spatial variation of the water vapor content. Wet delay estimation and interpolation with a sufficient accuracy is an important issue for all parameters obtained by GNSS positioning techniques. In particular, in real-time positioning applications, errors caused by interpolation of the wet troposphere delay are reflected in the height component of about 1 to 2 cm. Furthermore, the amount of water vapor in the troposphere is very important information in weather forecast applications obtained as a function of wet delay. Therefore, real-time monitoring of the troposphere can be achieved with a higher resolution and accuracy by utilizing neural network models for interpolation of the wet tropospheric delay. In addition, in the absence of the GNSS station, wet delays can be interpolated by means of the surrounding stations to the desired location. In this study, a back propagation artificial neural network (BPNN) model based on meteorological parameters obtained from The New Austrian Meteorological Measuring Network (TAWES) was used to interpolate wet troposphere delay. Analysis was carried out at 40 reference stations of the Echtzeit Positionierung Austria (EPOSA) GNSS Network covering the whole of Austria. The interpolation of zenith wet delays based on the artificial neural network was performed by using latitude, longitude, altitude and meteorological parameters (temperature, pressure, weighted mean temperature, and water vapor pressure). These parameters were then subtracted from the artificial neural network model one by one and six different artificial neural networks were designed. In addition, the linear interpolation method (LIN) and inverse distance weighted interpolation method (IDW) were used as conventional interpolation methods. In order to investigate the effect of the network density on interpolation methods, three networks, including 40, 30, and 20 reference stations, were formed and the increased distance effect on interpolation methods was evaluated. In addition, analyses were conducted in winter, spring, and summer to evaluate the seasonal effects on interpolation methods. According to the statistical analysis, the root mean square error (RMSE) values of the IDW, LIN, and BPNN methods were found to be 12.6, 13.4, and 5.9 mm, respectively.

Evidence of Mid- and Low-Latitude Nighttime Ionospheric $E$ –$F$ Coupling: Coordinated Observations of Sporadic $E$ Layers, $F$ -Region Field-Aligned Irregularities, and Medium-Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances

We present the observational evidence of $E$ - and $F$ -region field-aligned irregularities (FAIs), nighttime medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs), and a sporadic $E$ ( $E_{\text {S}}$ )-layer using the Wuhan very-high-frequency (VHF) coherent scatter radar, Wuhan Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) network, and Wuhan ionosonde. We observed simultaneously E and F FAIs by VHF radar and the $E_{\text {S}}$ -layer and spread- $F$ by Wuhan ionosonde. We also observed MSTIDs using the Wuhan GNSS network in a southwestward direction of propagation and horizontal propagation velocity of less than 180 m/s, for a period of ~33 min. Simultaneous observations of an $E_{\text {S}}$ -layer and FAIs in the $E$ -region and FAIs in the $F$ -region suggested the existence of an electrodynamic coupling between the $E$ and $F$ regions in the mid- and low-latitude nighttime ionosphere. A polarized electric field associated with nighttime MSTIDs can generate the uplift movements of the $F$ -region’s electron density. This uplift effect consequently can excite the gradient drift instability (GDI) with an accompanying enhanced vertical gradient of the $F$ -layer’s electron density. Our results indicated that the $F$ -region MSTIDs excited by Perkins instability might be further modulated by the $E \times B$ effect and subsequently can evolve to spread-F like FAIs. Our observational investigation provided the first evidence of the full dynamics and links among different ionospheric disturbances in a mid- and low-latitude nighttime region of China.

Comparative analysis of modern deformation and the newest motions of the Earth surface in the territory of Ukraine

Currently, the data of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are widely used in the field of navigation, geodesy, cartography and regional geodynamic studies, in particular, in monitoring the movement of lithospheric plates, etc. Further development and creation of local GNSS networks, as well as the long-term replenishment of databases regarding the determination of the coordinates of individual stations and the speeds of their movement allows obtaining reliable more detailed information on the current deformation of the Earth's surface. The article discusses the current deformation of the Earth’s surface based on the analysis of the Global Navigation Satellite Systems data from the GAO NAS of Ukraine in comparison with the heights of the UGK2012 quasi-geoid and the latest lineament zones and faults, as well as with the late Pliocene-Quaternary vertical movements of the Earth’s crust. According to the results of the analysis of high-precision coordinates of displacement vectors of permanent GNSS stations in the territory of Ukraine, deformation parameters of the Earth’s surface were obtained, areas of prevailing compression values — tension and left-right-side rotation of the Earth’s surface were identified, the boundaries between which can be drawn along the latest lineament zones and faults. The areas of the predominant stretching of the Earth’s surface correspond to the zones of the newest tectonic uplifts (Volyn-Podolsk and Periazov hills) and maximum amplitudes of the Pliocene-Quaternary movements and positive geoid anomalies, and the areas of prevailing compression are zones of tectonic descents (Polissian and Peridnieper lowland), minimal amplitudes of Pliocene-Quarternary movements and minor heights of the geoid. Four large modern geoblocks have been identified: North-West and North-East, which rotate clockwise, and South-West and South-East rotating counterclockwise. At a qualitative level, the mechanism of interconnection of modern and newest movements of the Earth’s crust, namely, the presence of the latest tectonic zones of uplifting and lowering with corresponding tensions and movements of its surface, on which modern tensions (and corresponding movements) are imposed that are associated with the tectonic movement of the Eurasian Plate in northeastern direction and the irregular rotation of the Earth.

