The wavelet transform is used to reduce the high frequency multipath of pseudorange and carrier phase GPS double differences (DDs). This transform decomposes the DD signal, thus separating the high frequencies due to multipath effects. After the decomposition, the wavelet shrinkage is performed by thresholding to eliminate the high frequency component. Then the signal can be reconstructed without the high frequency component. We show how to choose the best threshold. Although the high frequency multipath is not the main multipath error component, its correction provides improvements of about 30% in pseudorange average residuals and 24% in carrier phases. The results also show that the ambiguity solutions become more reliable after correcting the high frequency multipath.

This paper aims to evaluate the quality of the pseudorange observables generated for a Virtual Reference Station (VRS). In order to generate the VRS data three different approaches were implemented and tested. In the first one, raw data from the reference station network were used while in the second it was based on double difference reference station corrections. Finally, in the third approach atmospheric models (ionosphere and troposphere) were used to create the VRS data. Sao Paulo State Network stations were used in all experiments. The VRS data were generated in a reference station position of known coordinates (real file). In order to validate the approaches, the VRS data were compared with the real data file. The results were quite similar, reaching the decimeter or centimeter level, depending on the approach applied.

Taking benefit of the new Galileo ranging signals, the ENCORE (Enhanced Code Galileo Receiver) project aims to develop a low-cost Land Management Application to cover needs of the Brazilian market in terms of geo-referencing and rural/urban cadastre, using a low-cost Enhanced Galileo Code Receiver as baseline. Land management applications require precision and accuracy levels from a few to several decimetres that are under-met with current pseudorange-based receiver and over-met with phase observations. This situation leads either to a waste of resources, or to lack of accuracy. In this project, it is proposed to fill this gap using the new possibilities of the Galileo ranging signals, in particular E5 AltBOC and E1 CBOC. This approach reduces the cost of the end-user solution, helping the rapid penetration of Galileo technology outside Europe. ©2010 IEEE.

In the paper we discuss the potential of the new Galileo signals for pseudorange based surveying and mapping in open areas under optimal reception conditions (open sky scenarios) and suboptimal ones (multipath created by moderate to thick tree coverage). The paper reviews the main features of the Galileo E5 AltBOC and E1 CBOC signals; describes the simulation strategy, models and algorithms to generate realistic E5 and E1 pseudoranges with and without multipath sources; describes the ionosphere modeling strategy, models and algorithms and discusses and presents the expected positioning accuracy and precision results. According to the simulations performed, pseudoranges can be extracted from the Galileo E5 AltBOC signals with tracking errors (1-σ level) ranging from 0.02 m (open sky scenarios) to 0.08 m (tree covered scenarios) whereas for the Galileo E1 CBOC signals the tracking errors range between 0.25 m to 2.00 m respectively. With these tracking errors and with the explicit estimation of the ionosphere parameters, simulations indicate real-time open sky cm-level horizontal positioning precisions and dm-level vertical ones and dm-level accuracies for both the horizontal and vertical position components.

In this paper we describe the development of a low-cost high-accuracy Galileo Code receiver, user application software and positioning algorithms for land management applications, which have been implemented using a dedicated FPGA board and dual frequency Galileo E5/L1 Radio Frequency Front-End. The current situation of rural property surveying in Brazil is described and the use of code measurements from the new Galileo signals E5 AltBOC combined with E1 MBOC for use in land management applications is explored. We explain how such approach is expected to allow delivering an absolute positioning solution which could bridge the gap between receivers of high cost/complexity/accuracy based on carrier phase and receivers of lower cost/accuracy based on pseudorange observables. The system is presented together with a detailed description of main components: the Code Receiver and the Application Software. The work presented is part of an ongoing European-Brazilian consortium effort to explore the use of new Galileo for land management applications in Brazil and sponsored by the GNSS Supervisory Authority (GSA).

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP); Pós-graduação em Ciências Cartográficas - FCT; O multicaminho é um dos fenômenos que ocorre quando o sinal proveniente do Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) reflete em objetos localizados nas proximidades do levantamento e chega ao receptor via múltiplos caminhos. Geralmente, o receptor GNSS recebe além do sinal direto, também o sinal refletido, o qual é atrasado em relação ao sinal direto. Conseqüentemente, as medidas de pseudodistância (PD) e fase de batimento da onda portadora são rastreadas para um sinal composto, e não para o sinal direto, causando o erro do multicaminho. Esse efeito é uma fonte de erro significativa que ainda permanece como um desafio para a pesquisa, especialmente para o posicionamento relativo estático e cinemático em aplicações de alta precisão. Diferentemente dos demais erros, o multicaminho não é atenuado quando se formam as duplas diferenças (DD) em uma linha de base curta, por ser um efeito altamente dependente do local do levantamento. Pelo contrário, os erros de multicaminho podem aumentar no processo de dupla diferenciação. Nessa pesquisa foi proposta uma metodologia, viável em termos práticos e econômicos...

