Multi-constellation Global Navigation Satellite Systems Research Articles

Investigation of the accuracy of BeiDou, QZSS and QZSS/BeiDou satellites configuration for short, medium and long baselines in the Asia-Pacific regions

Abstract The field of satellite navigation has seen significant advancements due to the fast development of multi-constellation Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS). Around 150 satellites will be in service when all six systems – GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, and NAVIC – are launched by 2030, offering both enormous potential and advantages for research and engineering applications. This study used an experiment on the accuracy, particularly for short, medium, long baselines (Wide Lane ambiguity solution) of the BeiDou, QZSS and QZSS/BeiDou combinations. It showed that with the integration of BeiDou/QZSS static measurements in the study region millimetre-centimetre accuracy for short, medium, and long baselines can be attained. Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that the 1st (QZSS/BeiDou), 2nd (BeiDou), and 3rd (QZSS) strategies feature different horizontal accuracies for all categories. The obtained results with different satellite configurations for the Fixed-Wide-Lane integer ambiguity solution are compared with each other. Accuracy at the short baseline (BeiDou, QZSS, and BeiDou/QZSS satellites) was obtained in the range of 0.5–0.7 cm. For the medium baseline, it was computed around 1.8–82 cm. For the long baseline, the accuracy was 5.6–13.3 cm.

Evaluating the single-frequency static precise point positioning accuracies from multi-constellation GNSS observations at an Indian low-latitude station

Abstract Multiple constellations and their combinations in the global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) provide a great opportunity for single-station precise point positioning (PPP) models. The PPP models are of more importance for GNSS users as they are cost-effective with reasonable accuracy. There are abundant models in the market that use different data processing techniques based on the location and constellations used. In this study, we used the precise point positioning (PPP) software Net_Diff to verify the positioning accuracy at a low latitude Indian location using individual global satellite constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou) and their combinations with GPS fixed. The ionospheric correction models such as GIM and Klobuchar are applied in the post-processing to determine the positioning accuracy. The Kalman filter method is applied to model the input data along with including the noise to derive the position solution. The results revealed that the GPS showed constant residual error for both quiet and disturbed days. In terms of single constellation Galileo produced less residuals in WGS 84 and ECEF coordinate systems whereas in the multi-constellation combination GPS, Galileo and GLONASS resulted in residuals of lesser magnitudes compared to the other combinations considered in this study. The RMS and STD of the residuals confirmed the high precision for Galileo and low precision for BeiDou constellations at the location.

Enhanced GNSS Reliability on High-Dynamic Platforms: A Comparative Study of Multi-Frequency, Multi-Constellation Signals in Jamming Environments

The global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals are vulnerable to disruption sources, such as signal jamming. This, in turn, can cause severe degradation or discontinuities of the GNSS-based position, navigation, and timing services. The availability of multi-frequency signals from multi-constellation GNSS systems, such as Galileo and GLONASS, along with the modernization of GPS with multi-frequency signals, has the potential to increase the immunity of GNSS-based navigation systems to signal jamming. Despite various studies completed on the utilization of multi-frequency and multi-constellation global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals to resist receiver jamming, there is still an urge to further investigate this concern under different circumstances. This paper presents an experimental evaluation of the advantages of the employment of multi-frequency multi-constellation GNSS signals for better GNSS receivers’ performance during signal jamming situations for high-dynamic platforms such as aircraft/drones. Additionally, the study examines the effects of both simulated and real jamming signals on all possible combinations of the GPS, Galileo, and GLONASS signal frequencies and constellations. Two airplane trajectory routes were built, and their corresponding RF signals were generated using the Spirent and Orolia GNSS signal simulators. The results indicated that the GPS multi-frequency-based solution maintains reliable positioning performance to some extent under low jamming scenarios. However, the combination of GPS, Galileo, and GLONASS signals proved its ability to provide a continuous and accurate positioning solution during both low and high jamming scenarios.

