International GNSS Service Real-time Service Research Articles

Investigating Performance of BDS-2+3 Dual-Frequency Absolute Positioning With Broadcast Ephemerides, RTS and Final MGEX Products

BDS-3 was formally put into service on July 31, 2020, and now along with BDS-2 provides the positioning, navigation and timing services. In this contribution, different techniques of dual-frequency absolute positioning using the fully serviceable BDS-2+3 constellation are evaluated and compared to the positioning performance of GPS constellation. The accuracy of BDS-3 broadcast ephemerides is significantly higher than that of BDS-2 and is comparable to that of GPS, while BDS-3 International GNSS Service (IGS) Real-Time Service (RTS) products are not as good as GPS at this stage. The static Single Point Positioning (SPP) using BDS-2+3 pseudoranges based on broadcast ephemerides attains the positioning accuracy of 0.743/0.601/1.021 m (95%) and 0.453/0.365/0.566 m (68%) in east/north/up components, while its positioning accuracy is 1.210/1.097/2.447 m (95%) and 0.660/0.586/1.264 m (68%) in kinematic mode. BDS-2+3 Precise Point Positioning (PPP) using pseudoranges with carrier-phase observations based on broadcast ephemerides is able to achieve a positioning accuracy of 0.239/0.174/0.529 m (95%) and 0.115/0.096/0.296 m (68%) in static mode, and 0.636/0.486/1.108 m (95%) and 0.304/0.242/0.556 m (68%) in kinematic mode. BDS-2+3 PPP based on final Multi-GNSS Experiment (MGEX) product can obtain the positioning accuracy of centimeter to millimeter in static mode and the centimeter-level positioning accuracy in kinematic mode. The experiment results show that the positioning performances of BDS-2+3 using broadcast ephemerides and final MGEX products are both comparable to those of GPS. However, due to the poor quality and incomeless of BDS IGS RTS product, BDS-2+3 SPP and PPP based on IGS RTS product obtain the poor positioning accuracies in both static and kinematic modes, which are obviously worse than the counterparts of GPS. Another remarkable result can be obtained that BDS-2+3 achieves a better positioning performance in Asia-Pacific region at higher cut-off elevations as compared to GPS positioning.

Prediction of IGS RTS Orbit Correction Using LSTM Network at the Time of IOD Change

The international GNSS service (IGS) real-time service (RTS) provides orbit and clock corrections for the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) via the internet. RTS is widely used for real-time, precise positioning and its data is transmitted via the internet. Intermittent data loss can occur and cause positioning accuracy degradation. RTS data has a discontinuity when the issue of data (IOD) changes every two hours. If the signal loss occurs immediately after the IOD change, then the performance of the RTS prediction degrades significantly. We propose an adjustment method to make the RTS data across the IOD change, which makes it possible to use long RTS data for building a prediction model. The proposed adjustment method is combined with a long-short-term memory (LSTM) network to improve long-period prediction accuracy. Experiments with GPS and RTS were performed to evaluate the RTS orbit prediction accuracy. The LSTM with the IOD adjustment outperforms other polynomial prediction methods, and the positioning accuracy with the predicted RTS orbit correction shows a significant improvement.

Prediction of GPS Satellite Clock Offset Based on an Improved Particle Swarm Algorithm Optimized BP Neural Network

Satellite clock offset is an important factor affecting the accuracy of real-time precise point positioning (RT-PPP). Due to missing real-time service (RTS) products provided by the International GNSS Service (IGS) or network faults, users may not obtain effective real-time corrections, resulting in the unavailability of RT-PPP. Considering this issue, an improved back propagation (BP) neural network optimized by heterogeneous comprehensive learning and dynamic multi-swarm particle swarm optimizer (HPSO-BP) is proposed for clock offset prediction. The new model uses the particle swarm optimizer to optimize the initial parameters of the BP neural network, which can avoid the instability and over-fitting problems of the traditional BP neural network. IGS RTS product data is selected for the experimental analysis; the results demonstrate that the average prediction precision of the HPSO-BP model for 20-min and 60-min is better than 0.15 ns, improving by approximately 85% compared to traditional models including the linear polynomial (LP) model, the quadratic polynomial (QP) model, the gray system model (GM (1,1)), and the ARMA time series model. It indicates that the HPSO-BP model has reasonable practicability and stability in the short-term satellite clock offset prediction, and its prediction performance is superior to traditional models. Therefore, in practical applications, the clock offset products predicted by the HPSO-BP model can meet the centimeter-level positioning accuracy requirements of RT-PPP.

Real-Time Coseismic Displacement Retrieval Based on Temporal Point Positioning with IGS RTS Correction Products.

