Comparison of GPS Height Modernization Surveys Using OPUS-Projects and Following NGS-58 Guidelines
Publication: Journal of Surveying Engineering
Volume 143, Issue 1
Abstract
In 1997, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) published static global positioning system (GPS) surveying guidelines for determining ellipsoidal heights on marks. These guidelines, commonly referred to as NGS-58, are used today in the United States for modernizing heights on marks. Later, in 2013, the NGS released OPUS-Projects, a web-based tool for processing GPS surveys. To evaluate OPUS-Projects and compare it with NGS-58, a static GPS survey was conducted in Oregon. The data were used to develop four different networks. For the most part, the recommendations in NGS-58 worked well, but the 1-h observations did not always produce accurate ellipsoidal heights for baselines longer than 7 km. For the other networks that consisted of 5-h observations or greater, the resulting ellipsoidal heights on all of the marks agreed within ± 1 cm. For these networks, the estimated network accuracy of the ellipsoidal height for each mark was less than 1.2 cm at 95% confidence. Such consistent results indicate that OPUS-Projects can be used for height modernization surveys.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
NOAA funded this research study by cooperative agreement via the Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies (CIMRS), award number NA11OAR4320091. Leica and David Evans & Associates provided most of the survey hardware and software. In addition, the Oregon Department of Transportation Geometronics Unit provided one of the GNSS receivers. NGS employees Mark Armstrong, Michael Dennis, and Dave Zilkoski gave helpful recommendations and insight on height modernization surveys, OPUS-Projects, and ADJUST. Oregon State University civil engineering students Marian Jamieson, Nathan Jones, Tyler Wall, Brian Weaver, and Damon Houck assisted with the GNSS survey and/or helped organize and postprocess the raw GNSS data.
References
ADJUST [Computer software]. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geodetic Survey, Silver Spring, MD.
Armstrong, M. L., Schenewerk, M. S., Mader, G., Martin, D., Stone, B., and Foote, R. (2015). OPUS-Projects: Online Positioning User Service baseline processing and adjustment software user instructions and technical guide, Ver. 2.5, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geodetic Survey, Silver Spring, MD.
Craymer, M. R., and Beck, N. (1992). “Session versus single-baseline GPS processing.” Proc., 5th Int. Technical Meeting of the Satellite Div. of the Institute of Navigation, Institute of Navigation, Manassas, VA, 995–1004.
Duan, J., et al. (1996). “GPS meteorology: Direct estimation of the absolute value of precipitable water.” J. Appl. Meteorol., 35(6), 830–838.
Eckl, M. C., Snay, R. A., Soler, T., Cline, M. W., and Mader, G. L. (2001). “Accuracy of GPS-derived relative positions as a function of interstation distance and observing-session duration.” J. Geod., 75(12), 633–640.
FGCS (Federal Geodetic Control Subcommittee). (2004). FGCS standards and procedures to incorporate electronic digital/bar-code leveling systems, Ver. 4.1, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.
FGDC (Federal Geographic Data Committee). (1998). Geospatial positioning accuracy standards. Part 2: Standards for geodetic networks, U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, VA.
Ghilani, C. D. (2010). Adjustment computations, 5th Ed., John Wiley & Sons, Hoboken, NJ.
Gillins, D. T., and Eddy, M. J. (2015). An evaluation of NGS-58 and OPUS-Projects: Methods for determining accurate ellipsoidal heights with GPS, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geodetic Survey, Silver Spring, MD.
Henning, W. (2010). “GNSS derived heights: NGS Documents 58 & 59.” Proc., Great Lakes Region Height Modernization Consortium Meetings & Workshops, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geodetic Survey, Silver Spring, MD.
Henning, W., Carlson, E. E., and Zilkoski, D. B. (1998). “Baltimore County, Maryland, NAVD 88 GPS-derived orthometric height project.” Surv. Land Info. Sys., 58(2), 97–113.
IGS (International GNSS Service). (2015). “IGS products.” 〈https://igscb.jpl.nasa.gov/components/prods.html〉 (Oct. 26, 2015).
Kerr, D. J. (2015). “Height modernization from static GPS networks in Oregon: Evaluating NGS guidelines and OPUS-Projects.” M.S. thesis, Oregon State Univ., Corvallis, OR.
