Vpliv troposferskega modeliranja in atmosferskega tlaka na ponovljivost položaja GNSS

Impact of tropospheric modelling and atmospheric pressure loading on GNSS position repeatability

Author(s):

Hicham Dekkiche, Houaria Namaoui, Walid Bouaoula, Yasser Bedjaoui, Karim Bensttila

Abstract:

This study investigates the impact of tropospheric modelling strategies on the repeatability of daily GNSS position estimates across Mediterranean and high-latitude regions through comprehensive analysis of multiple factors: zenith total delay estimation, elevation cut-off angles (0°, 3° and 7°), mapping functions (VMF1, NMF, GMF), and atmospheric pressure loading corrections. The research demonstrates that estimating zenith total delay parameters alongside horizontal gradients substantially improves position repeatability, reducing vertical component errors from over one meter to millimetric levels. The choice of elevation cut-off angle also affects performance, with 3° yielding optimal results, while 0° consistently degrades it. Mapping function effectiveness varies by region: in the Mediterranean, NMF slightly outperforms others vertically, whereas VMF1 and NMF excel horizontally; in high-latitude regions, GMF generally performs best, though station-dependent variability persists. Incorporating atmospheric pressure loading corrections improves results in most cases, especially when used with VMF1, which showed up to 12% improvement in vertical repeatability. These findings underscore the benefits of an integrated approach combining advanced mapping functions with atmospheric corrections.

Keywords:

Troposphere modelling, Atmospheric pressure loading, GNSS positioning, daily repeatability

DOI: 10.15292/geodetski-vestnik.2025.04.554-573

Citation:

Hicham Dekkiche, Houaria Namaoui, Walid Bouaoula, Yasser Bedjaoui, Karim Bensttila (2025). Vpliv troposferskega modeliranja in atmosferskega tlaka na ponovljivost položaja GNSS. | Impact of tropospheric modelling and atmospheric pressure loading on GNSS position repeatability. Geodetski vestnik, 69 (4), 554-573. DOI: 10.15292/geodetski-vestnik.2025.04.554-573