3dM - A GPS Receiver Antenna Site Evaluation Tool

G.J. Rigden and J.R. Elliott

Abstract:	A GPS receiver antenna site evaluation tool has been developed. The tool uses all available geometric and material parameter information from the physical site and computes GPS signal scattering and interaction as a function of satellite position. This is used to evaluate the effects, levels, and impact of multipath events. Antenna and receiver models are included to provide complete code minus carrier results to evaluate pseudorange errors. Animations are possible revealing signal ray scattering and multipath events as the satellite changes position. This allows inspection of critical multipath events and the contributing scattered rays. The geometric information can be imported from a variety of CAD platforms or manually constructed. Site geometric information can include buildings, structures, trees, and temporary objects such as vehicles. Facetted ground information is automatically computed using ground elevation coordinates. Material parameters can be defined to completely characterize the electromagnetic scattering response of the site. Results are presented to show tool functionality and assess tool accuracy.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 2006 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 18 - 20, 2006 Hyatt Regency Hotel Monterey, CA
Pages:	554 - 563
Cite this article:	Rigden, G.J., Elliott, J.R., "3dM - A GPS Receiver Antenna Site Evaluation Tool," Proceedings of the 2006 National Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, Monterey, CA, January 2006, pp. 554-563.
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