Leica Geo Office [Computer software]. Leica Geosystems, Heerbrugg, Switzerland.
Martin, D. J. (1998). “An evaluation of GPS-derived orthometric heights for first-order horizontal control surveys.” Surv. Land Info. Sys., 58(2), 67–82.
Meyer, T. H., Roman, D. R., and Zilkoski, D. B. (2006). “What does height really mean? Part IV: GPS orthometric heighting.” Surv. Land Info. Sys., 66(3), 165–183.
Milbert, D. G., and Kass, W. G. (1993). “ADJUST: The horizontal observation adjustment program,” NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NGS-47, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geodetic Survey, Silver Spring, MD.
Misra, P., and Enge, P. (2012). Global positioning system: Signals, measurements, and performance, 2nd Ed., Ganga-Jamuna Press, Lincoln, MA.
NGS (National Geodetic Survey). (2015a). Constrained adjustment guidelines, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD.
NGS (National Geodetic Survey). (2015b). “Antenna calibrations.” 〈http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/ANTCAL〉 (Dec. 9, 2015).
NGS (National Geodetic Survey). (2015c). “Short-term plots.” CORS coordinates, 〈http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/CORS/coords.shtml#CRITERIA〉 (Oct. 9, 2015).
NGS (National Geodetic Survey), Dewberry & Davis, and Psomas & Associates. (1998). “National height modernization,” Study Rep. to Congress, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geodetic Survey, Silver Spring, MD.
OPUS-Projects [Computer software]. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geodetic Survey, Silver Spring, MD.
OPUS-Static [Computer software]. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geodetic Survey, Silver Spring, MD.
Roman, D. R., and Weston, N. D. (2011). “OPUS-Database: Supplemental data for better datum conversion models.” Proc., FIG Working Week, International Federation of Surveyors, København, Denmark.
Schuler, T. (2001). “On ground-based GPS tropospheric delay estimation.” Ph.D. thesis, Univ. of Bundeswehr, Munich, Germany.
Snay, R., and Pearson, C. (2012). HTDP user’s guide, Ver. 3.2.3, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geodetic Survey, Silver Spring, MD.
Soler, T., Michalak, P., Weston, N. D., Snay, R. A., and Foote, R. H. (2006). “Accuracy of OPUS solutions for 1- to 4-h observing sessions.” GPS Solutions, 10(1), 45–55.
Trimble Business Center 3.40 [Computer software]. Trimble Navigation Limited, Sunnyvale, CA.
Ugur, M. A. (2013). “Modeling the neutral atmosphere in continuously operating GNSS networks using OPUS-Projects.” M.S. thesis, Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH.
U.S. Airforce. (2014). “GPS modernization.” 〈http://www.gps.gov/systems/gps/modernization/〉 (Nov. 30, 2015).
Wolf, H. (1978). “The Helmert block method, its origin and development.” Proc., 2nd Int. Symp. on Problems Related to the Redefinition of North American Geodetic Networks, U.S. Department of Commerce, Rockville, MD, 319–326.
Zilkoski, D. B. (1990). “Establishing vertical control using GPS satellite surveys.” Proc., 19th FIG Congress, International Federation of Surveyors, København, Denmark.
Zilkoski, D. B. (1993). NGS/Caltrans San Diego GPS-derived orthometric heights cooperative project, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geodetic Survey, Silver Spring, MD.
Zilkoski, D. B., D’Onofrio, J. D., and Frakes, S. J. (1997). “Guidelines for establishing GPS-derived ellipsoid heights (standards: 2 cm and 5 cm).” NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NGS-58, Ver. 4.3, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Geodetic Survey, Silver Spring, MD.
Zilkoski, D. B., Richards, J. H., and Young, G. M. (1992). “Results of the general adjustment of the North American vertical datum of 1988.” Surv. Land Info. Sys., 52(3), 133–149.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Surveying Engineering
Volume 143 • Issue 1 • February 2017
Copyright
© 2016 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 8, 2016
Accepted: Apr 14, 2016
Published online: May 25, 2016
Discussion open until: Oct 25, 2016
Published in print: Feb 1, 2017
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.