Multi-Process Stochastic Multipath Model for Terrestrial Radionavigation Systems in Aviation

Gianluca Zampieri, Gary A. McGraw, Omar García Crespillo, and Michael Meurer

Peer Reviewed

Abstract:	In this work, we propose to characterize multipath of terrestrial radionavigation signals with a multi-process stochastic model. The feasibility of this approach is demonstrated using a simulated ground multipath model based on physical optics theory. The simulation model outputs are used to qualitatively capture both the overall error statistics and temporal behavior of multipath in modernized navigation aids. From these simulation results we derive over-bounding stochastic models consisting of a combination of random noise, random biases, and Gauss-Markov models which can be used to characterize the errors in navigation measurements. As many modernized terrestrial navigation are able to provide coherent carrier phase measurements in addition to ranging measurements from signal modulation, carrier-smoothed code (CSC) processing can be used to mitigate some multipath errors. The proposed multi-process modeling approach provides a rigorous means to over-bound the multipath errors in both steady-state and transient phases of the CSC filter. This type of error bounding will be required for Required Navigation Performance (RNP) operations based on terrestrial signals. Index Terms—Multipath, Integrity, Radio Navigation
Published in:	2025 IEEE/ION Position, Location and Navigation Symposium (PLANS) April 28 - 1, 2025 Salt Lake Marriott Downtown at City Creek Salt Lake City, UT
Pages:	193 - 203
Cite this article:	Zampieri, Gianluca, McGraw, Gary A., Crespillo, Omar García, Meurer, Michael, "Multi-Process Stochastic Multipath Model for Terrestrial Radionavigation Systems in Aviation," 2025 IEEE/ION Position, Location and Navigation Symposium (PLANS), Salt Lake City, UT, April 2025, pp. 193-203.
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