scholarly journals Mitigation of ionospheric signatures in Swarm GPS gravity field estimation using weighting strategies

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 111-127 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas Schreiter ◽  
Daniel Arnold ◽  
Veerle Sterken ◽  
Adrian Jäggi
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Field ◽  
Systematic Errors ◽  
Low Earth Orbit ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Electron Content ◽  
Dual Frequency ◽  
Total Electron ◽  
Gravity Fields ◽  
Field Estimation ◽  
Gravity Recovery

Abstract. Even though ESA's three-satellite low-earth orbit (LEO) mission Swarm is primarily a magnetic field mission, it can also serve as a gravity field mission. Located in a near-polar orbit with initial altitudes of 480 km for Swarm A and Swarm C and 530 km for Swarm B and equipped with geodetic-type dual frequency Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, it is suitable for gravity field computation. Of course, the Swarm GPS-only gravity fields cannot compete with the gravity fields derived from the ultra-precise Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE) K-band measurements. But for various reasons like the end of the GRACE mission in October 2017, data gaps in the previous months due to battery aging, and the gap between GRACE and the recently launched GRACE Follow-On mission, Swarm gravity fields became important to maintain a continuous time series and to bridge the gap between the two dedicated gravity missions. By comparing the gravity fields derived from Swarm kinematic positions to the GRACE gravity fields, systematic errors have been observed in the Swarm results, especially around the geomagnetic equator. These errors are already visible in the kinematic positions as spikes up to a few centimeters, from where they propagate into the gravity field solutions. We investigate these systematic errors by analyzing the geometry-free linear combination of the GPS carrier-phase observations and its time derivatives using a combination of a Gaussian filter and a Savitzky–Golay filter and the Rate of Total Electron Content (TEC) Index (ROTI). Based on this, we present different weighting schemes and investigate their impact on the gravity field solutions in order to assess the success of different mitigation strategies. We will show that a combination of a derivative-based weighting approach with a ROTI-based weighting approach is capable of reducing the geoid rms from 21.6 to 12.0 mm for a heavily affected month and that almost 10 % more kinematic positions can be preserved compared to a derivative-based screening.

scholarly journals Mitigation of ionospheric signatures in Swarm GPS gravity field estimation using weighting strategies

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucas Schreiter ◽  
Daniel Arnold ◽  
Veerle Sterken ◽  
Adrian Jäggi
Keyword(s):  
Gravity Field ◽  
Systematic Errors ◽  
Low Earth Orbit ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Dual Frequency ◽  
Satellite Mission ◽  
Gravity Fields ◽  
Data Gaps ◽  
Field Estimation ◽  
Grace Mission

Abstract. Even though ESA's three-satellite mission Swarm is primarily a magnetic field mission, it became more and more important as gravity field mission. Located in a low earth orbit with altitudes of 460 km for Swarm A and Swarm C and 530 km for Swarm B, after the commissioning phase, and equipped with geodetic-type dual frequency GPS receivers, it is suitable for gravity field computation. Of course the Swarm GPS-only gravity fields are not as good as the gravity fields derived from the ultra precise GRACE K-Band measurements, but due to the end of the GRACE mission in October 2017, data gaps in the previous months, and the gap between GRACE and the recently launched GRACE Follow-On mission, Swarm gravity fields became important to maintain a continuous time series and bridge the gap. By validating the Swarm gravity fields to the GRACE gravity fields, systematic errors have been observed, especially around the geomagnetic equator. These errors are already visible in the kinematic positioning from where they propagate into the gravity field solutions. We investigate these systematic errors by analyzing the geometry-free linear combination of the GPS carrier phase observations. Based on this we present different weighting schemes and investigate their impact on the gravity field solutions in order to assess the success of different mitigation strategies.

scholarly journals Sodankylä ionospheric tomography dataset 2003–2014

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 385-404
Author(s):  
J. Norberg ◽  
L. Roininen ◽  
A. Kero ◽  
T. Raita ◽  
T. Ulich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Total Electron Content ◽  
Low Earth Orbit ◽  
Electron Content ◽  
Vertical Total Electron Content ◽  
Dual Frequency ◽  
Total Electron ◽  
Ionospheric Tomography ◽  
Maximum Elevation ◽  
Long Term Performance ◽  
Term Performance

