Tropospheric Parameters Derived From Co-located Instrumentation at the Onsala Space Observatory

The study of climate change is an important field of research. Monitoring of atmospheric variability especially the tropospheric precipitable water vapor (PWV) is a powerful way to investigate climate change. Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) provide a good tool for studying atmospheric parameters as GNSS signals along its path from the satellites to the ground based receivers suffer a significant delay due to the refractivity of earth’s atmosphere. GNSS signals are not only delayed but also refracted in the neutral atmosphere. The zenith wet delays (ZWD) caused by the troposphere can be estimated during the geodetic processing of GNSS signals. Since the ZWD is tightly correlated to the PWV, GNSS observations can be used to study the changes of PWV. In this study GNSS data from the Egyptian permanent GNSS network (EPGN), International GNSS Service (IGS), EUREF Permanent Network (EPN) and Scripps Orbit and Permanent Array Center (SOPAC), for the years 2013 and 2014, were used. These GNSS stations provided a good geometrical coverage over the respective region. All GNSS data were processed using Bernese V 5.2 software. The needed product from GNSS data processing is the tropospheric zenith total delay (ZTD) over each GNSS site. The ZTD is divided based on physical parameters into zenith hydrostatic delay (ZHD) and zenith wet delay (ZWD). The ZWD is the basic observable used to calculate PWV. The values of the PWV were calculated and its variation over the study area was investigated. The quality of calculated PWV values from GNSS data evaluated against traditional Radiosonde (RS) measurements. The results of GNSS PWV showed good agreement with RS PWV when the PWV values were low, but this agreement became worse at high PWV values as the differences between the two techniques increased. The correlation coefficient between RS PWV and GNSS PWV varied from 0.31 to 0.84. Standard deviation of the differences between RS PWV and GNSS PWV ranged from 2.369 to 5.973 mm. The PWV estimated from GNSS observations had annual cycle, and its cycle in 2013 was different from that in 2014. The PWV differences between the 2 years clarified that the water vapor content over the east Mediterranean in most of 2014 days was higher than that in 2013. Furthermore, PWV variations were noted on both temporal and spatial scales. The highest temporal variation value was 25.41 mm whereas the maximum value of the spatial variation was 19.67 mm. The present study illustrated the importance of using geodetic networks to provide atmospheric information.

Recent efforts of tracking low Earth orbit and medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites using geodetic very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) raise questions on the potential of this novel observation concept for space geodesy. Therefore, we carry out extensive Monte Carlo simulations in order to investigate the feasibility of geodetic VLBI for precise orbit determination (POD) of MEO satellites and assess the impact of quality and quantity of satellite observations on the derived geodetic parameters. The MEO satellites are represented in our study by LAGEOS-1/-2 and a set of Galileo satellites. The concept is studied on the basis of 3-day solutions in which satellite observations are included into real schedules of the continuous geodetic VLBI campaign 2017 (CONT17) as well as simulated schedules concerning the next-generation VLBI system, known as the VLBI Global Observing System (VGOS). Our results indicate that geodetic VLBI can perform on a comparable level as other space-geodetic techniques concerning POD of MEO satellites. For an assumed satellite observation precision better than 14.1 mm (47 ps), an average 3D orbit precision of 2.0 cm and 6.3 cm is found for schedules including LAGEOS-1/-2 and Galileo satellites, respectively. Moreover, geocenter offsets, which were so far out of scope for the geodetic VLBI analysis, are close to the detection limit for the simulations concerning VGOS observations of Galileo satellites, with the potential to further enhance the results. Concerning the estimated satellite orbits, VGOS leads to an average precision improvement of 80% with respect to legacy VLBI. In absolute terms and for satellite observation precision of 14.1 mm (47 ps), this corresponds to an average value of 17 mm and 7 mm concerning the 3D orbit scatter and precision of geocenter components, respectively. As shown in this study, a poor satellite geometry can degrade the derived Earth rotation parameters and VLBI station positions, compared to the quasar-only reference schedules. Therefore, careful scheduling of both quasar and satellite observations should be performed in order to fully benefit from this novel observation concept.