A Flexible System-on-Chip Field-Programmable Gate Array Architecture for Prototyping Experimental Global Navigation Satellite System Receivers

Global navigation satellite system (GNSS) technology is evolving at a rapid pace. The rapid advancement demands rapid prototyping tools to conduct research on new and innovative signals and systems. However, researchers need to deal with the increasing complexity and integration level of GNSS integrated circuits (IC), resulting in limited access to modify or inspect any internal aspect of the receiver. To address these limitations, the authors designed a low-cost System-on-Chip Field-Programmable Gate Array (SoC-FPGA) architecture for prototyping experimental GNSS receivers. The proposed architecture combines the flexibility of software-defined radio (SDR) techniques and the energy efficiency of FPGAs, enabling the development of compact, portable, multi-channel, multi-constellation GNSS receivers for testing novel and non-standard GNSS features with live signals. This paper presents the proposed architecture and design methodology, reviewing the practical application of a spaceborne GNSS receiver and a GNSS rebroadcaster, and introducing the design and initial performance evaluation of a general purpose GNSS receiver serving as a testbed for future research. The receiver is tested, demonstrating the ability of the receiver to acquire and track GNSS signals using static and low Earth orbit (LEO)-scenarios, assessing the observables’ quality and the accuracy of the navigation solutions.

Trailing Equatorial Plasma Bubble Occurrences at a Low-Latitude Location through Multi-GNSS Slant TEC Depletions during the Strong Geomagnetic Storms in the Ascending Phase of the 25th Solar Cycle

The equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) are depleted plasma density regions in the ionosphere occurring during the post-sunset hours, associated with the signal fading and scintillation signatures in the trans-ionospheric radio signals. Severe scintillations may critically affect the performance of dynamic systems relying on global navigation satellite system (GNSS)-based services. Furthermore, the occurrence of scintillations in the equatorial and low latitudes can be triggered or inhibited during space weather events. In the present study, the possible presence of the EPBs during the geomagnetic storm periods under the 25th solar cycle is investigated using the GNSS-derived total electron content (TEC) depletion characteristics at a low-latitude equatorial ionization anomaly location, i.e., KL University, Guntur (Geographic 16°26′N, 80°37′E and dip 22°32′) in India. The detrended TEC with a specific window size is used to capture the characteristic depletion signatures, indicating the possible presence of the EPBs. Moreover, the TEC depletions, amplitude (S4) and phase scintillation (σφ) indices from multi-constellation GNSS signals are probed to verify the vulnerability of the signals towards the scintillation effects over the region. Observations confirm that all GNSS constellations witness TEC depletions between 15:00 UT and 18:00 UT, which is in good agreement with the recorded scintillation indices. We report characteristic depletion depths (22 to 45 TECU) and depletion times (28 to 48 min) across different constellations confirming the triggering of EPBs during the geomagnetic storm event on 23 April 2023. Unlikely, but the other storm events evidently inhibited TEC depletion, confirming suppressed EPBs. The results suggest that TEC depletions from the traditional geodetic GNSS stations could be used to substantiate the EPB characteristics for developing regional as well as global scintillation mitigation strategies.

Analysis of Ionospheric Scintillations using GPS and NavIC Combined Constellation

The disturbances and irregularities in the ionosphere are the primarily recognized ramifications of space weather called scintillations. Irregularities in the electron densities are the source of the ionospheric scintillations. This article investigates the ionospheric scintillations, which are predominant in the trans-equatorial and equatorial regions. Based on the data from a multi-constellation Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receiver at the Chaitanya Bharathi Institute of Technology Hyderabad, the relationship between the amplitude scintillation index S4 and the rate of change of total electron content (ROTI) is examined. The correlation coefficient between S4 and ROTI is demonstrated in this article. The outcome validates the usefulness of the ROTI in identifying the scintillations.

Role of Multi-Constellation GNSS in the Mitigation of the Observation Errors and the Enhancement of the Positioning Accuracy

