ASSESSMENT OF STEC ESTIMATION QUALITY USING GNSS PPP FIXED

Abstract

GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) data can be used for geodetic remote sensing, particularly for monitoring the ionosphere in the context of Space Weather. One of the important parameters derived from GNSS measurements for ionospheric analysis is the Slant Total Electron Content (STEC). By utilizing GNSS data from multiple frequencies or even a single frequency, the STEC can be computed using an appropriated linear combination, like geometry free. However, when computing an ionospheric gradient between two IPP (Ionospheric Pierce Point) from the same satellite, the precision of the STEC estimate can become a limiting factor. In some cases, the uncertainty in the estimate may be greater than the actual gradient value itself. This poses challenges, especially for augmentation systems like GBAS (Ground Based Augmentation System), where accurate ionospheric gradients are crucial. An alternative approach to improve these limitations is to estimate the STEC using a different approach, like Precise Point Positioning (PPP). For such case, the coordinates of the GNSS stations are constrained to known values (PPP-Fixed), while other parameters such as clock biases, tropospheric delays, and ionospheric delays (including STEC) can be estimated. The results of an experiment carried out to assess the quality of STEC for such application are presented and have shown good results. Ionospheric gradients are agreed in the mm level.