Local Height Determination Using GPS-Monitored Atmospheric Path Delays
Publication: Journal of Surveying Engineering
Volume 127, Issue 1
Abstract
National satellite control points, or any fixed points determined relative to a known control point, can serve as monitoring stations when equipped with dual-frequency global positioning system (GPS) receivers. The available monitoring station coordinates are used to advantage to derive time-varying ionospheric and tropospheric path delays from the observed carrier phase data. Distinguishing atmospheric parameters from geometric positions is necessary in many cases because the relative tropospheric zenith delays are strongly correlated with the interstation height differences. In addition, GPS users may work with the single-frequency receivers that track satellite signals for only a few minutes at a time. The algorithm in this paper is based on the cosine functions of double-difference carrier phase measurements. After removing the first-order temporal and spatial ionospheric effects, the relative tropospheric delays are found to have correlation coefficients of up to 0.85, with the Saastamoinen model delays using some standard values for atmospheric pressure, temperature, and humidity. When comparing the 19 GPS-derived orthometric heights with the independently leveled heights, in a 5.5 × 4.0 km2 area, the use of GPS-monitored atmospheric path delays led to an improved root-mean-square height error of ±1.48 cm.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Surveying Engineering
Volume 127 • Issue 1 • February 2001
Pages: 1 - 11
History
Received: Dec 16, 1998
Published online: Feb 1, 2001
Published in print: Feb 2001
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