Phase Center Corrections Research Articles

Analysis of Comparability of PCV in Surveying-Grade GNSS Antenna – Topcon HIPER-VR Case Study

ABSTRACT It is well known that the phase center of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna is not a stable point. For any given GNSS antenna, the phase center will change with the direction of the incoming signal from a satellite, as well as the frequency. Ignoring these phase center variations (PCVs) in GNSS data processing can lead to notable errors, especially in vertical position component determination. To avoid the problem, antenna PCV together with the phase center offset (PCO) information are recommended to be used in GNSS observation processing. We currently distinguish between individual and type-mean phase center correction (PCC) models. These models describe the variations in the phase center of the antenna as a function of the elevation angle and azimuth. In general, the primary difference between individual and type-mean models lies in their specificity. Individual models are highly precise but are valid only for a particular antenna model, while the type-mean models are more general and can be applied to a broad range of antennas of the same type, but may suffer from a lower level of precision. This paper aims to analyze the comparability of PCV in surveying-grade GNSS antennas. For the analyses, we propose to use an originally designed bench with precisely defined relative positions of the seven antenna mounting points. Preliminary studies have been performed using GPS observations on L1 and L2 frequencies recorded by seven Topcon HIPER-VR antennas. The results proved that the comparability of PCV for this antenna is high. The position error did not exceed 3 mm. It could be assumed that the type-mean PCC model could describe PCV all antennas of this type with good accuracy.

GRACE-FO attitude determination: Star camera installation matrix calibration and incremental quaternion integrator

The satellite attitude error is transmitted to the gravity field through KBR antenna phase center correction and non-conservative force conversion, which affects the accuracy of gravity field inversion. Therefore, obtaining high-precision satellite attitude is one of the important research contents of gravity field inversion. Each satellite of GRACE-FO is equipped with three SCs and an IMU for satellite attitude measurement, and fusion of these two types of data can obtain high-precision satellite attitude. In this paper, we use kalman filter to fuse the original GRACE-FO 1A observation data, and take into account the calibration of the installation matrix of the SCs during the fusion process. Meanwhile, a quaternion integrator that takes angle increments as inputs is derived from the equivalent rotation vector differential equation to address the computational inefficiency of first-order quaternion integrator, the accuracy and computational efficiency are verified using measured data. The experimental results show that after the calibration of the installation matrix of the SCs, the system bias of 20′′ caused by switching from three SCs observations to two SCs observations can be eliminated. The standard deviation of the attitude difference between the obtained attitude in this paper and the attitude calculated by JPL is at most 6′′ and the proposed incremental quaternion integrator has the same accuracy as the first-order quaternion integrator but with computational efficiency improved by at least 35%.

Estimation of phase center corrections for BDS satellites aligned to the IGS20 frame

Estimation of phase center corrections for BDS satellites aligned to the IGS20 frame

GNSS Receiver Antenna Absolute Field Calibration System Development: Testing and Preliminary Results

For high-precision Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) positioning based on carrier-phase measurements, knowledge of the GNSS receiver antenna electrical signal reception characteristics, i.e., phase center, is crucial. Numerous studies have led to the understanding of the influence of GNSS receiver antenna phase center corrections (PCCs) on GNSS positioning accuracy and other estimated parameters (e.g., receiver clock estimates, ambiguities, etc.). With the goal of determining the PCC model of GNSS receiver antennas, only a few antenna calibration systems/facilities are in operation or under development worldwide. The International GNSS Service (IGS) publishes type-mean PCC models for almost all geodetic-grade GNSS antennas. However, the type-mean models are not perfect and do not fully reflect the signal reception properties of individual GNSS receiver antennas. Relevant published scientific research has shown that the application of individual PCC models significantly improves the accuracy of GNSS positioning and other estimated parameters. In this article, the new automated GNSS antenna calibration system, recently developed at the Laboratory for Measurements and Measuring Technique (LMMT) of the Faculty of Geodesy of the University of Zagreb in Croatia, is presented. The developed system is an absolute field calibration system based on the utilization of a Mitsubishi MELFA 6-axis industrial robot. During calibration, the robot tilts and rotates the GNSS antenna under test (AUT) around a fixed point within the antenna. The antenna PCC modelling is based on time-differenced double-difference carrier-phase observations. Our preliminary results for the Global Positioning System (GPS) L1 (G01) frequency show a submillimeter repeatability of the estimated PCC model and a submillimeter agreement with the Geo++ GmbH calibration results.