Using Precise point positioning (PPP) technique can help to reach decimeters accuracy for positioning by using one receiver only. Since it set to track Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). Recently BeiDou and Galileo systems have been devolved periodically and increasing the number of working satellites. Addition to those all-global Navigation systems is able to receive triple frequency signals. The effect of using Multi constellation of GNSS and combination of different systems with each other’s need to be investigated. In this paper, four Multi GNSS EXPERIMENT (MGEX) stations with 24 hours observation files and 30 second interval time during a 1 week of averaged data of January 2020 (2134 GPS week) are used to investigate the accuracy of using combined solution of GNSS with 12 cases of study. Data were processed by PPPH program. To investigate the effect of using the different GNSS combinations while using the PPP method, contrast experiments have been tested by mixing dual frequency ionospheric-free PPP models in static mode with G only, GLO only, G + GLO, G+ B, GLO+B, G+GAL, GLO+GAL, GLO+B+GAL, GNSS, G +GAL+B, G+GLO+B and G+GLO+GAL combination cases, where G refers to GPS, GLO refers to GLONASS, GAL refers to Galileo and B refers to BeiDou. The results show that the combined GPS and Galileo observation in PPP solution improves the convergence time and gives the shortest convergence time of the 12 study cases with average value 53 minute and with minimum value 35 minute. By comparing the root mean square error (RMS) values, the combination of G+GL+B had the minimum RMS error in North and East direction with minimum value 1.2 cm, maximum value 1.8 cm and average value1.45 cm. And the combination of GLO+GAL+B had the minimum RMS errors in up directions with average value 2.775 cm and minimum 2.775 cm and maximum 4.5 cm. In conclusion, the results indicate that the combination of different GNSS can give more accurate solution of the PPP. The combined PPP has shown an improvement in the convergence time in the case of using combined of G and GAL observation, while the positioning accuracy after convergence has no shown significant improvement. The result of G+GAL+B give the minimum RMS error in North and East direction and the combination of GLO+GAL+B give the minimum RMS errors in up directions.

RAIM and Failure Mode Slope: Effects of Increased Number of Measurements and Number of Faults.

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of the increasing number of measurements and the possible increase in the number of faults in multi-constellation Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring (RAIM). Residual-based fault detection and integrity monitoring techniques are ubiquitous in linear over-determined sensing systems. An important application is RAIM, as used in multi-constellation GNSS-based positioning. This is a field in which the number of measurements, m, available per epoch is rapidly increasing due to new satellite systems and modernization. Spoofing, multipath, and non-line of sight signals could potentially affect a large number of these signals. This article fully characterizes the impact of measurement faults on the estimation (i.e., position) error, the residual, and their ratio (i.e., the failure mode slope) by analyzing the range space of the measurement matrix and its orthogonal complement. For any fault scenario affecting h measurements, the eigenvalue problem that defines the worst-case fault is expressed and analyzed in terms of these orthogonal subspaces, which enables further analysis. For h>(m-n), where n is the number of estimated variables, it is known that there always exist faults that are undetectable from the residual vector, yielding an infinite value for the failure mode slope. This article uses the range space and its complement to explain: (1) why, for fixed h and n, the failure mode slope decreases with m; (2) why, for a fixed n and m, the failure mode slope increases toward infinity as h increases; (3) why a failure mode slope can become infinite for h≤(m-n). A set of examples demonstrate the results of the paper.

Assessment of a dual-frequency multi-GNSS smartphone for surveying applications

AbstractThis study assesses the application of a smartphone with dual-frequency multi-constellation GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) receiver in surveying. Measurements are made with the Pixel 5 from the manufacturer Google LLC. The recorded satellite data is evaluated in post-processing with positioning methods based on code and phase observations. The focus here is led on the achievable positioning accuracies and resulting deviations of the different estimated solutions from reference points serving as ground truth. It could be shown that the Pixel 5, although it enables the recording of satellite data on two frequency bands, can only be used to a limited extent in practical surveying tasks because it does not met the accuracy requirements in the centimetre range in our experiments. The low quality of the measurement data is problematic, which is why solutions over two frequency bands and based on phase observations are only possible to a limited extent. Nevertheless, with long observation times, results with a positioning accuracy of less than half a metre can be achieved with the smartphone. Thus, the Pixel 5 can be used for applications with lower accuracy requirements such as data acquisition for Geographic Information Systems (GIS).

Improving the performance of GNSS precise point positioning by developed robust adaptive Kalman filter

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) Precise Point Positioning (PPP) is a great precision positioning method based on GNSS. PPP based on multi-constellation GNSS uses the extended Kalman filter (EKF). Inappropriately, the measurement outliers and the system's dynamic model might produce mistakes in the positioning accuracy acquired using this method. An adaptive robust Kalman filter (RKF) was recently developed in order to alleviate these errors. In addition, the preceding variance is sometimes used to determine the weights of different categories of observations, which has an effect on PPP performance. A novel developed robust adaptive filtering (DRKF) has been developed to provide better placement results. For the equivalent weight matrix to be generated, an equivalent weight model that is statistically robust by the chi-square test for classification is constructed in this technique. According to prior Kalman filter models employing International GNSS Service (IGS) final clock and orbit products, the performance of GNSS PPP using the DRKF is confirmed in contrast to those produced using the current model. DRKF surpasses traditional robust adaptive filters in terms of positioning accuracy, convergence time, and PPP sturdiness according to the results of this study. In comparison to RKF, DRKF improves the positioning solution by 201 mm with 119.10 %, 77 mm with 164.86 %, and 160 mm with 211.74 % in the east, north, and up (ENZ) directions, respectively. It is recommended to use the newly developed robust adaptive Kalman filter in kinematic mode, especially in urban areas, due to the noticeable improvement in position accuracy.