With the rapid development of the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), high-rate GNSS has been widely used for high-precision GNSS coseismic displacement retrieval. In recent decades, relative positioning (RP) and precise point positioning (PPP) are mainly adopted to retrieve coseismic displacements. However, RP can only obtain relative coseismic displacements with respect to a reference station, which might be subject to quaking during a large seismic event. While PPP needs a long (re)convergence period of tens of minutes. There is no convergence time needed in the variometric approach for displacements analysis standalone engine (VADASE) but the derived displacements are accompanied by a drift. Temporal point positioning (TPP) method adopts temporal-differenced ionosphere-free phase measurements between a reference epoch and the current epoch, and there is almost no drift in the displacement derived from TPP method. Nevertheless, the precise orbit and clock products should be applied in the TPP method. The studies in recent years are almost based on the postprocessing precise orbits and clocks or simulated real-time products. Since 2013, international GNSS service (IGS) has been providing an open-access real-time service (RTS), which consists of orbit, clock and other corrections. In this contribution, we evaluated the performance of real-time coseismic displacement retrieval based on TPP method with IGS RTS correction products. At first, the real-time precise orbit and clock offsets are derived from the RTS correction products. Then, the temporal-differenced ionosphere-free (IF) combinations are formed and adopted as the TPP measurements. By applying real-time precise orbit and clock offsets, the coseismic displacement can be real-timely retrieved based on TPP measurements. To evaluate the accuracy, two experiments including a stationary experiment and an application to an earthquake event were carried out. The former gives an accuracy of 1.8 cm in the horizontal direction and 4.1 cm in the vertical direction during the whole period of 15-min. The latter gives an accuracy of 1.2 cm and 2.4 cm in the horizontal and vertical components, respectively.

An offshore real-time precise point positioning technique based on a single set of BeiDou short-message communication devices

Real-time precise point positioning (PPP) based on open-access real-time service (RTS) of the international GNSS service (IGS) has attracted increasing attention in recent years. For offshore applications, the receiving of RTS corrections becomes a major obstacle due to lack of internet-based infrastructures. Short-message communication (SMC) is a particular technique of BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS), which can provide bidirectional communication between users in a cost-effective way. However, the limited bandwidth and frequency of BDS SMC make it impossible to directly broadcast IGS RTS corrections with BDS SMC. An offshore real-time PPP technique is proposed based on IGS RTS corrections with a single set of BDS SMC devices for communication. RTS orbit corrections in the along-track, cross-track and radial directions, the clock correction and the code bias correction of each satellite are together converted into an equivalent range correction on the basis of user approximate position and will-be-used code observation types. The range corrections within 1 min are fitted into a first-order polynomial. Only the range and range-rate corrections at the reference time are broadcast with BDS SMC. In addition, different from broadcasting corrections of all satellites in the IGS RTS, corrections of only visible satellites are encoded into a BDS SMC correction message to further reduce the data size. The encoding strategy of BDS SMC correction message and a detailed procedure of the offshore real-time PPP technique are presented. The land-simulated and offshore experiment results show that the proposed technique can meet the demands of high-precision offshore applications.

A Sensitivity Study of POD Using Dual-Frequency GPS for CubeSats Data Limitation and Resources

Making use of dual-frequency (DF) global navigation satellite system (GNSS) observations and good dynamic models, the precise orbit determination (POD) for the satellites on low earth orbits has been intensively investigated in the last decades and has achieved an accuracy of centimeters. With the rapidly increasing number of the CubeSat missions in recent years, the POD of CubeSats were also attempted with combined dynamic models and GNSS DF observations. While comprehensive dynamic models are allowed to be used in the postprocessing mode, strong constraints on the data completeness, continuity, and restricted resources due to the power and size limits of CubeSats still hamper the high-accuracy POD. An analysis of these constraints and their impact on the achievable orbital accuracy thus needs to be considered in the planning phase. In this study, with the focus put on the use of DF GNSS data in postprocessing CubeSat POD, a detailed sensitivity analysis of the orbital accuracy was performed w.r.t. the data continuity, completeness, observation sampling interval, latency requirements, availability of the attitude information, and arc length. It is found that the overlapping of several constraints often causes a relatively large degradation in the orbital accuracy, especially when one of the constraints is related to a low duty-cycle of, e.g., below 40% of time. Assuming that the GNSS data is properly tracked except for the assumed constraints, and using the International GNSS Service (IGS) final products or products from the IGS real-time service, the 3D orbital accuracy for arcs of 6 h to 24 h should generally be within or around 1 dm, provided that the limitation on data is not too severe, i.e., with a duty-cycle not lower than 40% and an observation sampling interval not larger than 60 s.