Absolute field calibration of receiver antenna phase center models for GPS/BDS-3 signals

With the advancement of multi-GNSS systems, the field calibration of GNSS receiver antennas has been updated at Wuhan University. Benefiting from the use of a six-axis robot that can change its position and attitude precisely, multisession calibration experiments were implemented for several antennas of two types. The calibrations show a high stability of 1 mm for both the phase center offset and phase variation estimation. Compared to the models disclosed in igs14.atx and igsR3.atx, phase center correction differences at the 1 mm level can be obtained for most signals for elevation angles above 15°. For lower elevations, the consistency with the reference model increases to 2–3 mm or more. The consistency of calibrations with different receivers was investigated, and root mean square of differences between these models was better than 0.15 mm. In a short-baseline positioning experiment, the coordinate discrepancies introduced by an antenna phase center (APC) model between GPS and BDS-3 signals could be significantly reduced to the 1 mm level. Compared to the reference coordinates, the positioning accuracies for GPS and BDS-3 were both less than 2 mm with the adoption of the calibrated APC model. The multi-GNSS calibration system tested in this experiment is preliminarily proven reliable and could be applied to future antenna calibration for multi-GNSS applications.

A Relative Field Antenna Calibration Method Designed for Low-Cost GNSS Antennas by Exploiting Triple-Differenced Measurements

Performing the high-precision Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) applications with low-cost antennas is an up-and-coming research field. However, the antenna-induced phase biases, i.e., phase center corrections (PCCs), of the low-cost antennas can be up to centimeters and need to be calibrated in advance. The relative field antenna calibration method is easy to conduct, but the classical procedure entails integer ambiguity resolution, which may face the problem of low success rate under the centimeter-level PCCs. In this contribution, we designed a relative field calibration method suitable for the low-cost GNSS antennas. The triple-differencing operations were utilized to eliminate the carrier-phase ambiguities and then construct PCC measurements; the time-differencing interval was set to a relatively long time span, such as one hour, and the reference satellite was selected according to the angular distance it passed over during a time-differencing interval. To reduce the effect of significant triple-differencing noise, a weight setting method based on the area of a spherical quadrilateral was proposed for the spherical harmonics fitting process. The duration of the data collection with respect to GPS and BDS was discussed. The performance of the proposed method was assessed with real GPS and BDS observations and a variety of simulated phase patterns, showing that calibration results could be obtained with millimeter-level accuracy. The impact of cycle slip and elevation mask angle on the calibration results was also analyzed.

Offsets in the EPN station position time series resulting from antenna/radome changes: PCC type-dependent model analyses

The EUREF Permanent Network (EPN) currently consists of more than 300 evenly distributed continuously operating Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) reference stations. As a result of the continuous modernization of GNSS systems, the equipment of reference stations is subject to changes and upgrades. Changes relating to GNSS receiver antenna replacement are considered the main reason for discontinuities noticed in station position time series. It is assumed that resulting offsets are primarily caused by changes in carrier phase multipath effects after antenna replacement. However, the observed position shifts may also indicate the deficiency in the antenna phase center corrections (PCC) models. In this paper, we identified and interpreted the coordinate shifts caused by antenna/radome changes at selected EPN stations. The main objective was to investigate the correlation between the offset occurrence and PCC model type (type mean, individual robot-derived, individual chamber-derived) as well as multipath changes after antenna replacement. For the study, GNSS data from 12 EPN stations covering the years 2017–2019 were analyzed. The results proved that the antenna replacement is critical in the context of station coordinates stability and, in most cases, results in visible shifts in the position component time series. For GPS-only solutions, the most stable results were achieved using robot-derived individual PCC models. On the other hand, in the case of GPS + Galileo processing, the most stable results were obtained using chamber-derived individual PCC models. Furthermore, discontinuities due to the antenna change were noticed in the position time series in 75% of GPS + Galileo solutions. On the other hand, multipath changes arising as the result of antenna replacement were responsible, depending on solution type, for 21–42% of variations in the coordinates.