Assessment of Real-Time GPS/BDS-2/BDS-3 Single-Frequency PPP and INS Tight Integration Using Different RTS Products

Due to the virtues of low-cost and high positioning accuracy, Single-Frequency Precise Point Positioning (SF-PPP) is becoming a prospective technique. However, SF-PPP is not as widely used as dual-frequency and triple-frequency PPP at present, owing to the effect of ionospheric delay residuals after model rectification. In recent years, with the evolution of multi-constellation Global Navigation Satellite Systems (multi-GNSS, i.e., GPS, BDS-2, and BDS-3), it has become possible to obtain credible and continuous positioning results using SF-PPP. However, such performance would be significantly degraded in challenging environments (i.e., boulevards, tunnels, and tall buildings). Under these circumstances, GNSS signals are obstructed, and it is difficult to provide sufficient observations for SF-PPP. Therefore, the Inertial Navigation System (INS) is employed to promote the positioning performance of SF-PPP. The PPP/INS integration is regarded as one of the most efficient approaches in GNSS-denied environments. To satisfy the request of supplying real-time positioning information, the Real-Time Services (RTS) of the International GNSS Service (IGS) provide real-time precise orbit and clock products for globally distributed users through the internet. In this paper, a real-time GPS/BDS-2/BDS-3 SF-PPP and INS tight integration model is proposed, and it is assessed using the data gathered by vehicle and real-time products afforded by CAS (Chinese Academy of Sciences), GFZ (Deutsche GeoForschungsZentrum), and WHU (Wuhan University). The outcomes illustrate the following: (1) GPS + BDS SF-PPP/INS can provide more accurate and continuous positioning solutions compared with those of GPS + BDS SF-PPP, with improvements of 52.8%, 31.1%, and 42.8% in the north, east, and vertical components, respectively. (2) In general, the orbit and clock products’ accuracies in terms of GPS afforded by the three analysis centers are consistent with each other. For BDS, the orbit product from WHU is more accurate compared to those of CAS and GFZ. However, the accuracy of the clock product afforded by WHU is lower compared with those provided by the other two centers, especially for BDS-2 satellites. (3) The positioning accuracy in terms of Root Mean Square (RMS) values based on GFZ products are much higher than the results based on CAS and WHU products in the three directions.

Implementation and Performance Analysis of Constellation Dynamic Selection in Multi-Constellation RAIM.

Global navigation satellite system (GNSS) plays a crucial role in many fields, such as aerospace and transportation. Integrity is the measure of trust used in GNSS positioning especially in safety-critical applications. Advanced receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (ARAIM), taking full advantage of multi-constellation GNSS, shows huge potential to provide vertical navigation in civil aviation en route navigation and terminal approaches. However, the multi-constellation ARAIM also greatly exposes computational complexity and potential performance hazards in fault modes determination and fault-tolerant positioning. From the perspective of integrity risk control, rather than the pursuit of better positioning accuracy blindly for safety-critical applications, the concept of constellation dynamic selection is proposed and implemented in ARAIM and the performance analysis is discussed in this paper. Only the best two constellations which have the best vertical geometry performance are involved in ARAIM calculation anytime anywhere. The proposed method shows superiority in both integrity availability and computational complexity in both simulations and actual GNSS signal experiments. While the computational complexity is less than 10% of that using four constellations, 100% availability under LPV-200 criteria can be achieved in worldwide coverage experiment. The proposed method also overcomes the shortcomings of ARAIM with two fixed constellations and shows good robustness under depleted scenarios. Furthermore, the statistics results from observation stations proved the applicability and generality of the proposed method under current developing GNSS constellations.