Abstract. Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory has been operating a tomographic receiver network and collecting the produced data since 2003. The collected dataset consists of phase difference curves measured from Russian COSMOS dual-frequency (150/400 MHz) low-Earth-orbit satellite signals, and tomographic electron density reconstructions obtained from these measurements. In this study vertical total electron content (VTEC) values are integrated from the reconstructed electron densities to make a qualitative and quantitative analysis to validate the long-term performance of the tomographic system. During the observation period, 2003–2014, there were three-to-five operational stations at the Fenno-Scandinavian sector. Altogether the analysis consists of around 66 000 overflights, but to ensure the quality of the reconstructions, the examination is limited to cases with descending (north to south) overflights and maximum elevation over 60°. These constraints limit the number of overflights to around 10 000. Based on this dataset, one solar cycle of ionospheric vertical total electron content estimates is constructed. The measurements are compared against International Reference Ionosphere IRI-2012 model, F10.7 solar flux index and sunspot number data. Qualitatively the tomographic VTEC estimate corresponds to reference data very well, but the IRI-2012 model are on average 40 % higher of that of the tomographic results.

scholarly journals The local ionospheric modeling by integration ground GPS observations and satellite altimetry data

2017 ◽  
Vol 59 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Ali Sharifi ◽  
Saeed Farzaneh
Keyword(s):  
Satellite Altimetry ◽  
Low Earth Orbit ◽  
Least Square ◽  
Normal Equation ◽  
Electron Content ◽  
Strong Impact ◽  
Dual Frequency ◽  
Total Electron ◽  
Ionosphere Model ◽  
Gps Observations

<p>The free electrons in the ionosphere have a strong impact on the propagation of radio waves. When the signals pass through the ionosphere, both their group and phase velocity are disturbed. Several space geodetic techniques such as satellite altimetry, low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite and very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) can be used to model the total electron content. At present, the classical input data for development of ionospheric models are based on dual-frequency GPS observations, However, a major problem with this observation type is the nonuniform distribution of the terrestrial GPS reference stations with large gaps notably over the sea surface and ocean where only some single stations are located on islands, leading to lower the precision of the model over these areas. In these regions the dual-frequency satellite altimeters provide precise information about the parameters of the ionosphere. Combination of GPS and satellite altimetry observations allows making best use of the advantages of their different spatial and temporal distributions. In this study, the local ionosphere modeling was done by the combination of space geodetic observations using spherical Slepian function. The combination of the data from ground GPS observations over the western part of the USA and the altimetry mission Jason-2 was performed on the normal equation level in the least-square procedure and a least-square variance component estimation (LS-VCE) was applied to take into account the different accuracy levels of the observations. The integrated ionosphere model is more accurate and more reliable than the results derived from the ground GPS observations over the oceans.</p>

scholarly journals Functional model modification of precise point positioning considering the time-varying code biases of a receiver

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Baocheng Zhang ◽  
Chuanbao Zhao ◽  
Robert Odolinski ◽  
Teng Liu
Keyword(s):  
Precise Point Positioning ◽  
Functional Model ◽  
Geodetic Network ◽  
Temporal Variations ◽  
Gps Data ◽  
Electron Content ◽  
Time Varying ◽  
Dual Frequency ◽  
Total Electron ◽  
Point Positioning

AbstractPrecise Point Positioning (PPP), initially developed for the analysis of the Global Positing System (GPS) data from a large geodetic network, gradually becomes an effective tool for positioning, timing, remote sensing of atmospheric water vapor, and monitoring of Earth’s ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC). The previous studies implicitly assumed that the receiver code biases stay constant over time in formulating the functional model of PPP. In this contribution, it is shown this assumption is not always valid and can lead to the degradation of PPP performance, especially for Slant TEC (STEC) retrieval and timing. For this reason, the PPP functional model is modified by taking into account the time-varying receiver code biases of the two frequencies. It is different from the Modified Carrier-to-Code Leveling (MCCL) method which can only obtain the variations of Receiver Differential Code Biases (RDCBs), i.e., the difference between the two frequencies’ code biases. In the Modified PPP (MPPP) model, the temporal variations of the receiver code biases become estimable and their adverse impacts on PPP parameters, such as ambiguity parameters, receiver clock offsets, and ionospheric delays, are mitigated. This is confirmed by undertaking numerical tests based on the real dual-frequency GPS data from a set of global continuously operating reference stations. The results imply that the variations of receiver code biases exhibit a correlation with the ambient temperature. With the modified functional model, an improvement by 42% to 96% is achieved in the Differences of STEC (DSTEC) compared to the original PPP model with regard to the reference values of those derived from the Geometry-Free (GF) carrier phase observations. The medium and long term (1 × 104 to 1.5 × 104 s) frequency stability of receiver clocks are also significantly improved.