Phase Centre Corrections of GNSS Antennas and Their Consistency with ATX Catalogues

Changes of the antenna models on permanent global navigation satellite system (GNSS) stations can lead to jumps and discontinuities in the coordinate time series. In this paper, the results of research on the adequacy of the antenna phase centre corrections (PCC) variations are presented by analysing its component—the antennas’ phase centre offset (PCO). For this purpose, height differences were determined using different and independent methods: EUREF Permanent Network (EPN) combined solutions, Precise Point Positioning (PPP), and the single baseline solution. The results of GNSS processing were referenced to direct geometric levelling outputs. The research was conducted only within the global positioning system (GPS) system due to the compatibility of one of the receivers, and the experiment was based on a comparison of the height differences between four GNSS antennas located on the roof of a building: two permanent station antennas and two auxiliary points. The antennas were located at similar heights; precise height differences were determined by geometric levelling, both at the beginning and the end of the session. Post-processing was conducted with the use of the GPS system, precise ephemeris, the adopted antenna correction model, and a zero-elevation mask. For one of the antennas, a change of the antenna characteristic model from IGS08 to IGS14 leads to an 8-mm difference in height. Older antennas used in the national (or transnational) permanent network need individual PCC.

Comparison concept and quality metrics for GNSS antenna calibrations

Precise values for absolute receiver antenna phase centre corrections (PCC) are one prerequisite for high-quality GNSS applications. Currently, antenna calibrations are performed by different institutes using a robot in the field or in an anechoic chamber. The differences between the antenna patterns are significant and require a sound comparison concept and a detailed study to quantify the impact on geodetic parameters, such as station coordinates, zenith wet delays (ZWDs) or receiver clock estimates. Furthermore, a discussion on acceptable pattern uncertainties is needed. Therefore, a comparison strategy for receiver antenna calibration values is presented using a set of individually and absolutely calibrated Leica AR25 antennas from the European Permanent Network (EPN), both from the robot (Geo++ company) and from the chamber approach (University of Bonn). Newly developed scalar metrics and their benefits are highlighted and discussed in relation to further structural analysis. With our metrics, properties of 25 patterns pairs (robot/chamber) could be used to successfully assign seven individual groups. The impact of PCC on the estimated parameters depends on the PCC structure, its sampling by the satellite distribution and the applied processing parameters. A regional sub-network of the EPN is analysed using the double difference (DD) and the precise point positioning (PPP) methods. For DD, depending on the antenna category differences in the estimated parameters between 1 and 12 mm are identified also affecting the ZWDs. For PPP, the consistency of the observables, i.e. potential differences in the reference point of carrier phase and code observations, additionally affects the distribution among the different parameters and residuals.

BDS-3/GNSS multi-frequency precise point positioning ambiguity resolution using observable-specific signal bias

With the completion of the BeiDou Global Navigation Satellite System (BDS-3), more available frequencies have brought opportunities for precise point positioning ambiguity resolution (PPP-AR). This research theoretically deduced the multi-frequency PPP-AR model and the rule of observable-specific signal bias (OSBs) transformation. Then 34 International GNSS Service stations were selected to investigate the multi-frequency BDS-3 and multi-GNSS PPP-AR. The results suggested that the OSBs products provided by Centre National D'Etudes Spatiales (CNES) have absorbed the impact of inter-frequency clock bias and could be directly added to the original observations to restore the integer characteristics of the multi-frequency ambiguity. Meanwhile, the antenna phase center correction should keep consistent when using the CNES OSBs to restore the Melbourne-Wübbena ambiguity. The BDS-3 quad-frequency ambiguity-fixed convergence time was 39.0 and 25.1 min for kinematic and static PPP, which was shortened by nearly 15.0 and 3.4 min than the dual-frequency ambiguity-fixed solution. The quad-system multi-frequency PPP-AR showed the optimal state, which was 0.66, 0.76 and 2.66 cm for kinematic mode while 0.31, 0.31 and 1.02 cm for static mode in east, north, and up directions, respectively.

Effect of PCV and attitude on the precise orbit determination of Jason-3 satellite