The geodetic and astrometric very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) community is in the process of upgrading its existing infrastructure with the VLBI Global Observing System (VGOS). The primary objective of VGOS is to substantially boost the number of scans per hour for enhanced parameter estimation. However, the current observing strategy results in fewer scans than anticipated. During 2022, six 24-h VGOS Research and Development (R&D) sessions were conducted to demonstrate a proof-of-concept aimed at addressing this shortcoming. The new observation strategy centers around a signal-to-noise (SNR)-based scheduling approach combined with eliminating existing overhead times in existing VGOS sessions. Two SNR-based scheduling approaches were tested during these sessions: one utilizing inter-/extrapolation of existing S/X source flux density models and another based on a newly derived source flux density catalog at VGOS frequencies. Both approaches proved effective, leading to a 2.3-fold increase in the number of scheduled scans per station and a 2.6-fold increase in the number of observations per station while maintaining a high observation success rate of approximately 90 % to 95 %. Consequently, both strategies succeeded in the main objective of these sessions by successfully increasing the number of scans per hour. The strategies described in this work can be easily applied to operational VGOS observations. Besides outlining and discussing the observation strategy, we further provide insight into the resulting signal-to-noise ratios, and discuss the impact on the precision of the estimated geodetic parameters. Monte Carlo simulations predicted a roughly 50 % increase in geodetic precision compared to operational VGOS sessions. The analysis confirmed that the formal errors in estimated station coordinates were reduced by 40 % to 50 %. In addition, Earth orientation parameters showed significant improvement, with a 40 % to 50 % reduction in formal errors.Graphical

The wet delay is one of the most difficult sources of error to quantify in global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) due to its spatial and temporal variability. However, its estimation is vital in some applications, such as in Precise Point Positioning (PPP), network real-time kinematic and weather forecast. Such estimation is usually carried out for its projected component along the zenith, defined as the zenith wet delay (ZWD). Prediction of the ZWD is important if there is a break in its estimation, and in providing initial values for future processing. In this paper, prediction modeling for the ZWD is investigated. An autocorrelation study was first performed on ZWD data over three different days at the international GNSS service station ONSALA to provide an insight into the temporal correlations among ZWDs. The choice of this station was based on the availability of reliable ZWD data measured by water vapor radiometers, which provide a reference for assessment of the accuracy of predicted values. Results have shown that successive ZWD estimates are significantly correlated for up to 1.7 hours. Different trend and smoothing prediction models were then investigated. Since prediction of ZWD requires continuous data sequence, interpolation methods of possible missing ZWD values are discussed. The use of linear interpolation or a cubic Hermite polynomial was found to be sufficient for interpolation of ZWD. Test results of prediction models show that the single-exponential smoothing model was the best performer where ZWD estimates were forecasted with a root mean square error of less than 1 cm for up to two hours.

GNSS zenith delays and gradients in the analysis of VLBI Intensive sessions

Ground-based GNSS ZTD/IWV estimation system for numerical weather prediction in challenging weather conditions

Tropospheric delays from GNSS for application in coastal altimetry

From a conceptual point of view water vapour radiometers (WVRs) are ideal instruments for a direct determination of the water vapour content in the atmosphere above a space geodetic observing site. For various reasons the application of WVRs for a direct correction of geodetic Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations for the wet component of atmospheric refraction has not been brought to a stage where it could be employed routinely. The installation of a new type of WVR at the 100 m Effelsberg radio telescope in Germany opens up new possibilities for a direct correction of the VLBI observations using line-of-sight WVR observations. The WVR has been in operation during two geodetic VLBI sessions of a purely European network. In addition, some WVR data at Onsala have been revisited to embark on a project which aims at applying wet delay corrections from WVRs to VLBI sessions of the European geodetic VLBI network for the Effelsberg, Madrid, Onsala and Wettzell sites.