Method of Evaluating the Positioning System Capability for Complying with the Minimum Accuracy Requirements for the International Hydrographic Organization Orders.

According to the IHO (International Hydrographic Organization) S-44 standard, hydrographic surveys can be carried out in four categories, the so-called orders—special, 1a, 1b, and 2—for which minimum accuracy requirements for the applied positioning system have been set out. These amount to, respectively: 2 m, 5 m, 5 m, and 20 m at a confidence level of 0.95. It is widely assumed that GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) network solutions with an accuracy of 2–5 cm (p = 0.95) and maritime DGPS (Differential Global Positioning System) systems with an error of 1–2 m (p = 0.95) are currently the two main positioning methods in hydrography. Other positioning systems whose positioning accuracy increases from year to year (and which may serve as alternative solutions) have been omitted. The article proposes a method that enables an assessment of any given navigation positioning system in terms of its compliance (or non-compliance) with the minimum accuracy requirements specified for hydrographic surveys. The method concerned clearly assesses whether a particular positioning system meets the accuracy requirements set out for a particular IHO order. The model was verified, taking into account both past and present research results (stationary and dynamic) derived from tests on the following systems: DGPS, EGNOS (European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service), and multi-GNSS receivers (GPS/GLONASS/BDS/Galileo). The study confirmed that the DGPS system meets the requirements for all IHO orders and proved that the EGNOS system can currently be applied in measurements in the orders 1a, 1b, and 2. On the other hand, multi-GNSS receivers meet the requirements for order 2, while some of them meet the requirements for orders 1a and 1b as well.

Effective Efficiency Advantage Assessment of Information Filter for Conventional Kalman Filter in GNSS Scenarios.

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is a widely used positioning technique. Computational efficiency is crucial to applications such as real-time GNSS positioning and GNSS network data processing. Many researchers have made great efforts to address this problem by means such as parameter elimination or satellite selection. However, parameter estimation is rarely discussed when analyzing GNSS algorithm efficiency. In addition, most studies on Kalman filter (KF) efficiency commonly have defects, such as neglecting application-specified optimization and limiting specific hardware platforms in the conclusion. The former reduces the practicality of the solution, because applications that need such analyses on filters are often optimized, and the latter reduces its generality because of differences between platforms. In this paper, the computational cost enhancement of replacing the conventional KF with the information filter (IF) is tested considering GNSS application-oriented optimization conditions and hardware platform differences. First, optimization conditions are abstracted from GNSS data-processing scenarios. Then, a thorough analysis is carried out on the computational cost of the filters, considering hardware–platform differences. Finally, a case of GNSS dynamic differencing positioning is studied. The simulation shows that the IF is slightly faster for precise point positioning and much faster for the code-based single-difference GNSS (SDGNSS) with the constant velocity (CV) model than the conventional KF, but is not a good substitute for the conventional KF in the other algorithms mentioned. The real test shows that the IF is about 50% faster than the conventional KF handling code-based SDGNSS with the CV model. Also, the information filter is theoretically equivalent to and can produce results that are consistent with the Kalman filter. Our conclusions can be used as a reference for GNSS applications that need high process speed or real-time capability.

A Time‐Dependent Model of Elastic Stress in the Central Apennines, Italy

AbstractSeismicity in the Central Apennines is characterized by normal faulting with dip NE‐SW near 45°. If the stress at the hypocenter of the 2016 Norcia (Mw = 6.5) and 2009 L'Aquila (Mw = 6.3 on the Paganica fault) earthquakes originated only from stress transfer from previous historical events, the orientation of the principal stress axes would have been inconsistent with the observed tensional regime. The additional contribution of a regional stress is thus required, but Global Navigation Satellite System geodesy provides only stress rates. We empirically estimate a time multiplier for the regional stress rate, computed with a dense Global Navigation Satellite System network, such that the principal stress axes resulting from the sum of the stress transferred by previous events and the regional stress rate multiplied by the empirical temporal scale are consistent with normal faulting, both at the L'Aquila and Norcia hypocenters. Based on a Catalogue of 36 events of magnitude larger than 5.6, we estimate the total Coulomb stress at depths and along planes parallel to those of L'Aquila and Norcia. We provide evidence of an asymmetry of the Coulomb stress leading to a stress concentration near the hypocenter of the two events just prior of the 2009 and 2016 earthquakes. This stress anomaly disappeared after the two events. Similar stress patterns are observed for earlier events, which took place in 1461 at L'Aquila, 1703 on the Montereale plain, and in 1703 at Norcia/Valnerina. The 1997 sequence of Colfiorito exhibits a similar, anisotropic Coulomb stress pattern. Other areas with a similar stress anisotropy could be seismic gaps.

