Scientific Applications in Geodesy and Geodynamics – Innovations offered by the new GALILEO signals
Weber, R.
University of Technology, Vienna

Over the past 12 years the International GNSS Service (IGS) has demonstrated innovative solutions to maximize the benefits of GPS/GNSS signals in space. Today the IGS provides a large set of high quality products for a huge number of applications e.g. in geodynamics, surveying or atmosphere monitoring. A key objective of the IGS is to provide users anywhere in the world access to highest level GNSS data, products and resources for scientific applications, through an “open data policy”. This is naturally dependent upon the availability and performance of the various satellite systems.

Recognizing the importance of the upcoming new European satellite navigation system (GALILEO) and the modernization programs for GPS and GLONASS the IGS decided to set up a GNSS-Working Group. One of the major goals of this WG is to prepare a consolidated feedback to GNSS system engineering based on relevant IGS experience of providing highest accuracy products for the existing systems. Concerning the work of IGS Analysis Centres as well as other IGS Working Groups the opportunities offered by the various GNSS modernization programs should be reflected.

The set of new signals provided by GNSS ongoing modernization programs will allow for improved ambiguity resolution techniques over longer baselines (TCAR, MCAR). Linear combinations of 3 frequencies provided by Galileo and GPS allow to mitigate second-order ionospheric effects and might subsequently improve the determination of the remaining tropospheric refraction.The optimal signal linear combination in terms of wavelength and noise level depends on the baseline length. Nevertheless in case of controlled intersystem biases the new processing models will improve the positioning accuracy of reference points and subsequently contribute to the stability of the reference frame and the determination of Earth Rotation Parameters.

This presentation will give a summary of the findings of the IGS GNSS-WG concerning the determination of geodetic parameters from GNSS data and touch upon the strategies of the International GPS Service for optimizing the future use of multiple integrated GNSS.