Post-processed Precise Point Positioning: A viable alternative?

Abstract

The concept of Precise Point Positioning (PPP) using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology was first introduced in 1976. However, it took until the 1990s for PPP to generate interest amongst the greater GNSS community. Over the last two decades, dual-frequency PPP has been extensively researched, and several PPP online services and software packages have been developed. This research has shown that centimetre-level point positioning is achievable in post-processed static mode. However, several limitations still remain, primarily the long convergence times needed to resolve ambiguities, currently restricting the use of PPP for high-accuracy survey applications. With the advent of cost-effective and accurate post-processing PPP services provided by organisations such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the International GNSS Service (IGS) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), PPP now offers centimetre-level point positioning from much smaller observation datasets. This study compares PPP results from 1-hour, 2-hour, 4-hour, 12-hour and 24-hour observation datasets using NRCan’s PPP online service against the official, Regulation 13-certified coordinates of twenty CORSnet-NSW sites across New South Wales. It is shown that post-processed PPP can provide a viable alternative to differential techniques for survey accuracy, static survey applications for observation spans of at least 4 hours.