Satellite–Satellite Single-Difference Phase Bias Calibration as Applied to Ambiguity Resolution

Michael J. Gabor and R. Steven Nerem

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	A GPS carrier-phase ambiguity resolution method using satellite – satellite single differences was developed to improve precise point positioning methods. First, single-difference widelane and L1 ambiguities were formed to remove the GPS receiver contributions to GPS carrier-phase ambiguities. Next, these values were combined over the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Fiducial Laboratories for an International Natural Science Network (FLINN) tracking network using directional statistics to calibrate the satellite-dependent fractional phase biases. A statistical boot-strapping algorithm was developed to improve the L1 fractional phase bias distributions. After applying the calibration, the remainder was constrained to an integer. Assuming perfect knowledge of the calibrations for simulated data resulted in a 40 – 50 percent mean baseline length repeatability improvement, which is comparable to results using double-differencing ambiguity resolution. The introduction of random bias calibration errors decreased the repeatability improvement to 14 percent. If improved orbit solutions become available, the method may become viable for real data.
Published in:	NAVIGATION: Journal of the Institute of Navigation, Volume 49, Number 4
Pages:	223 - 247
Cite this article:	Gabor, Michael J., Nerem, R. Steven, "Satellite–Satellite Single-Difference Phase Bias Calibration as Applied to Ambiguity Resolution", NAVIGATION: Journal of The Institute of Navigation, Vol. 49, No. 4, Winter 2002-2003, pp. 223-247.
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