GEO270 – Geodetic Studies

Satellite Positioning System

GPS BIASES &
ERROR SOURCES

Muhammad Faiz Bin Pa’suya

faiz524@@perlis.uitm.edu.my
Centre of Studies Surveying Science &
Geomatics
Universiti Teknologi Mara (Perlis)
GPS Noise and Error Sources
GPS pseudorange and carrier-phase
measurements are both affected by
several types of random errors and
biases (systematic errors).
Can be classified as:
a. originating at the satellites
b. originating at the receiver
c. signal propagation (atmospheric
refraction)

1. Errors originating at the satellites

Include ephemeris or orbital errors,
satellite clock errors, and the effect of
selective availability (SA)
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GPS Noise and Error Sources

Satellite Dependent Errors/Biases

1. Ephemeris or orbital errors,
2. Satellite clock errors
3. Selective availability (SA)
4. Satellite Hardware Errors
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

Selective availability (SA)

• The Defense Department dithered the satellite
time message, reducing position accuracy to
some GPS users.
• S/A was designed to prevent America‘s
enemies from using GPS against us and our
allies.
• In May 2000 the Pentagon reduced S/A to zero
meters error- could be reactivated at any time
by the Pentagon
• this error could be removed by either
differential or relative positioning techniques
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

Source: GPS Support Center, Air Force Space Command

Position variation of a stationary

GPS receiver due to SA
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

Anti Spoofing (AS)

• AS is applied by DoD USA
to protect the P-Code from
the use of his enemy and
civilian user.
• AS encrypts the P-Code into
Y-Code which can be only
accessed by restricted
users.
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

Satellite Orbital Error

• Satellite positions are included in the
broadcast message and the position are
predicted at the ground control station
• The satellite ephemeris bias is the
discrepancy between the true position
(and velocity) of a satellite and its known
value.
• Modeling the forces acting on the GPS
satellites will not in general be perfect,
which causes some errors in the
estimated satellite positions- known as
ephemeris errors
• Error alongtrack, crosstrack and radial
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

• Usually in the order of 2m to 5m, and can

reach up to 50m under selective
availability
• For any particular satellite, this error is
identical to all GPS users worldwide and
can be eliminate by combining a parallel
measurement of two receiver that
simultaneously tracking the same satellite
• However , can only eliminate for short
baseline and cannot be totally eliminated
on a longer baseline-different position has
different viewing angle
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

Errors in Baseline component due to orbit error

 GPS Noise and Error Sources

(i) Broadcast ephemerides

• These are actually predicted satellite positions broadcast within the
navigation message that are transmitted from the satellites in real
time.
• Can be acquired in real time by a receiver capable of acquiring
either the C/A-or P-code and are computed by using past tracking
data of the satellites.
• Satellites are tracked continuously by the monitor stations to obtain
more recent data to be used for the orbit predictions.
• MCS analyzes the data to compute new parameters for the satellite
orbits which are transmitted back to the satellites. This upload is
performed daily with new predicted orbital elements transmitted
every hour by the navigation message.
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

(ii) Precise ephemerides

• The precise ephemerides are based on actual tracking data that
are post-processed to obtain the more accurate satellite positions.
• These ephemerides are available at a later date and are more
accurate than the broadcast ephemerides because they are based
on actual tracking data and not predicted data.
• For non-military users these ephemerides are available in post-
missionmode with delay from 12 hr for IGS ultra rapid orbit to about
12 days for the most precise IGS precise service. Corresponding
accuracies for these precise orbits are in order of a few decimeters
to 1 decimeter respectively.
• Precise ephemeris data downloadable from:
ftp:// igscb.jpl.nasa.gov/igscb/product/.
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

• For precise work that requires

higher accuracy of ephemeris
data than the broadcast
ephemeris
• The accuracy of precise
ephemeris is stated to be in
order of a few decimeter to a
decimeter
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

Satellite clock errors

• Although highly accurate, are not perfect and
difficult to synchronize
• Small error in satellite clock could cause
considerably large range measurement errors
that need to be corrected
• Varying slowly and typically less than
milliseconds
• The satellite clock error is about 8.64 to 17.28
ns per day and corresponding range error is
2.59m to 5.18m
• Clock error & corresponding range error:
• The performance of the satellite clocks is
monitored by the ground control system
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

Satellite clock errors

• The amount of drift is calculated and transmitted as a part of
the navigation message
• These errors are common to all users observing the same
satellite and can be removed through differencing between the
receivers
• Satellite clock correction in the navigation message can also
correct the satellite clock errors
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

Satellite Hardware Errors

These errors have several sources:
1. the electronic‐specific effects that cause signal travel time
delay between the satellite signal generator and the
satellite transmitter;
2. satellite antenna phase offsets and orientation (the
difference between the GPS satellites centre of mass and
phase centre of its transmitter);
3. the effect of phase wind‐up (a rotation of satellite antenna
around its vertical axis). Blewitt (1998) pointsout that in
the past the phase wind‐up effect occurred when the
satellite began to spin due to some malfunction.
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