Abstract Satellite attitude modes and antenna phase center variations have a great influence on the Precise Orbit Determination (POD) of Low Earth Orbit satellites (LEOs). Inaccurate information about spacecraft attitude, phase center offsets and variations in the POD leads to orbital error. The Jason-3 satellite experienced complex attitude modes which are fixed, sinusoidal, ramp-up/down and yaw-flip. Therefore, it is necessary to properly construct the attitude model in the process of POD especially when there is no external attitude data. For the antenna phase center correction, the PCO which is the deviation between Antenna Reference Point (ARP) and Mean Antenna Phase Center (MAPC) usually can be calibrated on the ground accurately, but the PCV which is the deviation between Instantaneous Antenna Phase Center (IAPC) and Mean Antenna Phase Center (MAPC) will change greatly with the change of space environment. Residual approach can be used to estimate the receiver PCV map. In this paper, we collected the on-board GPS data of Jason-3 satellite from January 2019 and analyzed the impacts of PCV and spacecraft attitude on the orbit accuracy by performing the reduced-dynamic POD. Compared with the reference orbit released by the Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), using the PCV map can reduce the Root Mean Square (RMS) of orbit differences in the Radial (R), Along-track (T), Cross-track (N) and 3D direction about 0.3, 1.0, 0.9, and 1.4 mm. Based on the estimated PCV map, the orbit accuracy in R, T, N and 3D direction is 1.24, 2.81, 1.17, and 3.29 cm respectively by using the measured attitude data. When using the attitude model, the orbit accuracy in R, T, N and 3D directions is 1.60, 3.54, 1.33, and 4.13 cm, respectively. The results showed that the combination of measured attitude data and modeled PCV map can obtain the better orbit solution. It is essential to build a corresponding model in high-precision orbit determination, when there is no attitude data and PCV map.

Consistency Analysis of the GNSS Antenna Phase Center Correction Models

For the same antenna type, numerical differences among the phase center correction (PCC) models released by different institutes can reach several millimeters, which is far beyond the nominal calibration accuracy. This contribution introduces a new method to evaluate the consistency of these PCC models. We first investigated the coupling of phase center offset (PCO) and phase center variation (PCV) through simulation experiments, and the results show that the calibrated PCO values under different strategies may result in large differences, and so do PCV values due to strong coupling with PCO. This is further confirmed by field calibration experiments. Moreover, a new datum parameter is introduced to equivalently transform the PCC models to assess the consistency of PCC models of the same antenna type calibrated under different strategies or by different facilities. It is also essential to perform consistency analysis of PCC models in the coordinate domain. We further investigated these PCC models through a simulated positioning experiment. The results show that millimeter-level consistency of PCC models will lead to the same level of positioning precision in the coordinate domain. Moreover, as a comparison, both baseline positioning and PPP were performed with an antenna-type JAV_RINGANT_G3T NONE based on real observations. Multiday results showed that the average RMS of the positioning differences between PCC models from robot and anechoic chamber calibration is less than 1 mm for the baseline solution and 4 mm for the PPP solution, although the PCC model differences can reach 6 mm in L1 and 4 mm in L2, respectively. Finally, we also investigated the distribution of position biases without PCC or with inaccurate PCC. Considering the actual GPS constellation, we found that position biases have a strong correlation with latitude, if PCV values fluctuate greatly with the users’ elevation angle.

Phase Center Corrections for BDS IGSO and MEO Satellites in IGb14 and IGSR3 Frame

As pre-launch antenna calibrations are not available for GPS and GLONASS satellites, the high correlation between the terrestrial scale and phase center offset (PCO) prevents a reliable estimation of the terrestrial scale with GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) technology. Fortunately, the ground calibrated PCO values for Galileo, BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS), and QZSS have been released, making a reliable estimation of the terrestrial scale with GNSS possible. In the third reprocess (repro3) of International GNSS Service (IGS), the terrestrial scale derived with Galileo, has been used. To evaluate the consistency of the terrestrial scale derived from the BDS-released PCOs as well as Galileo-released ones, and to incorporate BDS into IGS repro3 as well as operational legacy analysis, the phase center variations (PCV) and PCO for BDS medium earth orbit (MEO) and inclined geostationary orbit (IGSO) satellites are estimated to be consistent with GPS/GLONASS antenna offsets in two frames, i.e., IGb14 and IGS R3, considering robot calibrations of the ground receiver antenna models for BDS released by Geo++. We observe that the average offset of Z-PCOs achieves +98.8 mm between BDS official released and the estimated PCOs in IGb14 frame for BDS-3 MEO satellites, whereas the average offset for Z-PCO is about +174.1 mm (about −1.27 ppb at the height of BDS MEO satellites) between the solutions in IGSR3 and IGb14 frame. The phase center solutions are evaluated with orbit boundary disclosures (OBD) as well as the global station coordinates. The orbit consistency benefits from the PCO/PCV estimates, particularly for BDS-2 MEO satellites, of which the 3D RMS (root mean square) OBD is reduced by 50%, whereas 3D OBD achieves about 90.0 mm for BDS-3 MEO satellites. Moreover, the scale bias between BDS-derived station coordinates and IGS legacy solutions in IGb14 frame is reduced from +0.446 ± 0.153 ppb to +0.012 ± 0.112 ppb using PCO/PCV estimates in IGb14, instead of the BDS official released values. Additionally, the residuals of the BDS-derived station heights (after the Helmert transformation) are slightly reduced from 9.65 to 8.62 mm. On the other hand, about +0.226 ± 0.175 ppb is observed between BDS-only coordinate solutions derived from PCO/PCV estimates in IGSR3 frame and the IGS repro3 initial combination. These results demonstrate that the scale inconsistency derived from BDS and Galileo released PCOs is about +1.854 ± 0.191 ppb, and a good consistency of PCO/PCC estimates for BDS in IGb14 and IGSR3 frame with other systems of GPS/ GLONASS antenna offsets is achieved.

