High-precision tropospheric correction method for NRTK regions with significant height differences

Abstract

Abstract In response to the issue of poor network real-time kinematic (NRTK) service performance in regions with significant height differences, an improved tropospheric height correction (ITHC) method is proposed. Precise point positioning (PPP) is employed to compute the troposphere delay at base stations. Subsequently, a tropospheric vertical profile fitting model (TVPFM) is established for the vertical reduction of the troposphere in regions with significant height differences. In this case, the tropospheric errors introduced by the height differences between the base and rover stations can be calculated. Finally, the tropospheric error can be corrected during the generation of virtual observations, ensuring high-accuracy positioning of NRTK rovers. With the troposphere delay computed based on the PPP approach, datum errors introduced by inaccurate tropospheric correction methods are mitigated. To reduce the dependence of the troposphere delay on height, ECMWF reanalysis v5 (ERA5) data are employed to fit the TVPFM. Experimental analysis demonstrates that the troposphere exhibits distinct vertical variation characteristics, allowing for its segmentation into three layers. Consequently, a piecewise TVPFM is established. Observations obtained from the continuously operating reference stations network located in Yunnan, China, are utilized for validation. The selected stations exhibit a maximum height difference of approximately 2 km. The experimental results exhibit a notable enhancement in correction accuracy with the ITHC in comparison to conventional correction methodologies. Specifically, the ambiguity fixing rate demonstrates a noteworthy improvement of 13.3%, accompanied by a substantial increase in positioning accuracy by 51.4%.