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES); Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP); Pós-graduação em Ciências Cartográficas - FCT; O GPS tem mostrado ser capaz de apoiar uma grande variedade de aplicações. Porém, algumas aplicações enfrentam um obstáculo, ou seja, o efeito do multicaminho. O multicaminho é o fenômeno pelo qual um sinal chega à antena do receptor por caminhos múltiplos, devido à reflexão. O sinal refletido chega atrasado em relação ao sinal direto. Se estes atrasos forem curtos, ou seja, provenientes de reflexões próximas à antena do receptor, o efeito de multicaminho é caracterizado como de baixa freqüência, caso contrário, o efeito predominante é de alta freqüência. Este efeito distorce a modulação do sinal e a fase da portadora, conseqüentemente, degrada a acurácia e a precisão nos posicionamentos por ponto e relativo. Este efeito também pode impedir a fixação das ambigüidades, ou conduzir a uma solução incorreta das mesmas. Por isso, é de grande importância dispor de meios que possam atenuar o multicaminho. Uma possibilidade para atenuação deste efeito, tanto para fase como para a pseudodistância, é a utilização de uma poderosa ferramenta de análise espectral para o estudo de sinais: a transformada wavelets. Esta transformada decompõe o sinal...

Railway signaling is a safety system that has evolved over the last couple of centuries towards autonomous functionality. Recently, great effort is being devoted in this field, towards the use and exploitation of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals and GNSS augmentation systems in view of lower railway track equipments and maintenance costs, that is a priority to sustain the investments for modernizing the local and regional lines most of which lack automatic train protection systems and are still manually operated. The objective of this paper is to assess the sensitivity of the Linear Minimum Mean Square Error (LMMSE) algorithm to modeling errors in the spatial correlation function that characterizes true pseudorange Differential Corrections (DCs). This study is inspired by the railway application; however, it applies to all transportation systems, including the road sector, that need to be complemented by an augmentation system in order to deliver accurate and reliable positioning with integrity specifications. A vector of noisy pseudorange DC measurements are simulated, assuming a Gauss-Markov model with a decay rate parameter inversely proportional to the correlation distance that exists between two points of a certain environment. The LMMSE algorithm is applied on this vector to estimate the true DC...

Currently, global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers can provide accurate and reliable positioning service in open-field areas. However, their performance in the downtown areas of cities is still affected by the multipath and none-line-of-sight (NLOS) receptions. This paper proposes a new positioning method using 3D building models and the receiver autonomous integrity monitoring (RAIM) satellite selection method to achieve satisfactory positioning performance in urban area. The 3D building model uses a ray-tracing technique to simulate the line-of-sight (LOS) and NLOS signal travel distance, which is well-known as pseudorange, between the satellite and receiver. The proposed RAIM fault detection and exclusion (FDE) is able to compare the similarity between the raw pseudorange measurement and the simulated pseudorange. The measurement of the satellite will be excluded if the simulated and raw pseudoranges are inconsistent. Because of the assumption of the single reflection in the ray-tracing technique, an inconsistent case indicates it is a double or multiple reflected NLOS signal. According to the experimental results, the RAIM satellite selection technique can reduce by about 8.4% and 36.2% the positioning solutions with large errors (solutions estimated on the wrong side of the road) for the 3D building model method in the middle and deep urban canyon environment...

The FAA is developing the Local Area Augmentation System (LAAS) to replace ground-based navigation aids as the primary means of aircraft precision approaches. Stringent requirements on the integrity of the system have caused significant delays and raised questions about the adopted approach to integrity monitoring. The system architecture must be capable of detecting when the position estimation error exceeds the alert limit, with a probability of missed detection less than 10⁻⁷ for Category I approaches. This thesis offers a new approach to integrity monitoring that exploits an overlooked resource: the receiver clock. Conventional GPS positioning requires the estimation of four parameters. In addition to three position components, the receiver clock offset from GPS time must be found. Clock-aided positioning involves removing this fourth unknown by using a stable atomic frequency standard to keep time. This not only frees up one extra pseudorange, but it changes the structure of the problem from four-parameter to three-parameter estimation. The result is a drastic improvement in the vertical dilution of precision (VDOP), which leads to enhanced accuracy of vertical position estimates. Laboratory data shows accuracy improvements ranging from 34% to 44%...