Vertical Protection Level Optimization and Availability Analysis for Advanced RAIM

With the introduction of global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs) in aviation, there has been increased dependency on GNSS position. Multi-constellation GNSS services and equipment will remain a solution for many aircraft positions in safety. Multi-constellation GNSS can improve robustness and navigation performance. Therefore, advanced receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (advanced RAIM or ARAIM) technology is being developed as an augmentation method for GNSS users under multi-constellation. ARAIM can allow increased service level globally and provide vertical guidance during the approach phase for aircrafts. Since the traditional ARAIM algorithm uses the average allocation strategy to allocate integrity and continuity risk, an allocation approach based on the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is presented in this article. Different allocation strategies for integrity and continuity risk are chosen as different particles, and the weighted sum of vertical protection level corresponding to different fault subsets is selected as the fitness function to optimize the allocation strategy and the corresponding VPL. Based on real GNSS data, the ARAIM algorithm under multi-constellation is analyzed. The experimental results demonstrate that the integrity and continuity risk allocation method based on the proposed algorithm optimizes the VPL and improves the global availability of ARAIM under multi-constellation.

High-Rate Attitude Determination of Moving Vehicles With GNSS: GPS, BDS, GLONASS, and Galileo

We investigate the long-term performance and improvement of high-rate multiconstellation Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) or multi-GNSS attitude determination in a dynamical environment and evaluate how much each GNSS contributes to such an improvement with applications to land vehicle navigation. We build a multiantenna GNSS system with three nondedicated receivers and conduct two experiments with quad-constellations in GNSS-friendly and GNSS-challenged environments on January 19 and 23, 2018, respectively. A high-grade inertial measurement unit (IMU) provides a reference of comparison for dynamic attitude solutions. In the static case, the global positioning system (GPS), BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS), and GLObal NAvigation Satellite System (GLONASS) single-constellation solutions have basically the same performance for both experiments. In the dynamic case, GPS achieves the best accuracy in the experiment on January 19, while on January 23, GPS and GLONASS achieve very similar accuracy and significantly outperform BDS in the pitch and roll components. The different dynamic performances of these single constellations are primarily attributed to their differences in observation noise level and satellite geometry strength. By combining GPS, BDS, GLONASS, and Galileo, the multi-GNSS solution performs significantly better than any single-constellation solution. The average improvements in the dynamic cases are 26.2%, 40.7%, and 36.0% on January 19 and 19.2%, 30.0%, and 36.2% on January 23 in the yaw, pitch, and roll components, respectively. The attitude solutions on January 19 are always better determined than on January 23 in the dynamic cases, which should clearly indicate the importance of combining multiple GNSS constellations and the benefit of more observed satellites and a stronger satellite geometry in GNSS-challenged environments. We also introduce the concept of “influence rate” and quantitatively analyze the contribution of each GNSS system to the combined attitude solution.

A novel method of ambiguity resolution and cycle slip processing for single-frequency GNSS/INS tightly coupled integration system

The integrated navigation of single-frequency global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and inertial navigation system (INS) has broad application prospects with the development of multi-constellation GNSS. However, GNSS signals are susceptible to interference from a complex environment, which results in low-quality observations. The combination of frequencies cannot be applied for a single-frequency signal, so it is difficult to fix the ambiguity and process cycle slip. Therefore, the method of ambiguity resolution and cycle slip processing with INS aiding is proposed in this paper. When full ambiguities cannot be completely fixed, a subset of ambiguity is determined based on the elevation angle and posteriori residuals. The satellite is firstly eliminated one by one if the absolute value of posteriori residual is over the set threshold. And if the ambiguities still cannot be fixed, the satellite with the minimum elevation angle is eliminated each one. The short-term and high-accuracy position predicted by the INS was used as the constraint equation of the cycle slip detection. The unit weight mean square error of the cycle slip detection equation was used to identify the epoch where the cycle slip occurs, and the residual calculated by robust estimation was used to detect and repair the cycle slip. A set of data collected by a vehicle was used to analyze the proposed method. The experimental results showed that the proposed partial ambiguity resolution can obtain the optimal ambiguity fixing rate and positioning performance compared with the full ambiguity resolution and partial ambiguity resolution based on the elevation angle. The proposed algorithm can effectively detect and accurately repair the cycle slip for the simulated small and large cycle slips, and the cycle slips can still be detected when the global positioning system (GPS), global navigation satellite system of Russia (GLONASS), and BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS) were outage for 10 s, 5 s, and 10 s without sufficient visible satellites.