Characteristic Analysis of 3D Outlier Detection Method for GNSS Network Adjustments

AbstractIn this study, characteristics of the outlier detection method for global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) network adjustments are discussed and alternative hypothesis models are propose...

Installation of New GNSS Network Around Kusatsu-Shirane Volcano, Japan: Its Perspective and the First Result

Crustal deformation is essential information for monitoring volcanic activity. In the summit area of the Kusatsu-Shirane Volcano (KSV), a dense Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) network has been operating near the recent volcanic center, Yugama crater. This network is sensitive to shallow depth activity, such as phreatic eruptions at the summit area, but is not applicable to deep magmatic activity, suggested to have been occurring for thousands of years by recent geological studies. Aiming to detect magmatic activity at a certain depth, we installed a new GNSS network near KSV. The observation sites were selected based on the crustal deformation pattern calculated for several intrusive events of the deep-seated magma. First, the GNSS sites for campaign observation were installed at eight locations in 2017. Then, four continuous sites commenced operation after a phreatic eruption at Mt. Motoshirane in January 2018. Here, we show the results of the first and second observation campaigns, operating in October 2017 and February 2018. Coordinate values are computed by precise point positioning with ambiguity resolution (PPP-AR) analysis and are used to calculate the displacement and the baseline length change during this period. The uncertainties of the calculated coordinate values are sufficiently small (less than 4.5 mm) except at some sites for which the data possibly include multipath errors due to trees and snow. Although any deformation associated with the 2018 eruption of Mt. Motoshirane is not detected, subsequent observations would contribute to monitoring long-term activity near KSV.

Network Effects and Handling of the Geocenter Motion in Multi‐GNSS Processing

AbstractBoth, the network configuration and the way of terrestrial reference frame (TRF) realization, affect the global geodetic products delivered from the Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) data processing. The purpose of this study is to analyze the differences in GNSS products, such as station coordinates, Earth rotation parameters, geocenter coordinates (GCC), and satellite orbits delivered from the double‐difference multi‐GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo) processing, which may arise from (1) using a homogeneous and inhomogeneous network of multi‐GNSS stations, (2) different approaches to the TRF realization using minimum constraint conditions, and (3) different approaches to handling of GCC in GNSS global processing. The questionable quality of GCC delivered from the global GNSS solutions is described with a special attention to network effects and system‐specific parameters. We found that Galileo can provide GCC, whose quality corresponds to the GPS series. Moreover, the GCC from Galileo is of a better quality than those based on GLONASS data, despite the same number of nominal orbital planes and a much lower number of active satellites. When the No‐Net‐Translation constraint is not applied on the GNSS network, the station coordinate repeatability is worsened by about 70%, 55%, and 25% for the north, east, and up components, respectively, compared to the solution when applying No‐Net‐Translation and when having the network origin consistent with the international TRF. We thus infer that the No‐Net‐Translation condition is mandatory in global GNSS solutions.

Pre-seismic deformation detected from regional GNSS observation network: A case study of the 2013 Lushan, eastern Tibetan Plateau (China), Ms 7.0 earthquake

GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) observation is complicated by the presence of noise, local benchmark motion, un-modeled atmospheric and other effects. More subtle signals have existed the individual GNSS time series but have undetected due to its low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). We introduce here a new method to extract spatially and temporally coherent signals by analyzing data from entire GNSS networks simultaneously using free-net solutions. Daily GNSS network is performed a similarity transformation by constraining one location and one direction. The deformation signal is extracted by analyzing the change of the GNSS geometry net-form integrating the location, baseline length and direction information of all GNSS stations from entire networks. Combined with area strain, the deformation characteristic are further interpreted. We apply the method for the 2013 Lushan Ms 7.0 earthquake and find a significant pre-seismic deformation anomaly with the locked status and negative acceleration in the first shear strain and direction change time series, implying a strong sinistral shear tectonic forces have happened in seismic source area and can intensify the pregnancy of the earthquake. The phenomena can be well supported and explained by the experiment results of rock fracture in the laboratory. It's inferred that a processes from stable locked status to negative acceleration change may be the most characteristic of pre-seismic deformation.

