Benefits of GPS Modernization to the Atmospheric Science Community

A. J. Van Dierendonck and A. J. Coster

Abstract:	In March 1998, two major enhancements to the Global Positioning System directed at civilian users worldwide were announced. These were a second civil code on L2 and a third civil signal for safety of life services (later designated at L5 in 1999). Since that time, the details of modernization have been largely worked out. The complete modernized GPS signal structure includes the addition of the military’s earth coverage and spot beam M-Codes on L1 and L2, the addition of the civil C/A (and/or L2CS replacement code) on L2, and the introduction of the entirely new civil frequency and code at L5. Aside from the obvious advantages of a proposed increased signal power for all signals, the new civilian codes will be the primary benefit for the atmospheric community. This paper will detail the specific benefits of these codes in estimating atmospheric parameters such as precipitable water vapor and the total electron content (TEC). The paper will also detail some of the current problems for GPS receivers in ionospheric scintillation environments, and describe how the new signals will alleviate those problems.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 57th Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (2001) June 11 - 13, 2001 Albuquerque, NM
Pages:	382 - 390
Cite this article:	Van Dierendonck, A. J., Coster, A. J., "Benefits of GPS Modernization to the Atmospheric Science Community," Proceedings of the 57th Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (2001), Albuquerque, NM, June 2001, pp. 382-390.
Full Paper:	ION Members/Non-Members: 1 Download Credit Sign In