GipsyX/RTGx is the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s (JPL) next generation software package for positioning, navigation, timing, and Earth science using measurements from three geodetic techniques: Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR), and Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS); with Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) under development. The software facilitates combined estimation of geodetic and geophysical parameters using a Kalman filter approach on real or simulated data in both post-processing and in real-time. The estimated parameters include station coordinates and velocities, satellite orbits and clocks, Earth orientation, ionospheric and tropospheric delays. The software is also capable of full realization of a dynamic terrestrial reference through analysis and combination of time series of ground station coordinates.Applying lessons learned from its predecessors, GIPSY-OASIS and Real Time GIPSY (RTG), GipsyX/RTGx was re-designed from the ground up to offer improved precision, accuracy, usability, and operational flexibility. We present some key aspects of its new architecture, and describe some of its major applications, including Real-time orbit determination and ephemeris predictions in the U.S. Air Force Next Generation GPS Operational Control Segment (OCX), as well as in JPL’s Global Differential GPS (GDGPS) System, supporting User Range Error (URE) of <5 cm RMS; precision post-processing GNSS orbit determination, including JPL’s contributions to the International GNSS Service (IGS) with URE in the 2 cm RMS range; Precise point positioning (PPP) with ambiguity resolution, both statically and kinematically, for geodetic applications with 2 mm horizontal, and 6.5 mm vertical repeatability for static positioning; Operational orbit and clock determination for Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellites, such as NASA’s Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission with GRACE relative clock alignment at the 20 ps level; calibration of radio occultation data from LEO satellites for weather forecasting and climate studies; Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) to GNSS and LEO satellites, DORIS-based and multi-technique orbit determination for LEO; production of terrestrial reference frames and Earth rotation parameters in support of JPL’s contribution to the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF).

Acousto-optic devices using lead molybdate and related compounds: Bell Telephone Labs Inc US patent 3617931 (1971) filed 5 May 1969

&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The VLBI Global Observing System (VGOS) is the VLBI contribution to GGOS.&amp;amp;#160;During the last years, several VGOS stations have been established, the VGOS observation program has started, and by 2020 VGOS has achieved an operational state involving eight international VGOS stations.&amp;amp;#160;Further VGOS stations are currently installed, so that the number of active VGOS stations will increase drastically in the near future. In the end of 2019 the International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry (IVS) decided to start a new and so-far experimental VGOS-Intensive series, called VGOS-B, involving Ishioka (Japan) and Onsala (Sweden).&amp;amp;#160;Both sites operate modern VGOS stations with 13.2 m diameter radio telescopes, i.e. ISHIOKA (IS) in Japan, and ONSA13NE (OE) and ONSA13SW (OW) in Sweden.&amp;amp;#160;In total 12 VGOS-B sessions were planned to be observed between December 2019 and February 2020, one every week, in parallel and simultaneously to legacy S/X INT1 Intensive sessions that involve the stations KOKEE (KK) on Hawaii and WETTZELL (WZ) in Germany.&amp;amp;#160;The 1-hour long VGOS-B sessions consist of more than fifty radio source observations, resulting in about 1.6 TB of raw data that are collected at each station.&amp;amp;#160;The scheduling of the VGOS-B sessions is done at Vienna University of Technology using &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;VieSched++&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt; and the subsequent steps (correlation, fringe-fitting, database creation) are planned to be carried out at the Onsala Space Observatory using &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;DIFX&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt; and &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;HOPS&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;.&amp;amp;#160;The resulting VGOS databases are planned to be analysed with several VLBI analysis software packages, involving &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;nuSolve&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;, &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;c5++&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt; and &amp;lt;em&amp;gt;ivg::ASCOT&amp;lt;/em&amp;gt;.&amp;amp;#160;In this presentation, we give an overview on the VGOS-B series, present our experiences, and discuss the obtained results.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;