scholarly journals Accuracy Analysis of International Reference Ionosphere 2016 and NeQuick2 in the Antarctic

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1551
Author(s):  
Zihuai Guo ◽  
Yibin Yao ◽  
Jian Kong ◽  
Gang Chen ◽  
Chen Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Radiation ◽  
International Reference Ionosphere ◽  
Electron Content ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Dual Frequency ◽  
Total Electron ◽  
International Reference ◽  
Antarctic Continent ◽  
The Antarctic ◽  
Frequency Observation

Global navigation satellite system (GNSS) can provide dual-frequency observation data, which can be used to effectively calculate total electron content (TEC). Numerical studies have utilized GNSS-derived TEC to evaluate the accuracy of ionospheric empirical models, such as the International Reference Ionosphere model (IRI) and the NeQuick model. However, most studies have evaluated vertical TEC rather than slant TEC (STEC), which resulted in the introduction of projection error. Furthermore, since there are few GNSS observation stations available in the Antarctic region and most are concentrated in the Antarctic continent edge, it is difficult to evaluate modeling accuracy within the entire Antarctic range. Considering these problems, in this study, GNSS STEC was calculated using dual-frequency observation data from stations that almost covered the Antarctic continent. By comparison with GNSS STEC, the accuracy of IRI-2016 and NeQuick2 at different latitudes and different solar radiation was evaluated during 2016–2017. The numerical results showed the following. (1) Both IRI-2016 and NeQuick2 underestimated the STEC. Since IRI-2016 utilizes new models to represent the F2-peak height (hmF2) directly, the IRI-2016 STEC is closer to GNSS STEC than NeQuick2. This conclusion was also confirmed by the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) occultation data. (2) The differences in STEC of the two models are both normally distributed, and the NeQuick2 STEC is systematically biased as solar radiation increases. (3) The root mean square error (RMSE) of the IRI-2016 STEC is smaller than that of the NeQuick2 model, and the RMSE of the two modeling STEC increases with solar radiation intensity. Since IRI-2016 relies on new hmF2 models, it is more stable than NeQuick2.

scholarly journals Topside Ionosphere and Plasmasphere Modelling Using GNSS Radio Occultation and POD Data

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 1559
Author(s):  
Fabricio S. Prol ◽  
M. Mainul Hoque
Keyword(s):  
Solar Activity ◽  
Electron Density ◽  
Radio Occultation ◽  
Geomagnetic Latitude ◽  
Low Earth Orbit ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Topside Ionosphere ◽  
Electron Content ◽  
Total Electron ◽  
Solar Activity Level

A 3D-model approach has been developed to describe the electron density of the topside ionosphere and plasmasphere based on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements onboard low Earth orbit satellites. Electron density profiles derived from ionospheric Radio Occultation (RO) data are extrapolated to the upper ionosphere and plasmasphere based on a linear Vary-Chap function and Total Electron Content (TEC) measurements. A final update is then obtained by applying tomographic algorithms to the slant TEC measurements. Since the background specification is created with RO data, the proposed approach does not require using any external ionospheric/plasmaspheric model to adapt to the most recent data distributions. We assessed the model accuracy in 2013 and 2018 using independent TEC data, in situ electron density measurements, and ionosondes. A systematic better specification was obtained in comparison to NeQuick, with improvements around 15% in terms of electron density at 800 km, 26% at the top-most region (above 10,000 km) and 26% to 55% in terms of TEC, depending on the solar activity level. Our investigation shows that the developed model follows a known variation of electron density with respect to geographic/geomagnetic latitude, altitude, solar activity level, season, and local time, revealing the approach as a practical and useful tool for describing topside ionosphere and plasmasphere using satellite-based GNSS data.

scholarly journals Analisis Total Electron Content (TEC) Menggunakan Continous Wavelet Transform Sebagai Indikator Prekursor Gempa Bumi Di Wilayah Provinsi Bengkulu

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 27-33
Author(s):  
Laksamana Agung Aprillo ◽  
Hendy Santosa ◽  
Faisal Hadi
Keyword(s):  
Wavelet Transform ◽  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Total Electron Content ◽  
Electromagnetic Waves ◽  
Electron Content ◽  
Observation Data ◽  
Dual Frequency ◽  
Total Electron ◽  
Gps Observation ◽  
Large Earthquakes

