Open AccessPrecise point positioning performance in the presence of the 28 October 2003 sudden increase in total electron content
Author(s) -
RodríguezBilbao I.,
Radicella S. M.,
RodríguezCaderot G.,
Herraiz M.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
space weather
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.254
H-Index - 56
ISSN - 1542-7390
DOI - 10.1002/2015sw001201
Subject(s) - gnss applications , total electron content , precise point positioning , ionosphere , environmental science , geodesy , signal (programming language) , solar flare , satellite system , meteorology , remote sensing , physics , computer science , global positioning system , geology , astrophysics , telecommunications , tec , astronomy , programming language
Intense disturbances in the ionosphere may produce perturbations in Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) radio signals that in the most severe cases produce receiver tracking problems, which in turn impact on GNSS positioning accuracy. In this paper we present a case study related to the sudden increase in total electron content (SITEC) induced by the X17.2 solar flare that occurred on 28 October 2003. This is the largest SITEC ever recorded by means of the rate of change of total electron content. A solar radio burst (SRB) occurred in the same period which caused GNSS signal fading and in some cases complete signal loss. Although SITEC contribution to the signal noise cannot be separated from that of SRB, in this paper we show that accuracy degradation may happen in kinematic precise point positioning (PPP) in several stations of the sunlit hemisphere when 30 s sampling rate data are analyzed. The observed errors in the position are the result of the difficulties that cycle slip (CS) detection strategies have to deal with the observables that have been affected by the SITEC.