A Seamless Navigation System and Applications for Autonomous Vehicles Using a Tightly Coupled GNSS/UWB/INS/Map Integration Scheme

Seamless positioning systems for complex environments have been a popular focus of research on positioning safety for autonomous vehicles (AVs). In particular, the seamless high-precision positioning of AVs indoors and outdoors still poses considerable challenges and requires continuous, reliable, and high-precision positioning information to guarantee the safety of driving. To obtain effective positioning information, multiconstellation global navigation satellite system (multi-GNSS) real-time kinematics (RTK) and an inertial navigation system (INS) have been widely integrated into AVs. However, integrated multi-GNSS and INS applications cannot provide effective and seamless positioning results for AVs in indoor and outdoor environments due to limited satellite availability, multipath effects, frequent signal blockages, and the lack of GNSS signals indoors. In this contribution, multi-GNSS-tightly coupled (TC) RTK/INS technology is developed to solve the positioning problem for a challenging urban outdoor environment. In addition, ultrawideband (UWB)/INS technology is developed to provide accurate and continuous positioning results in indoor environments, and INS and map information are used to identify and eliminate UWB non-line-of-sight (NLOS) errors. Finally, an improved adaptive robust extended Kalman filter (AREKF) algorithm based on a TC integrated single-frequency multi-GNSS-TC RTK/UWB/INS/map system is studied to provide continuous, reliable, high-precision positioning information to AVs in indoor and outdoor environments. Experimental results show that the proposed scheme is capable of seamlessly guaranteeing the positioning accuracy of AVs in complex indoor and outdoor environments involving many measurement outliers and environmental interference effects.

Kalman–Hatch dual‐filter integrating global navigation satellite system/inertial navigation system/on‐board diagnostics/altimeter for precise positioning in urban canyons

For improved positioning in urban canyons, this study proposes an efficient dual-filter method integrating multi-constellation global navigation satellite system (GNSS), an inertial navigation system (INS), a barometric altimeter and an on-board diagnostics (OBD) module. The proposed method consists of a position-domain (PD) Hatch filter and velocity Kalman filter. The Hatch filter is operated as the main positioning filter and the Kalman filter is operated as a sub-filter to aid the main filter for the occasional GNSS outages. The Hatch filter combines barometric altimeter measurements with GNSS pseudorange and carrier phase measurements. The Kalman filter integrates the inertial measurement unit (IMU) measurements with GNSS Doppler shift and OBD speed measurements. A semi-simulation method is applied for the accurate performance evaluation of the proposed method compared with the several conventional methods under deficient satellite visibility, multipath errors and cycle slips caused by urban canyons. By the test results, it is demonstrated that the proposed method can bound the positioning errors effectively by utilising low-cost all-weather sensors. The RMSEs of the proposed Kalman–Hatch dual-filter algorithm were shown as 0.05, 0.19 and 0.11 m, respectively, and the maximum errors were shown as 0.16, 0.26 and 0.40 m, respectively, in the east, north and upward directions.

Performance Assessment of Real-Time Multiconstellation GNSS PPP Using a Low-Cost Dual-Frequency GNSS Module

Abstract The release of low-cost dual-frequency (DF) global navigation satellite system (GNSS) modules provides an opportunity for low-cost precise positioning to support autonomous vehicle applications. The new GNSS modules support the US global positioning system (GPS) L1C/L2C or L5 civilian signals, the Russian GNSS Globalnaya Navigazionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema (GLONASS) L1/L2, Europe’s GNSS Galileo E1/E5b, and Chinese GNSS BeiDou B1/B2 signals. The availability of the DF measurements allows for removal of the ionospheric delay, enhancing the obtained positioning accuracy. Unfortunately, however, the L2C signals are only transmitted by modernized GPS satellites. This means that fewer GPS DF measurements are available. This, in turn, might affect the accuracy and the convergence of the GPS-only precise point positioning (PPP) solution. Multi-constellation GNSS PPP has the potential to improve the positioning accuracy and solution convergence due to the high redundancy of GNSS measurements. This paper aims to assess the performance of real-time quad-constellation GNSS PPP using the low-cost u-blox Z9D-F9P module. The assessment is carried out for both open-sky and challenging environment scenarios. Static, simulated-kinematic, and actual field-kinematic trials have been carried out to evaluate real-time PPP performance. Pre-saved real-time precise orbit and clock products from the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales are used to simulate the real-time scenario. It is shown that the quad-constellation GNSS PPP using the low-cost u-blox Z9D-F9P module achieves decimeter-level positioning accuracy in both the static and simulated-kinematic modes. In addition, the PPP solution convergence is improved compared to the dual- and triple-constellation GNSS PPP counterparts. For the actual kinematic trial, decimeter-level horizontal positioning accuracy is achieved through the GPS + GLONASS + Galileo PPP compared with submeter-level positioning accuracy for the GPS + GLONASS and GPS + Galileo PPP counterparts. Additionally, submeter-level vertical positioning accuracy is achieved through the GPS + GLONASS + Galileo PPP compared with meter-level positioning accuracy for GPS + GLONASS and GPS + Galileo PPP counterparts.