ABSTRACT Bengkulu is one of 34 provinces in Indonesia which is a megathrust region. So Bengkulu province is often hit by many large earthquakes with shallow depth. TEC anomaly was analyzed based on three electromagnetic waves radiated by an earthquake. The total electron content (TEC) anomaly is seen through the global positioning system (GPS) dual-frequency radio signal data. The continuous wavelet transform (CWT) method is used to divide the signal analysis into several sections according to the electromagnetic wave frequency range of acoustic (2.5 mHz) -3 mHz), gravity waves (1 mHz-2.8 mHz) and rayleigh waves (5 mHz-33 mHz). GPS observation data for 9 days is calculated using the Standard deviation (2?) method to see trends in data changes. The analysis shows anomalies in the September 12 2007 earthquake (7.9 Mw), the March 5 2010 earthquake (6.3 Mw) and the August 4 2011 earthquake (6.0 Mw). Anomalies are detected 1 to 5 hours before an earthquake occurs. TEC anomalies that occur may be related to the process of preseismic before the earthquake and may be an early sign of an earthquake.Keyword: earthquake, total electron content, continous wavelet transform, standard deviation

Validating the impact of various ionosphere correction on mid to long baselines and point positioning using GPS dual-frequency receivers

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alaa A. Elghazouly ◽  
Mohamed I. Doma ◽  
Ahmed A. Sedeek
Keyword(s):  
Geomagnetic Storms ◽  
Global Navigation Satellite Systems ◽  
Electron Content ◽  
Assessment Procedure ◽  
Vertical Total Electron Content ◽  
Dual Frequency ◽  
Total Electron ◽  
Satellite Systems ◽  
Point Positioning ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Due to the ionosphere delay, which has become the dominant GPS error source, it is crucial to remove the ionospheric effect before estimating point coordinates. Therefore, different agencies started to generate daily Global Ionosphere Maps (GIMs); the Vertical Total Electron Content (VTEC) values represented in GIMs produced by several providers can be used to remove the ionosphere error from observations. In this research, An analysis will be carried with three sources for VTEC maps produced by the Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE), Regional TEC Mapping (RTM), and the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI). The evaluation is focused on the effects of a specific ionosphere GIM correction on the precise point positioning (PPP) solutions. Two networks were considered. The first network consists of seven Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) receivers from (IGS) global stations. The selected test days are six days, three of them quiet, and three other days are stormy to check the influence of geomagnetic storms on relative kinematic positioning solutions. The second network is a regional network in Egypt. The results show that the calculated coordinates using the three VTEC map sources are far from each other on stormy days rather than on quiet days. Also, the standard deviation values are large on stormy days compared to those on quiet days. Using CODE and RTM IONEX file produces the most precise coordinates after that the values of IRI. The elimination of ionospheric biases over the estimated lengths of many baselines up to 1000 km has resulted in positive findings, which show the feasibility of the suggested assessment procedure.

scholarly journals Assessing Global Ionosphere TEC Maps with Satellite Altimetry and Ionospheric Radio Occultation Observations

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (24) ◽  
pp. 5489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Li ◽  
Longqiang Huang ◽  
Shaocheng Zhang ◽  
Yanju Chai
Keyword(s):  
High Latitude ◽  
Satellite Altimetry ◽  
Radio Occultation ◽  
Lower Latitude ◽  
Electron Content ◽  
Dual Frequency ◽  
International Gnss Service ◽  
Night Time ◽  
Scaling Factors ◽  
Total Electron

As global navigation satellite system (GNSS)stations are sparsely distributed in oceanic area, oceanic areas usually have lower precision than continental areas on a global ionosphere maps (GIM). On the other hand, space-borne observations like satellite altimetry (SA) and ionospheric radio occultation (IRO) have substantial dual-frequency observations in oceanic areas, which could be used for total electron content (TEC) retrieval. In this paper, the Jason-2 SA and Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate (COSMIC) IRO products were used to assess the precision of IGS GIM products. Both the systematic biases and scaling factors between the international GNSS service (IGS) GIM TEC and space-borne TEC were calculated, and the statistical results show that the biases and the scaling factors obviously vary under different temporal-spatial conditions. This analysis shows that these differences are variable with diurnal and latitude factors, that is, the differences in biases during the day time are higher than those during the night time, and larger biases are experienced at lower latitude areas than at high latitude areas. The results also show that in the southern hemisphere middle-high latitude area and some other central oceanic areas, the space-borne TEC values are even higher than GIM TEC values. As the precision of space-borne TEC should be evenly distributed around different areas on Earth, it can be explain that the TEC in these areas is undervalued by the current GIM model, and the space-borne SA and IRO techniques could be used as complementary observations to improve the accuracy and reliability of TEC values in these areas.

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