Performance of Galileo-only dual-frequency absolute positioning using the fully serviceable Galileo constellation

The recent development of the Galileo space segment and the accompanying support of the International GNSS Service (IGS) allows for worldwide Galileo-only positioning. In this study, different techniques of dual-frequency absolute positioning using the fully serviceable Galileo constellation are evaluated for the first time and compared to the performance of GPS positioning. The daily static positioning based on the broadcast ephemeris using Galileo pseudoranges is significantly more accurate than the corresponding GPS solutions, obtaining the accuracy of a few decimeters. In the kinematic mode, the accuracy is better than 10 m and 20 m for the horizontal and vertical components, respectively, which is comparable to that of GPS. Precise absolute positioning using pseudorange and carrier phase Galileo observations combined with IGS Real-Time Service (RTS) or Multi-GNSS Experiment products is not yet as good as the corresponding GPS solutions. In the static mode, the root mean squared error (RMSE) between estimated and reference coordinates does not exceed 0.05 m and 0.06 m for the horizontal and vertical components, respectively. In the kinematic mode, the respective accuracies are better than 0.17 m and 0.21 m. Moreover, we show that both GPS and Galileo pseudorange solutions benefit from the RTS when compared to the broadcast solutions with the improvement in the accuracy between 10 and 59%. Remarkable results are achieved for Galileo Precise Point Positioning (PPP) solutions based on the broadcast ephemeris. In the static mode, the RMSE is 0.07 and 0.10 m for the horizontal and vertical components which is three and two times better, respectively, then the corresponding solutions based on GPS.

Real-Time GPS/Galileo Precise Point Positioning Using NAVCAST Real-Time Corrections

Real-time precise point positioning (PPP) is possible through the use of real-time precise satellite orbit and clock corrections, which are available through a number of organizations including the International GNSS Service (IGS) real-time service (IGS-RTS). Unfortunately, IGS-RTS is only available for the GPS and GLONASS constellations. In 2018, a new real-time service, NAVCAST, which provides real-time precise orbit and clock corrections for the GPS and Galileo constellations, was launched. In this research, the potential performance of real-time PPP which makes use of NAVCAST real-time corrections is analyzed using various static and kinematic datasets. In the static dataset, 24 hours of observations from eight IGS stations in Canada over three different days were utilized. The static results show that the contribution of Galileo satellites can improve the positioning accuracy, with 30%, 34%, and 31% in east, north, and up directions compared to the GPS-only counterparts. In addition, centimeter-level positioning accuracy in the horizontal direction and decimeter-level positioning accuracy in the vertical direction can be achieved by adding Galileo observations. In the kinematic dataset, a real vehicular test was conducted in urban and suburban combined areas. The real-time kinematic GPS/Galileo PPP solutions demonstrate an improvement of about 53%, 45%, and 70% in east, north, and up directions compared to the GPS-only counterparts. It is shown that the real-time GPS/Galileo PPP can achieve a sub-decimeter horizontal positioning accuracy and about meter-level vertical positioning accuracy through the use of NAVCAST real-time corrections.

Analysis on the Potential Performance of GPS and Galileo Precise Point Positioning using Simulated Real-Time Products

With the evolving Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) landscape, the International GNSS Service (IGS) has started the Multi-GNSS Experiment (MGEX) to produce precise products for new generation systems. Various analysis centres are working on the estimation of precise orbits, clocks and bias for Galileo, Beidou and Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) satellites. However, at the moment these products can only be used for post-processing applications. Indeed, the IGS Real-Time service only broadcasts Global Positioning System (GPS) and Globalnaya Navigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema (GLONASS) corrections. In this research, a simulator of multi-GNSS observations and real-time precise products has been developed to analyse the performance of GPS-only, Galileo-only and GPS plus Galileo Precise Point Positioning (PPP). The error models in the simulated orbits and clocks were based on the difference between the GPS Real-Time and the Final products. Multiple scenarios were analysed, considering different signals combined in the Ionosphere Free linear combination. Results in a simulated open area environment show better performance of the Galileo-only case over the GPS-only case. Indeed, up 33% and 29% of improvement, respectively, in the accuracy level and convergence time can be observed when using the full Galileo constellation compared to GPS. The dual constellation case provides good improvements, in particular in the convergence time (47% faster than GPS). This paper will also consider the impact of different linear combinations of the Galileo signals, and the potential of the E5 Alternative Binary Offset Carrier (AltBOC) signal. Even though it is significantly more precise than E5a, the PPP performance obtained with the Galileo E1-E5a combination is either better or similar to the one with Galileo E1-E5. The reason for this inconsistency was found in the use of the ionosphere free combination with E1. Finally, alternative methods of ionosphere error mitigation are considered in order to ensure the best possible positioning performance from the Galileo E5 signal in multi-frequency PPP.

