An Automatic Editing Algorithm for GPS data

Abstract

An algorithm has been developed to edit automatically Global Positioning System data such that outlier deletion, cycle slip identification and correction are independent of clock instability, selective availability, receiver–satellite kinematics, and tropospheric conditions. This algorithm, called TurboEdit, operates on undifferenced, dual frequency carrier phase data, and requires (1) the use of P code pseudorange data and (2) a smoothly varying ionospheric electron content. The latter requirement can be relaxed if the analysis software incorporates ambiguity resolution techniques to estimate unresolved cycle slip parameters. TurboEdit was tested on the large data set from the CASA Uno experiment, which contained over 2500 cycle slips. Analyst intervention was required on 1% of the station–satellite passes, almost all of these problems being due to difficulties in extrapolating variations in the ionospheric delay. The algorithm is presently being adapted for real time data editing in the Rogue receiver for continuous monitoring applications.