HDOP and VDOP Analysis in an Ideal Placement Environment for Dual GNSSs

Abstract

Increasing the number of satellites in a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) improves the positioning accuracy and increases availability. However, it reduces the positioning accuracy improvement rate and increases the calculation loads, which can cause battery usage problems in mobile devices using a GNSS. An appropriate satellite selection method is required. One current method entails the use of ideal satellite placement with respect to the minimum geometric dilution of precision (GDOP). In this study, the described ideal satellite placement with the minimum GDOP were divided in terms of the horizontal dilution of precision (HDOP) and vertical dilution of precision (VDOP). HDOP and VDOP were mathematically derived and analyzed. The derived formula was verified using simulations. The analysis was performed with actual dual GNSS satellite data. The satellites adjacent to the ideal placement were selected and the DOP was calculated. Simply selecting satellites closest to the ideal placement afforded large values for HDOP and VDOP. This issue was addressed using a satellite changing algorithm considering the dual GNSS, resulting in reduced values of the HDOP and VDOP.