Validation and Assessment of Multi-GNSS Real-Time Precise Point Positioning in Simulated Kinematic Mode Using IGS Real-Time Service

Precise Point Positioning (PPP) is a popular technology for precise applications based on the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Multi-GNSS combined PPP has become a hot topic in recent years with the development of multiple GNSSs. Meanwhile, with the operation of the real-time service (RTS) of the International GNSS Service (IGS) agency that provides satellite orbit and clock corrections to broadcast ephemeris, it is possible to obtain the real-time precise products of satellite orbits and clocks and to conduct real-time PPP. In this contribution, the real-time multi-GNSS orbit and clock corrections of the CLK93 product are applied for real-time multi-GNSS PPP processing, and its orbit and clock qualities are investigated, first with a seven-day experiment by comparing them with the final multi-GNSS precise product ‘GBM’ from GFZ. Then, an experiment involving real-time PPP processing for three stations in the Multi-GNSS Experiment (MGEX) network with a testing period of two weeks is conducted in order to evaluate the convergence performance of real-time PPP in a simulated kinematic mode. The experimental result shows that real-time PPP can achieve a convergence performance of less than 15 min for an accuracy level of 20 cm. Finally, the real-time data streams from 12 globally distributed IGS/MGEX stations for one month are used to assess and validate the positioning accuracy of real-time multi-GNSS PPP. The results show that the simulated kinematic positioning accuracy achieved by real-time PPP on different stations is about 3.0 to 4.0 cm for the horizontal direction and 5.0 to 7.0 cm for the three-dimensional (3D) direction.

GA-ARMA Model for Predicting IGS RTS Corrections

The global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is widely used to estimate user positions. For precise positioning, users should correct for GNSS error components such as satellite orbit and clock errors as well as ionospheric delay. The international GNSS service (IGS) real-time service (RTS) can be used to correct orbit and clock errors in real-time. Since the IGS RTS provides real-time corrections via the Internet, intermittent data loss can occur due to software or hardware failures. We propose applying a genetic algorithm autoregressive moving average (GA-ARMA) model to predict the IGS RTS corrections during data loss periods. The RTS orbit and clock corrections are predicted up to 900 s via the GA-ARMA model, and the prediction accuracies are compared with the results from a generic ARMA model. The orbit prediction performance of the GA-ARMA is nearly equivalent to that of ARMA, but GA-ARMA’s clock prediction performance is clearly better than that of ARMA, achieving a 32% error reduction. Predicted RTS corrections are applied to the broadcast ephemeris, and precise point positioning accuracies are compared. GA-ARMA shows a significant accuracy improvement over ARMA, particularly in terms of vertical positioning.

IGS RTS precise orbits and clocks verification and quality degradation over time

The International GNSS Service (IGS) real-time service (RTS) provides access to real-time precise products such as orbits, clocks and code biases, which can be used as a substitute for ultra-rapid products in real-time applications. The true performance of these products can be assessed by the Analysis Centers daily statistics derived from the comparison with IGS rapid products. Additionally, indirect verification is performed by their application to various precise point positioning strategies. Monitoring results and basic descriptions of these products are available at the official RTS Web page ( http://rts.igs.org/ ). We present a more detailed description of RTS products. Information from various sources is collected to provide products application methodology and describe their important features. We provide extended verification of the products using 1 week of real-time correction data. Results are presented separately for GNSS constellations, considering satellite block and type of onboard clock. Comparison with ESA/European Space Operations Centre final products proves the high accuracy of RTS orbits and clocks, which is 5 cm for GPS orbits, 8 cm for GPS clocks, 13 cm for GLONASS orbits and 24 cm for GLONASS clocks. The real-time correction performance is also examined regarding availability and latency. In general, the availability of corrections was beyond 95 % for GPS and beyond 90 % for GLONASS. Since the increasing degradation of product quality with latency is critical for real-time applications, the relation between product latency and accuracy is analyzed. It confirms that high-rate stream update intervals are suitable for the data provided and that the obsolete data should not be used. To avoid this, we propose a method of short-term prediction of RTS corrections that extends the application period of obsolete correction data without a significant loss in orbit quality. Using polynomial fitting, it is possible to forecast the orbit corrections reliably up to 8 min for GPS and 4 min for GLONASS.