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Absolute IGS antenna phase center model igs08.atx: status and potential improvements

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Abstract

On 17 April 2011, all analysis centers (ACs) of the International GNSS Service (IGS) adopted the reference frame realization IGS08 and the corresponding absolute antenna phase center model igs08.atx for their routine analyses. The latter consists of an updated set of receiver and satellite antenna phase center offsets and variations (PCOs and PCVs). An update of the model was necessary due to the difference of about 1 ppb in the terrestrial scale between two consecutive realizations of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF2008 vs. ITRF2005), as that parameter is highly correlated with the GNSS satellite antenna PCO components in the radial direction.

For the receiver antennas, more individual calibrations could be considered and GLONASS-specific correction values were added. For the satellite antennas, all correction values except for the GPS PCVs were newly estimated considering more data than for the former model. Satellite-specific PCOs for all GPS satellites active since 1994 could be derived from reprocessed solutions of five ACs generated within the scope of the first IGS reprocessing campaign. Two ACs separately derived a full set of corrections for all GLONASS satellites active since 2003.

Ignoring scale-related biases, the accuracy of the satellite antenna PCOs is on the level of a few cm. With the new phase center model, orbit discontinuities at day boundaries can be reduced, and the consistency between GPS and GLONASS results is improved. To support the analysis of low Earth orbiter (LEO) data, igs08.atx was extended with LEO-derived PCV estimates for big nadir angles in June 2013.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all the various components of the IGS, especially those ACs providing satellite antenna PCO estimates within their reprocessed SINEX files. We are grateful to Paul Rebischung who computed the final set of individual AC z-PCO time series supplied by IGN as well as the updated z-PCOs provided in Table 6. We also thank Matt King and three anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments on this manuscript.

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  1. R. Schmid

    Present address: Deutsches Geodätisches Forschungsinstitut (DGFI-TUM), Technische Universität München, Arcisstraße 21, 80333, München, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Astronomische und Physikalische Geodäsie (IAPG), Technische Universität München, 80290, München, Germany

    R. Schmid

  2. Astronomical Institute, University of Bern, Sidlerstraße 5, 3012, Bern, Switzerland

    R. Dach & A. Jäggi

  3. IGN/LAREG, Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, 5 rue Thomas Mann, 75205, Paris Cedex 13, France

    X. Collilieux

  4. Geo++ GmbH, Steinriede 8, 30827, Garbsen, Germany

    M. Schmitz

  5. European Space Operations Centre (ESOC), Robert-Bosch-Straße 5, 64293, Darmstadt, Germany

    F. Dilssner

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Schmid, R., Dach, R., Collilieux, X. et al. Absolute IGS antenna phase center model igs08.atx: status and potential improvements. J Geod 90, 343–364 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00190-015-0876-3

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