The European GNSS, Galileo, is currently in its In-Orbit Validation (IOV) phase where four satellites are finally available for computing the user position. In this phase, the analysis of the measurements obtained from the IOV satellites can provide insight on the performance and potentialities of the Galileo system. In this paper, a methodology based on the use of precise orbits and ionospheric corrections is suggested for the analysis of the Galileo IOV pseudorange and pseudorange rate errors. Several hours of data were collected using a Septentrio PolarRxS receiver and used to determine figures of merits such as RMS and maximum errors of the Galileo observables. From the analysis it emerges that Galileo measurements have accuracies comparable with those of GPS. The benefits of combined GPS-Galileo positioning are also highlighted and results relative to the computation of a Galileo-only navigation solution based on broadcast ephemerides are provided.; JRC.G.6-Security technology assessment

The European GNSS, Galileo, is currently in its In-Orbit Validation (IOV) phase where four satellites are finally available for computing the user position. In this phase, the analysis of the measurements and Position Velocity and Time (PVT) obtained from the IOV satellites can provide insight on the potentialities of the Galileo system. A methodology is suggested for the analysis of the Galileo IOV pseudorange and pseudorange rates collected from the E1 and E5 frequencies. Several days of data were collected and processed to determine figures of merits such as RMS and maximum errors of the Galileo observables. From the analysis, it emerges that Galileo is able to achieve better accuracy with respect to GPS. A thorough analysis of the PVT performance is also achieved using broadcast ephemerides. Galileo and GPS PVTs are compared under similar geometry conditions showing the potential of the Galileo system.; JRC.G.5-Security technology assessment

Global position system (GPS) is widely used in land vehicles but suffers deterioration in its accuracy in urban canyons; mostly due to satellite signal blockage and signal multipath. To obtain accurate, reliable, and continuous positioning solutions, GPS is usually augmented with inertial sensors, including accelerometers and gyroscopes to monitor both translational and rotational motions of a moving vehicle. Due to space and cost requirements, micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) inertial sensors, which are typically inexpensive are presently utilized in land vehicles for various reasons and can be used for integration with GPS for navigation purposes. Kalman filtering (KF) usually used to performs this integration. However, the complex error characteristics of these MEMS based sensors lead to divergence of the positioning solution. Furthermore, the residual GPS pseudorange correlated errors are always ignored, thus reducing the GPS overall positioning accuracy. This thesis targets enhancing the performance of integrated MEMS based INS/GPS navigation systems through exploring new non-linear modelling approaches that can deal with the non-linear and correlated parts of INS and GPS errors. The research approach in this thesis relies on reduced inertial sensor systems (RISS) incorporating single axis gyroscope...

New Galileo signals have great potential for pseudorange-based surveying and mapping in both optimal open-sky conditions and suboptimal under-canopy environments. This article reviews the main features of Galileo's E5 AItBO( and El (BOC signals, describes generation of realistic E5 and El pseudoranges with and without multipath sources, and presents anticipated horizontal positioning accuracy results, ranging from 4 centimeters (open-sky) to 14 centimeters (under-canopy) for E5/El.

Mestrado em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores.; Este projecto surge na necessidade de desenvolver um sistema de localização robusto, para um ATV (Autonomous Terrestrial Vehicle) que está a ser desenvolvido no LSA (Laboratório de Sistemas Autónomos) do ISEP (Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto), o projecto TIGRE (Terrestrial Intelligent General Purpose Robotic Explorer). O desenvolvimento deste sistema, permite dotar este veículo da capacidade de obter resultados de alta precisão de posicionamento, e melhores resultados na cidade e na floresta, onde o sinal de GPS (Global Positioning System) se torna mais fraco e por vezes inexistente. Com conclusão do sistema tornar-se possível a sua utilização nos diversos veículos do LSA. O trabalho efectuado abordou o desenvolvimento de um sistema de navegação para um ATV que integre informação de GPS e INS (Inertial Navigation System) e que apresente bons níveis de exactidão em termos de posicionamento global quer em situações de oclusões de satélites quer de falhas de comunicação com possíveis estações de controlo. Para este fim foi efectuado um levantamento do tipo de sensores utilizados e da forma como estes sensores são combinados para obtenção de soluções de posição e atitude bem como de estratégias de integração existentes de GPS e INS. Os requisitos impostos de exactidão bem como os de não disponibilidade permanente de comunicações motivaram a exploração da utilização de ´orbitas precisas por forma a aumentar a exactidão em funcionamento stand-alone (sem comunicações com a estação de controlo). Por outro lado os requisitos de operação em cenários com ma visibilidade de satélites...

