Performance evaluation of GPS receiver under equatorial scintillation

Moraes, Alison de Oliveira; Perrella, Waldecir João

doi:10.5028/jatm.2009.0102193200

Abstract:

Equatorial scintillation is a phenomenon that occurs daily in the equatorial region after the sunset and affects radio signals that propagate through the ionosphere. Depending on the temporal and spatial situation, equatorial scintillation can represent a problem in the availability and precision of the Global Positioning System (GPS). This work is concerned with evaluating the impact of equatorial scintillation on the performance of GPS receivers. First, the morphology and statistical model of equatorial scintillation is briefly presented. A numerical model that generates synthetic scintillation data to simulate the effects of equatorial scintillation is presented. An overview of the main theoretical principles on GPS receivers is presented. The analytical models that describe the effects of scintillation at receiver level are presented and compared with numerical simulations using a radio software receiver and synthetic data. The results achieved by simulation agreed quite well with those predicted by the analytical models. The only exception is for links with extreme levels of scintillation and when weak signals are received.

Keywords:
Component tracking performance; GPS receiver; Ionospheric scintillation; Communication system simulation

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REFERENCES

Basu, S., 1981, "Equatorial Scintillations - A Review" Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics, Vol. 43, Nº. 5/6, pp. 473-489.
Beach, T. L., 1998, "Global Positioning System Studies of Equatorial Scintillations", Ph.D. Thesis, Cornell University, 335p.
Beniguel, Y., Forte, B., Radicella, S. M., Strangeways, H. J., Gherm, V. E., Zernov, N. N., 2004, "Scintillations Effects on Satellite to Earth Links for Telecommunication and Navigation Purposes", Annals of Geophysics, Vol. 47, pp. 1179-99.
Borre, K., Akos, D. M., Bertelsen, N., Rinder, P., Jensen S. H., 2007, "A Software-Defined GPS and Galileo Receiver", Birkhäuser, Boston, 176p.
Conker; R. S., El-Arini, M. B. Hegarty, C. J., Hsiao, T., 2003, "Modeling the Effects of Ionospheric Scintillation on GPS/Satellite-Based Augmentation System Availability", Radio Science, Vol. 38.
Davies, K., 1990, "Ionospheric Radio," IEE Electromagnetic Waves Series, Vol. 31.
Fremouw, E. J., Livingston; R. C., Miller, D. A., 1980, "On the Statistics of Scintillating Signals", Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics, Vol. 42, pp. 717-731.
Holmes, J. K., 1982, "Coherent Spread Spectrum Systems", John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey, 624p.
Humphreys, T. E., Psiaki, M. L., Hinks, J. C. Kintner Jr., P. M., 2008, "Simulating Ionosphere-Induced Scintillation for Testing GPS Receiver Phase Tracking Loops", IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems.
Kelley, M. C., 1989, "The Earth's Ionosphere: Plasma Physics and Electrodynamics", San Diego, Academic Press, 484 p.
Kintner Jr., P. M., Ledvina, B. M., De Paula, E. R., Kantor, D I. J., 2004, "Size, Shape, Orientation, Speed, and Duration of GPS Equatorial Anomaly Scintillations", Radio Science, Vol. 39, 2012-2017pp.
Moraes, A. O., 2009, "Análise do desempenho de um receptor GPS em canais com cintilação ionosférica", Thesis (Master Degree in Telecomunication - Technological Institute of Aeronautics, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil, 106p.
Simon; M. K., Alouini, M., 2006, "Digital Communications Over Fading Channels," 2.ed., Wiley, New York.
Ward, P., 1996, "Understanding GPS: Principles and Applications", Artech House, Boston, pp.119-208.

Publication Dates

Publication in this collection
Jul-Dec 2009

History

Received
06 Aug 2009
Accepted
29 Sept 2009

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

[1] Basu, S., 1981, "Equatorial Scintillations - A Review" Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics, Vol. 43, Nº. 5/6, pp. 473-489.

[2] Beach, T. L., 1998, "Global Positioning System Studies of Equatorial Scintillations", Ph.D. Thesis, Cornell University, 335p.

[3] Beniguel, Y., Forte, B., Radicella, S. M., Strangeways, H. J., Gherm, V. E., Zernov, N. N., 2004, "Scintillations Effects on Satellite to Earth Links for Telecommunication and Navigation Purposes", Annals of Geophysics, Vol. 47, pp. 1179-99.

[4] Borre, K., Akos, D. M., Bertelsen, N., Rinder, P., Jensen S. H., 2007, "A Software-Defined GPS and Galileo Receiver", Birkhäuser, Boston, 176p.

[5] Conker; R. S., El-Arini, M. B. Hegarty, C. J., Hsiao, T., 2003, "Modeling the Effects of Ionospheric Scintillation on GPS/Satellite-Based Augmentation System Availability", Radio Science, Vol. 38.

[6] Davies, K., 1990, "Ionospheric Radio," IEE Electromagnetic Waves Series, Vol. 31.

[7] Fremouw, E. J., Livingston; R. C., Miller, D. A., 1980, "On the Statistics of Scintillating Signals", Journal of Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics, Vol. 42, pp. 717-731.

[8] Holmes, J. K., 1982, "Coherent Spread Spectrum Systems", John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey, 624p.

[9] Humphreys, T. E., Psiaki, M. L., Hinks, J. C. Kintner Jr., P. M., 2008, "Simulating Ionosphere-Induced Scintillation for Testing GPS Receiver Phase Tracking Loops", IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems.

[10] Kelley, M. C., 1989, "The Earth's Ionosphere: Plasma Physics and Electrodynamics", San Diego, Academic Press, 484 p.

[11] Kintner Jr., P. M., Ledvina, B. M., De Paula, E. R., Kantor, D I. J., 2004, "Size, Shape, Orientation, Speed, and Duration of GPS Equatorial Anomaly Scintillations", Radio Science, Vol. 39, 2012-2017pp.

[12] Moraes, A. O., 2009, "Análise do desempenho de um receptor GPS em canais com cintilação ionosférica", Thesis (Master Degree in Telecomunication - Technological Institute of Aeronautics, São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil, 106p.

[13] Simon; M. K., Alouini, M., 2006, "Digital Communications Over Fading Channels," 2.ed., Wiley, New York.

[14] Ward, P., 1996, "Understanding GPS: Principles and Applications", Artech House, Boston, pp.119-208.

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