Multi-frequency multi-GNSS receiver antenna calibration at IfE: Concept - calibration results - validation

Multi-frequency and multi-constellation GNSS have the potential to boost the overall performance of GNSS-based positioning, navigation and timing. This has an impact on the realisation of global reference frames, geophysical monitoring applications as well as enabling new applications. To this end, all error sources should be adequately corrected for. However, currently multi-frequency multi-GNSS receiver antenna calibration values are still missing. In this paper, the newly developed multi-frequency multi-GNSS calibration process at Institut für Erdmessung (IfE), Leibniz University Hannover, is presented. The basic concept and the assumptions for the antenna calibration are described. Resulting phase centre corrections (PCC) for GPS and Galileo for typical antennas are presented. We show that the repeatability of the estimated patterns are almost better than 2 mm in terms of maximum deviation and that the used tracking strategies by the receivers have marginal impact on the patterns, at maximum 1.2 mm for the studied receiver-antenna combinations. Furthermore, applying phase centre corrections for multi-frequency multi-GNSS carrier phase observations reduces significantly (up to 37%) the antenna related biases as validated on short baselines. Moreover, a validation in the coordinate domain shows that with IfE PCC a short baseline can be computed with high accuracy: the topocentric coordinate differences to the known baseline are in most cases smaller than 1 mm for the horizontal components and smaller than 2.2 mm in vertical.

Precise Orbit Determination of the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES) Using Onboard GPS and BDS Observations

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) occultation receiver onboard the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES) can provide dual-frequency observations for both GPS and BDS-2 satellites. In this study, the data quality and orbit determination performance of the CSES are assessed. Severe data loss of about 30% is observed in GPS P2/L2 data, resulting in only 11% of epochs possessing six to eight useful GPS satellites. Due to fewer channels being allocated for BDS signals, less than 5% of epochs have more than three useful BDS satellites. Precise orbit determination (POD) of CSES is firstly carried out using GPS data. The results indicate that the orbit overlap differences improved from 3.65 cm to 2.8 cm in 3D root mean square (RMS) by antenna phase center correction. CSES orbits are then derived from the BDS only, and combined GPS and BDS data. BDS-based POD indicates that adding BDS geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites could dramatically degrade the orbit accuracy. When excluding BDS GEO satellites, the orbit overlap differences of BDS-based and combined POD are 23.68 cm and 2.73 cm in 3D, respectively, while the differences compared with GPS-based POD are 14.83 cm and 1.05 cm, respectively. The results suggest that the obtained orbit can satisfy centimeter-level requirements. Given that large GPS tracking losses occurred and few channels are allocated for BDS signals, it is expected that POD performance can be further improved by increasing the number of dual-frequency observations.

Impact of Using GPS L2 Receiver Antenna Corrections for the Galileo E5a Frequency on Position Estimates.

Knowledge of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) antenna phase center variations plays a key role in precise positioning. Proper modeling is achieved by accessing antenna phase center corrections, which are determined in the calibration process. For most receiver antenna types, the International GNSS Service provides such corrections for two GPS and GLONASS carrier signals. In the case of Galileo, access to phase center corrections is difficult; only antennas calibrated in the anechoic chambers have available corrections for Galileo frequencies. Hence, in many of the studies, GPS-dedicated corrections are used for these Galileo frequencies. Differential analysis was conducted in this study to evaluate the impact of such change. In total, 25 stations belonging to the EUREF Permanent Network and equipped with individual calibrated antennas were the subject of this research. The results for both the absolute and relative positioning methods are clear: using GPS L2 corrections for Galileo E5a frequency causes a bias in the estimated height of almost 8 mm. For the horizontal component, a significant difference can be noticed for only one type of antenna.

