A RESEARCH STUDY OF HANDHELD MULTICONSTELLATION GNSS RECEIVERS SATELLITE POSITIONING PERFORMANCE

The rise and development of multi-frequency/multi-modal satellite navigation receivers provides improvements in satellite positioning accuracy and increasing positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services integrity. The proposed research deals with positioning performance of augmented GNSS devices. Three handheld satellite navigation receivers were used in the study: GPS, GPS/EGNOS and GPS/GLONASS/EGNOS receiver, respectively. The research took place in the Middle Adriatic area, comprising static and dynamic segment. The static segment was carried out at single point location during several continuous hours, tracking obtained positions. The dynamic segment was conducted during sea navigation in confined navigation channel, where the same GNSS receivers were used for the positioning solutions obtaining. The satellite positioning environment analysis confirmed favourable positioning signals' propagation conditions and satellite availability during research periods. Obtained positioning patterns were analysed elaborating positioning errors and deviations, given the time resolution of the data obtained. The analyses were made with reference to precise-positioning service provided by dual-frequency GPS receiver which was used during the research. The reference positioning was augmented by CROPOS networked reference stations system, providing static accuracy of 3-6 mm, and dynamic accuracy of 1 - 3 cm, respectively. The results confirmed positional improvement of augmented devices, showing reduced positioning error and lesser variation scattering in multimodal GNSS receivers, when compared to sole system only. Further research activities were pointed out, originating from the conducted research and conclusions. Various environmental, operational and critical satellite positioning scenarios have to be tested, aiming at new generation satellite navigational receivers' performance studying in sea navigation.