Receiver Dependent Errors/Biases

 GPS Noise and Error Sources

• 1. Receiver clock error

• use inexpensive crystal clocks, which are much less accurate than
the satellite clocks
• receiver clock error is much larger than that of the GPS satellite
clock
• removed through differencing between the satellites
2. Antenna-phase-center variation
• antenna phase center-the point at which the GPS signal is received
• does not coincide with the physical (geometrical) center of the
antenna
• The size of the error depends on the antenna type, and is typically
in the order of a few centimeters-difficult to model .
• short baselines with the same types of antennas at each end, the
error can be canceled if the antennas are oriented in the same
direction
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

Antenna-phase-center variation
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

Satellite-Receiver Dependent Errors/Biases

 GPS Noise and Error Sources

Atmospheric Delay
• As GPS signals propagate
through Earth‘s atmosphere,
they are refracted
• Major influence originates
from ionosphere and neutral
atmosphere layer (mostly due
to troposphere).
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

Atmospheric Delay
• The atmosphere consists of
charged particles, neutral atom,
molecules, gases, water vapour,
etc., and changes the velocity
(speed and direction) of the GPS
signals.
• A change in signal speed changes
the signal transit time.
Consequently, the ‗measured‘
range between the satellite and
the receiver is different from its
‗line‐of‐sight‘ geometric range
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

1. Ionospheric delay
• Ionosphere is primarily composed of ions —
positively charged atoms and molecules, and
free negatively charged electrons
• The free electrons affect the propagation of
electromagnetic waves
• Bends the GPS radio signal and changes its
speed as it passes through the various
ionospheric layers to reach a GPS receiver
• As the signal enters the ionosphere, the code
information is slowed down and the carrier phase
is speeded up- called as group delay
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

Ionospheric delay (cont.)

• The magnitude of this delay is

proportional to the inversed of the
frequency squared and can
expressed as follows:
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

TEC Variability
1. Seasonal variation (mid‐latitude region) ‐ Typically, the electron density
levels are higher in winter than in summer. Since the Sun‘s radiation is
higher in the summer, this is somewhat an unexpected result.
2. Time of day – In mid‐latitude areas TEC is largest during daytime
(typically after local noon) and at its minimum at night time until dawn. In
equatorial region however, the situation is reversed.
3. Solar Activity – Solar activity is usually characterised by sunspot
number. Detailed observations of sunspots have been carried out by the
Royal Greenwich Observatory since 1874, and can be represented in
so‐called ―butterfly diagram‖.
4. Geomagnetic location – The Earth‘s magnetic field influences particle
motion in the Earth‘s orbit and traps charged particles such as free
electrons. The geomagnetic field is strongest at low latitudes.
5. Larger delay from low elevation satellites
GPS Noise and Error Sources
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

Tropospheric delay
• The most dense and lowest layer of Earth's neutral atmosphere-
between earth surface and ionosphere
• For radio frequencies up to about 30GHz, troposphere is non dispersive
medium (unlike the ionosphere); i.e., the refraction is independent of the
frequency of the signals passing through it.
• GNSS signals appears as an extra delay in the measurement of the
signal traveling from the satellite to receiver. This delay depends on the
temperature, pressure, humidity along the signal path as well as the
transmitter and receiver antennas location
• The delay has two discrete component : dry and wet. Dry component
contribute to 90% of the delay and can be predicted accurately.
• The wet delay depends on the water vapour along its path and the
humidity- difficult to predict
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

Tropospheric delay(cont..)
• Also contains a variable amount of
water vapour, which varies
depending on the temperature and
pressure of the air
• The water vapour content
increases with increasing
temperature and pressure, but
decreases as the elevation
increases
• water vapour content is significant
between 12km altitude and
surface
(Mockler, 1995).
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

OPTION
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

Multipath error
• A major error source for both the carrier-phase
and pseudorange measurements -much larger
in the pseudorange measurements
• Occurs when the GPS signal arrives at the
receiver antenna through different paths and
slightly different times
• These paths is reflected signals from objects
surrounding the receiver antenna
• Distorts the original signal through interference
with the reflected signals at the GPS antenna
• Error can be either sign (positive or negative)
 GPS Noise and Error Sources
Multipath error
• Size of error (max)
Carrier phase multipath - a quarter of a cycle (about 4.8 cm for the L1
carrier phase)
Pseudorange multipath- can theoretically reach several tens of meters
for the C/A-code measurements
• Error can not be removed but it can be controlled by a number
observation and equipment related technique
• OPTIONS:
i. Selecting proper site for positioning point
ii. Use a chock ring antenna (a chock ring device is a ground plane
that has several concentric metal hoops, which attenuate the
reflected signals)
 GPS Noise and Error Sources

Satellite geometry measures

Good satellite geometry
• Represents the geometric locations of the GPS
satellites as seen by the receiver(s)-plays a very
important role in the total positioning accuracy
• Good satellite geometry is obtained when the
satellites are spread out in the sky
• Satellite geometry effect can be measured by a
single dimensionless number called the dilution
of precision (DOP)
• Lower the value of the DOP number, the better
the geometric strength, and vice versa
• There are various DOP forms are used,
depending on the user‘s need
bad satellite geometry
GPS Noise and Error Sources
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GPS Noise and Error Sources
PDOP-Planning
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GPS Noise and Error Sources
GPS Noise and Error Sources
Thanks

Introduction to Geodesy