Long Baseline GPS RTK Performance in a Marine Environment using NWP Ray-Tracing Technique under Varying Tropospheric Conditions

Yong Won Ahn, Don Kim, Peter Dare and Richard B. Langley

Abstract:	For high-accuracy geodetic applications, time-variable tropospheric propagation delay errors limit Global Positioning System (GPS) real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning accuracy. Potential improvements in positioning accuracy for long baseline are evaluated with a ray-tracing technique using the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Forecast System Laboratory (NOAA/FSL) Rapid Update Cycle (RUC20) numerical weather prediction (NWP) model. The results are compared with those for the UNB3 tropospheric model in a marine environment. Analyses are conducted in both a static case and a kinematic case for relatively humid days, and the tropospheric observables for the double difference (DD) ionosphere-free fixed combination are computed. Overall, performance of the two tropospheric models shows similar patterns for the processed data sets. For most of the cases in this test, the performance of ray-tracing appears more beneficial than the UNB3 model in reducing the tropospheric delays. Mean values are reduced significantly, but the dispersion does not change significantly.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 18th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2005) September 13 - 16, 2005 Long Beach Convention Center Long Beach, CA
Pages:	2092 - 2103
Cite this article:	Ahn, Yong Won, Kim, Don, Dare, Peter, Langley, Richard B., "Long Baseline GPS RTK Performance in a Marine Environment using NWP Ray-Tracing Technique under Varying Tropospheric Conditions," Proceedings of the 18th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2005), Long Beach, CA, September 2005, pp. 2092-2103.
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