Water vapour radiometers (WVR) provide information about temperature and humidity in the troposphere, with high temporal resolution when compared to the radiosonde (RS) observations. This technique can provide an additional reference data source for the zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) estimated with the use of the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). In this work, the accuracy of two newly installed radiometers was examined by comparison with RS observations, in terms of temperature (T), absolute humidity (AH), and relative humidity (RH), as well as for the ZTD. The impact of cloud covering and heavy precipitation events on the quality of WVR measurements was investigated. Also, the WVR data were compared to the GNSS ZTD estimates. The experiment was performed for 17 months during 2020 and 2021. The results show agreement between RS and WVR data at the level of 2◦C in T and 1 gm-3 in AH, whereas for RH larger discrepancies were noticed (standard deviation equal to 21%). Heavy precipitation increases WVR measurement errors of all meteorological parameters. In terms of ZTD, the comparison of WVR and RS techniques results in bias equal to –0.4 m and a standard deviation of 7.4 mm. The largest discrepancies of ZTD were noticed during the summer period. The comparison between the GNSS and WVR gives similar results as the comparison between the GNSS and RS (standard deviation 7.0–9.0 mm).

Implementing the International GNSS Service 2021+ Strategic Plan: Vision and Use Cases

The International GNSS Service (IGS) is an international activity involving more than 200 participating organisations in over 80 countries with a track record of one and a half decades of successful operations. The IGS is a service of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG). It primarily supports scientific research based on highly precise and accurate Earth observations using the technologies of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), primarily the US Global Positioning System (GPS). The mission of the IGS is “to provide the highest-quality GNSS data and products in support of the terrestrial reference frame, Earth rotation, Earth observation and research, positioning, navigation and timing and other applications that benefit society”. The IGS will continue to support the IAG’s initiative to coordinate cross-technique global geodesy for the next decade, via the development of the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS), which focuses on the needs of global geodesy at the mm-level. IGS activities are fundamental to scientific disciplines related to climate, weather, sea level change, and space weather. The IGS also supports many other applications, including precise navigation, machine automation, and surveying and mapping. This article discusses the IGS Strategic Plan and future directions of the globally-coordinated ~400 station IGS network, tracking data and information products, and outlines the scope of a few of its numerous working groups and pilot projects as the world anticipates a truly multi-system GNSS in the coming decade.

The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) has the capacity for remote sensing of water vapor content in the atmosphere. Post-processing of GNSS data can provide Integrated Water Vapor (IWV) with accuracies comparable to measurements of traditional sensors, i.e. water vapor radiometers. While GNSS meteorology benefits from thousands of permanent GNSS stations operating worldwide the spatial resolution of GNSS-derived IWV is limited to tens of kilometers. Further densification of GNSS networks is achievable with low-cost GNSS receivers. We investigated the feasibility of low-cost multi-GNSS receivers for monitoring IWV. The post-processing and the real-time solution are validated against 1) the results from a geodetic-grade GNSS receiver, 2) co-located water vapor radiometer, and 3) numerical weather model (NWM). Despite the high variability of the IWV during the validation period, the standard deviation of IWV differences with respect to the water vapor radiometer was 1.0 kg/m <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> and 1.5 kg/m <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> in post-processing and real-time, respectively. The city-scale variability of water vapor content in the atmosphere was monitored by a network of 16 low-cost GNSS receivers deployed in the city of Wroclaw, Poland. During rapidly changing weather conditions the disagreement between the low-cost GNSS-derived IWV field and the NWM reached up to 5.4 kg/m <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> and inter-station IWV differences exceeded 5 kg/m <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> . It has been demonstrated that low-cost GNSS receivers are reliable tools for precise determination of IWV, also in real-time. This study is the first to measure the water vapor content with a spatial resolution of single kilometers and to present a significantly diversified city-scale IWV field.