Correlation Between GPS Position Measurement Accuracy and Atmospheric Conditions

Abstract

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is able to calculate the position of a receiver on or near Planet Earth's surface. However, like any measurement system, GPS is subject to errors. There are many causes of these errors. One of these is the dynamics of atmospheric refraction. The atmospheric is composed of several layers, with particular structures and behaviors. If the refractive index of each layer were constant, this would not be a problem. It turns out that the dynamics of the atmosphere makes the refractive index unstable. Ordinary users have clearly noticed that, on a rainy day, it is common for their location apps to fail in this location. This work presents the relationship between the accuracy of a GPS and atmospheric conditions in special rain events. For this purpose, data from GPS receivers, data from the atmosphere, were used. The results presented in this work indicate that during rain events the GPS accuracy is compromised.

Keywords
GNSS; GPS; tropospheric delay