Kinematic Zenith Tropospheric Delay Estimation with GNSS PPP in Mountainous Areas

The use of global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) precise point positioning (PPP) to estimate zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) profiles in kinematic vehicular mode in mountainous areas is investigated. Car-mounted multi-constellation GNSS receivers are employed. The Natural Resources Canada Canadian Spatial Reference System PPP (CSRS-PPP) online service that currently processes dual-frequency global positioning system (GPS) and Global’naya Navigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema (GLONASS) measurements and is now capable of GPS integer ambiguity resolution is used. An offline version that can process the above and Galileo measurements simultaneously, including Galileo integer ambiguity resolution is also tested to evaluate the advantage of three constellations. A multi-day static data set observed under open sky is first tested to determine performance under ideal conditions. Two long road profile tests conducted in kinematic mode are then analyzed to assess the capability of the approach. The challenges of ZTD kinematic profiling are numerous, namely shorter data sets, signal shading due to topography and forests of conifers along roads, and frequent losses of phase lock requiring numerous but not always successful integer ambiguity re-initialization. ZTD profiles are therefore often only available with float ambiguities, reducing system observability. Occasional total interruption of measurement availability results in profile discontinuities. CSRS-PPP outputs separately the zenith hydrostatic or dry delay (ZHD) and water vapour content or zenith wet delay (ZWD). The two delays are analyzed separately, with emphasis on the more unpredictable and highly variable ZWD, especially in mountainous areas. The estimated delays are compared with the Vienna Mapping Function 1 (VMF1), which proves to be highly effective to model the large-scale profile variations in the Canadian Rockies, the main contribution of GNSS PPP being the estimation of higher frequency ZWD components. Of the many conclusions drawn from the field experiments, it is estimated that kinematic profiles are generally determined with accuracy of 10 to 20 mm, depending on the signal harshness of the environment.

A satellite selection algorithm based on adaptive simulated annealing particle swarm optimization for the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System/Global Positioning System receiver

In this article, we propose a new particle swarm optimization–based satellite selection algorithm for BeiDou Navigation Satellite System/Global Positioning System receiver, which aims to reduce the computational complexity of receivers under the multi-constellation Global Navigation Satellite System. The influences of the key parameters of the algorithm—such as the inertia weighting factor, acceleration coefficient, and population size—on the performance of the particle swarm optimization satellite selection algorithm are discussed herein. In addition, the algorithm is improved using the adaptive simulated annealing particle swarm optimization (ASAPSO) approach to prevent converging to a local minimum. The new approach takes advantage of the adaptive adjustment of the evolutionary parameters and particle velocity; thus, it improves the ability of the approach to escape local extrema. The theoretical derivations are discussed. The experiments are validated using 3-h real Global Navigation Satellite System observation data. The results show that in terms of the accuracy of the geometric dilution of precision error of the algorithm, the ASAPSO satellite selection algorithm is about 86% smaller than the greedy satellite selection algorithm, and about 80% is less than the geometric dilution of precision error of the particle swarm optimization satellite selection algorithm. In addition, the speed of selecting the minimum geometric dilution of precision value of satellites based on the ASAPSO algorithm is better than that of the traditional traversal algorithm and particle swarm optimization algorithm. Therefore, the proposed ASAPSO algorithm reduces the satellite selection time and improves the geometric dilution of precision using the selected satellite algorithm.