Study of a Simplified Approach in Utilizing Information from Permanent Reference Station Arrays

Abstract

Permanent reference station networks are used all over the world for surveying type applications requiring centimeter accuracy generally reducing the worth of traditional single baseline methods. The well known advantages provided by reference station array information include improved modeling of the remaining tropospheric, ionospheric and orbit biases. Methods and concepts show the improvements in performance and reliability in some kind of closed system approaches. Standardisation discussions underway within RTCM target the interoperability between the reference station systems and roving receivers from various manufacturers. One obstacle in the discussion, and therefore in later interoperability issues, is the creation and proper description of the models used for deriving the biases noted above. This difficulty has to be mitigated and will vanish with time, but this interoperability is needed urgently. This paper details a different approach to utilise and distribute the information from permanent reference station arrays in RTCM-format compact messages. The separation of different calculation tasks affords an easy and efficient standard for the transfer and distribution of network information. The proposed method may solve the current dilemma for interoperability standards.