Multi-point, 3-D Triangulation with GPS

L.-S. Wang, W.-F. Tsai, F.-R Chang, C.-C. J. Ho

Abstract:	The technique dealing with three dimensional triangulation problem using GPS (Global Positioning System) observables are discussed in this paper. An algorithm is developed which can process measurements from the multiple observation stations. It is then proved that if there exist two or more stations that the attitude vectors from the stations to the target are not parallel, the algorithm can be used to find the position of the target efficiently. The idea is to minimize the distance from the target to the multiple lme-of-sight vectors. Covariance error analysis for this algorithm was performed. Different configurations of observation stations yield different estimation errors. It is possible to design better configuration through the error analysis with computational assistance. The GPS observables were then used to implement the algorithm, with the equipment of Ashtech Z12 and 3DF. Both the numerical computations and experiments show that the multi-point triangulation algorithm not only is feasible, but also can enhance the accuracy for the triangulation problem.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 1998 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 21 - 23, 1998 Westin Long Beach Hotel Long Beach, CA
Pages:	533 - 537
Cite this article:	Wang, L.-S., Tsai, W.-F., Chang, F.-R, Ho, C.-C. J., "Multi-point, 3-D Triangulation with GPS," Proceedings of the 1998 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, Long Beach, CA, January 1998, pp. 533-537.
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