Approaching Global Instantaneous Precise Positioning with the Dual- and Triple-Frequency Multi-GNSS Decoupled Clock Model

Abstract

Precise Point Positioning (PPP), as a global precise positioning technique, suffers from relatively long convergence times, hindering its ability to be the default precise positioning technique. Reducing the PPP convergence time is a must to reach global precise positions, and doing so in a few minutes to seconds can be achieved thanks to the additional frequencies that are being broadcast by the modernized GNSS constellations. Due to discrepancies in the number of signals broadcast by each satellite/constellation, it is necessary to have a model that can process a mix of signals, depending on availability, and perform ambiguity resolution (AR), a technique that proved necessary for rapid convergence. This manuscript does so by expanding the uncombined Decoupled Clock Model to process and fix ambiguities on up to three frequencies depending on availability for GPS, Galileo, and BeiDou. GLONASS is included as well, without carrier-phase ambiguity fixing. Results show the possibility of consistent quasi-instantaneous global precise positioning through an assessment of the algorithm on a network of global stations, as the 67th percentile solution converges below 10 cm horizontal error within 2 min, compared to 8 min with a triple-frequency solution, showing the importance of having a flexible PPP-AR model frequency-wise. In terms of individual datasets, 14% of datasets converge instantaneously when mixing dual- and triple-frequency measurements, compared to just 0.1% in that of dual-frequency mode without ambiguity resolution. Two kinematic car datasets were also processed, and it was shown that instantaneous centimetre-level positioning with a moving receiver is possible. These results are promising as they only rely on ultra-rapid global satellite products, allowing for instantaneous real-time precise positioning without the need for any local infrastructure or prior knowledge of the receiver’s environment.