The relativity of Global Positioning System (GPS) pseudorange measurements is explored within the geometrical optics approximation in the curved space-time near Earth. A space-time grid for navigation is created by the discontinuities introduced in the electromagnetic field amplitude by the P-code broadcast by the GPS satellites. We compute the world function of space-time near Earth, and we use it to define a scalar phase function that describes the space-time grid. We use this scalar phase function to define the measured pseudorange, which turns out to be a two-point space-time scalar under generalized coordinate transformations. Though the measured pseudorange is an invariant, it depends on the world lines of the receiver and satellite. While two colocated receivers measure two different pseudoranges to the same satellite, they obtain correct position and time, independent of their velocity. We relate the measured pseudorange to the geometry of space-time and find corrections to the conventional model of pseudorange that are on the order of the gravitational radius of the Earth.; Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures, ReVTeX4

Accurate vehicular localization is important for various cooperative vehicle safety (CVS) applications such as collision avoidance, turning assistant, etc. In this paper, we propose a cooperative vehicular distance measurement technique based on the sharing of GPS pseudorange measurements and a weighted least squares method. The classic double difference pseudorange solution, which was originally designed for high-end survey level GPS systems, is adapted to low-end navigation level GPS receivers for its wide availability in ground vehicles. The Carrier to Noise Ratio (CNR) of raw pseudorange measurements are taken into account for noise mitigation. We present a Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) based mechanism to implement the exchange of pseudorange information among neighboring vehicles. As demonstrated in field tests, our proposed technique increases the accuracy of the distance measurement significantly compared with the distance obtained from the GPS fixes.; Comment: Proc. of the 75th IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference (IEEE VTC'12-Spring), Yokohama, Japan, May 6-9, 2012

The goal of this work is to check the obtained accuracy on the point positioningwhen smoothed pseudoranges used by the carrier phase. In order to reach this goal,a smoothing algorithm was implemented in a computer program, in which theresults were statistically analyzed through the chi square test and through theaverage deviation of each sample. Two other experiments were made to analyze theaccuracy of the point positioning, when the original pseudorange (from C/A code)and the pseudorange smoothed by the carrier phase (L1) are used. The field surveywas carried out on the RM03 and CANG stations, and the observations werecollected from Ashtech-Z12 and Trimble 4000 SSi receivers in a 5 secondcollecting rate. One of the experiments had as a goal to evaluate the results obtainedby the developed program. One set of samples had the smoothed values generatedby the receiver itself compared to the ones calculated by the algorithm and theresults were tested by the chi square test. We noticed that only 52% of the samplesweren’t rejected by the test at a 95% confidence level. Every observation epoch hada deviation value, resulting from the difference between the values generated by thereceiver and the calculated by the algorithm, calculated for every sample. Theresults show that 70% of the samples had average deviation under 40 cm. Other twoexperiments were held in order to analyze the accuracy of the point positioning. Theobservations from the RM03 and CANG stations were used and the accuracy resultsshowed that the positioning that used the pseudoranges smoothed by the carrierphase (L1) were more accurate than those that used the original pseudoranges.; A finalidade deste trabalho é verificar a acurácia obtida no posicionamento absolutoquando se utilizam pseudodistâncias suavizadas pela fase da onda portadora. Paraalcançar esse objetivo...

Baseline positioning with carrier phase observations provide the best GPS results, however these observations require ambiguities fixing. On the other hand, code pseudorange positioning are not ambiguous, but the accuracy is not enough for the most part of the applications because it gives some meters accuracy. The pseudorange smoothing is a process provides intermediary accuracy, in other words, the accuracy is not so good as the carrier phase observations and is better then pseudorange observations alone. The idea of smooth pseudorange by carrier phase is to combine phase (mm level) and code (m level) observations. In principle the more data are used in smoothing more accurate is the positioning, and no resolution ambiguity is necessary. The objective of this work is to explore the pseudorange smoothing technique showing its fundamental principle and its positioning accuracy. Observations from absolute positioning was smoothed with L1 alone and with both carriers phase (L1 and L2). The processed results showed more precision in positioning with pseudorange smoothed than original pseudorange from code. In the most part of experiments the pseudorange from smoothing process are more accurate and more precise than pseudorange from L1 smoothed and original code. In baseline mode results showed accuracy better than 1 meter using pseudorange smoothed.; Os resultados mais precisos no posicionamento GPS são alcançados no método de posicionamento relativo quando se utilizam observações da fase de batimento da onda portadora...

A research study was conducted to evaluate the amount of pseudorange multipath from GPS (Global Positioning System) observables at TAMDEF (Trans Antarctic Mountain Deformation) network, located in Victoria Land, Antarctica consisting of 33 GPS stations. It is well known that, despite carefully selected locations, the GPS stations are to some extent, affected by the presence of multipath. Pseudorange multipath effect for GPS measurements could be a potential contributor that might have an impact on the TAMDEF stations positioning. Thus, the root mean squared error variations (MP1-RMS and MP2-RMS) were estimated and analyzed in order to identify the most and least affected sites, considering GPS data span from year 1996 to year 2006. McMurdo (MCM4) IGS (The International GNSS Service for Geodynamics, formerly the International GPS Service) site, was adopted as part of the TAMDEF network, since MCM4 is the primary ITRF (International Terrestrial Reference Frame) access point for this part of Antarctica.