Refinement of BeiDou satellite antenna phase center correction model and its impact on precision orbit determination and positioning

Refinement of BeiDou satellite antenna phase center correction model and its impact on precision orbit determination and positioning

On the Choice of the Third-Frequency Galileo Signals in Accelerating PPP Ambiguity Resolution in Case of Receiver Antenna Phase Center Errors

Rapid precise point positioning ambiguity resolution (PPP-AR) is of great importance to improving precise positioning efficiency. There is an expectation that Galileo multi-frequency (three or more frequencies) data processing will offer a promising way to accelerate PPP-AR. However, the performance of different combination observables out of raw Galileo multi-frequency data is still unclear, and the adverse impacts of missing receiver antenna phase center corrections have not been quantified in detail. We therefore studied uncombined Galileo PPP-AR by contrasting three typical triple-frequency combinations, which are E1/E5a/E5b, E1/E5a/E6, and E1/E5/E6 signals, using 30 days of data from 15 stations across Australia. We carried out triple-frequency PPP-AR by separately applying the official GPS receiver antenna phase centers, as currently employed in most relevant literatures, as well as the pilot Galileo receiver antenna phase centers preliminarily measured by the International GNSS Service. We found that, compared to dual-frequency (E1/E5a) PPP-AR, triple-frequency PPP-AR based on E1/E5a/E5b signals shortened the convergence time by only 7.6%, while those based on E1/E5a/E6 and E1/E5/E6 increased unexpectedly the convergence time by 17.6% and 12.7%, respectively, if the GPS receiver antenna corrections were presumed for Galileo signals. However, after using the pilot Galileo phase center corrections, triple-frequency PPP-AR based on E1/E5a/E5b, E1/E5a/E6, and E1/E5/E6 signals could speed up the convergence on average by about 16.2%, 30.3%, and 17.7%, respectively. Therefore, we demonstrate the critical impact of correct Galileo receiver antenna phase centers on multi-frequency PPP-AR convergences. Moreover, the triple-frequency signal combination E1/E5a/E6 is advantageous over others in achieving rapid triple-frequency Galileo PPP-AR.

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.

Performance Evaluation of Troposphere Estimated from Galileo-Only Multi-Frequency Observations

The tropospheric delays estimated from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) have been proven to be an efficient product for monitoring variations of water vapor, which plays an important role in meteorology applications. The operational GNSS water vapor monitoring system is currently based on the Global Positioning System (GPS) and GLObal NAvigation Satellite System(GLONASS) dual-frequency observations. The Galileo satellite navigation system has been evolving continuously, and on 11 February 2019, the constellation reached 22 active satellites, achieving a capability of standalone Precise Point Positioning (PPP) and tropospheric estimation that is global in scope. This enhancement shows a 37% improvement if the precision of the Galileo-only zenith tropospheric delay, while we may anticipate further benefits in terms of tropospheric gradients and slant delays in the future if an optimal multi-constellation and multi-frequency processing strategy is used. First, we analyze the performance of the multi-frequency troposphere estimates based on the PPP raw observation model by comparing it with the standard ionosphere-free model. The performance of the Galileo-only tropospheric solution is then validated with respect to GPS-only solution using 48 globally distributed Multi-GNSS Experiment (MGEX) stations. The averaged bias and standard deviations are −0.3 and 5.8 mm when only using GPS satellites, respectively, and 0.0 and 6.2 mm for Galileo, respectively, when compared to the International GNSS Service (IGS) final Zenith Troposphere Delay(ZTD) products. Using receiver antenna phase center corrections from the corresponding GPS dual-frequency observations does not affect the Galileo PPP ambiguity float troposphere solutions. These results demonstrate a comparable precision achieved for both Galileo-only and GPS-only ZTD solutions, however, horizontal tropospheric gradients, estimated from standalone GPS and Galileo solutions, still show larger discrepancies, mainly due to their being less Galileo satellites than GPS satellites. Including Galileo E1, E5a, E5b, and E5 signals, along with their proper observation weighting, show the benefit of multi-frequency observations, further improving the ZTD precision by 4% when compared to the dual-frequency raw observation model. Overall, the presented results demonstrate good prospects for the application of multi-frequency Galileo observations for the tropospheric parameter estimates.