The Need for a Standardized Methodology for Quantitative Assessment of Natural and Anthropogenic Land Subsidence: The Agosta (Italy) Gas Field Case

In the last years, the advanced synthetic aperture radar (SAR) interferometry (InSAR) has proven its effectiveness in the assessment of ground gotion with millimetric accuracy. Its integrated use with traditional (in-situ) topographic height determination techniques, such as geometric leveling and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), is consolidated in underground fluids extraction areas for detecting and monitoring land subsidence. Nevertheless, the lack of a specific standardized methodology does not allow for evaluating different results obtained from different types of analysis. Starting from the description of two independent estimations of land subsidence in the Agosta (Comacchio, Italy) area, where an environmental impact assessment procedure was carried out following a request for gas exploitation, this paper points out the need for a standardized methodology, focused on the in-situ calibration of InSAR data. This last purpose requires an adequately dense and homogeneous reference GNSS network. The in progress initiatives, at European and national level, aiming at providing a Copernicus Ground Motion service could offer the opportunity to structure a reliable and dedicated GNSS network, starting from the large amount of stations run by different institutions already existing in Italy.

A Real-Time Precipitable Water Vapor Monitoring System Using the National GNSS Network of China: Method and Preliminary Results

The development of the International Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Service (IGS) Real-Time Pilot Project shows promise for real-time GNSS-based precipitable water vapor (GNSS-PWV) retrieval. For better applications of real-time GNSS meteorology over China, a method is proposed to establish a real-time GNSS-PWV monitoring system using the national GNSS network of China. The prototype system generating the zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) is based on the real-time precise point positioning technique, in which the real-time data streams and state-space-representative satellite orbit and clock corrections are processed. The parallel computing technology is embedded in the system for decoding and processing the real-time data streams, which enables the multistation processing mode and improves the computing efficiency. At the initial phase, a total of 215 global positioning system (GPS) stations from the crustal movement observation network of China are used to generate the real-time GPS-ZTDs. The pressure data for separating the zenith wet delay (ZWD) from the ZTD are obtained from the collocated meteorological sensors. An advanced weighted mean temperature model, namely, Gridded-Mixed Tm , is adopted in the system to determine the conversion factor “Π” (converting GPS-ZWD to GPS-PWV) in real-time mode with the measured temperatures input. The generated real-time GPS-PWV products have a time resolution of 5 min. To validate the system performance, comparisons between the real-time GPS-PWV and the PWVs derived from nearby radiosonde data (RS-PWV) and reanalysis data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP)-Department of Energy Reanalysis II (NCEP-II-PWV) are conducted over a period of 83 days. The comparisons show a mean bias of −0.1 mm with a root mean square (RMS) of 1.7 mm between the real-time GPS-PWV and RS-PWV. The agreement between the real-time GPS-PWV and NCEP-II-PWV is approximately 2.0 mm in terms of RMS and has a mean bias of −0.8 mm. These results confirm that the established system can be used for real-time PWV monitoring across China.

A new troposphere tomography algorithm with a truncation factor model (TFM) for GNSS networks

For previous studies of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) troposphere tomography, only the GNSS observations derived from ground-based stations located inside the tomographic area were considered; however, stations distributed outside the area of interest in a dense regional network were neglected. This wastes valuable GNSS data and decreases the number of voxels traveled by satellite rays. This becomes the focus of this work, which tries to use GNSS receivers located outside the tomographic region to participate in the establishment of a tomographic observation equation. A new troposphere tomography algorithm is proposed with a truncation factor model (TFM), while the ability of the TFM to calculate the sectional slant water vapor inside the tomographic area, derived from the receivers outside this area, has been verified. The proposed algorithm is validated using the observed data collected over 31 days from the continuously operating reference system network of Zhejiang Province, China. At elevation angle masks of 10°, the number of satellite rays used has increased by 21.27% while the number of voxels transited by satellite rays has increased by 13.97% from 65.44 to 79.23% when adopting the TFM. The compared result of integrated water vapor with those from radiosonde data reveals that the RMS error and bias of the proposed algorithm are 4.1 mm and 0.06 mm, respectively, while those of the conventional method are 4.8 mm and − 0.34 mm, respectively. Water vapor profile comparison also shows that the RMS error and bias of the proposed algorithm are superior with average values of 1.17 g m−3 and 0.02 g m−3 to that of the conventional algorithm with values of 1.44 g m−3 and 0.03 g m−3, respectively. The PWV differences between tomography and GAMIT further indicate a good performance of the proposed algorithm with the values of RMS error and bias of 8.7 mm and 0.5 mm, respectively, while those of the traditional method are 12.6 mm and 0.9 mm, respectively.