Ground-Based Detection and Categorization of GPS Interference using NOAA CORS Data

Frederick Niles, Wayne Cooper, Bakry El-Arini, David Rouck

Abstract:	Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) RFI is well known to interfere with aviation and other uses of GNSS-based Position, Navigation and Timing (PNT), creating safety, security and other challenges for the various uses of GNSS. Use of a network of geographically dispersed dedicated GNSS receivers that explicitly detect both jamming and spoofing has been suggested by previous research. A range of detection methods are presented based on received power, range, and position errors. The principal challenge of using this data source to detect jamming and spoofing is that it contains many abnormalities, most of which are not attributed human-caused local interference. Algorithm methods attempt to separate causes of poor performance between GPS signal reception multipath errors due to GPS receiver antenna siting, solar atmospheric events, and human-caused temporary local interference. A GPS receiver antenna siting issue that causes multipath degradation of the received GPS signal will be present every day for the same azimuth and elevation. An atmospheric issue will typically be very widespread, affecting many stations. Therefore, for human-caused local interference the detector is searching for events of limited duration affecting one or a few stations in a local area. A technique is introduced to create a custom elevation mask based on specific site performance over the length of a year by azimuth angle. This variable elevation mask will allow the disregarding of the data where there are known consistent challenges to signal reception. A method to set expectations of received signal power versus satellites elevation is also described. Each detection metric is assigned a threshold value that is set to balance false alarms with missed detection probabilities. A detection of interference occurs when the detection metric exceeds the threshold value.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 38th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2025) September 8 - 12, 2025 Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor Baltimore, Maryland
Pages:	263 - 275
Cite this article:	Niles, Frederick, Cooper, Wayne, El-Arini, Bakry, Rouck, David, "Ground-Based Detection and Categorization of GPS Interference using NOAA CORS Data," Proceedings of the 38th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS+ 2025), Baltimore, Maryland, September 2025, pp. 263-275. https://doi.org/10.33012/2025.20302
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