ASESSMENT OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MODELS USED FOR IONOSPHERIC CORRECTION OF GNSS MEASUREMENTS
Rubrics: GEODESY
Abstract and keywords
Abstract:
Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) are significantly affected by ionospheric delays, which impact on the accuracy of coordinate determination. In this study, the performance of three ionospheric correction models was evaluated: Klobuchar, NeQuick-G, and IRI-2016 – in various geographic regions, including the territory of the Russian Federation. The research is based on data from the first day of each month in 2023, using vertical total electron content (VTEC) values calculated at regular grid points with a 2.5° latitude and 5.0° longitude step. The accuracy of these models is assessed using the root mean square (RMS) of the difference in VTEC calculated by the models and global ionospheric maps (GIM). The analysis covers the entire Earth’s surface, polar regions, mid-latitude regions, equatorial regions, and the territory of the Russian Federation. The Klobuchar model demonstrates the lowest accuracy, particularly in polar regions, where its accuracy values do not exceed 45 % and lower than that of the other models. In equatorial regions, its accuracy is only 9 % lower. The NeQuick-G and IRI-2016 models show similar overall accuracy, but NeQuick-G provides more accurate results in specific cases, with RMS values as low as 2 TECU, while IRI-2016 offers more predictable results with RMS values not exceeding 8–10 TECU. For the territory of the Russian Federation, the NeQuick-G model is most effective during calm ionospheric periods, with an RMS of 4.702 TECU, and the IRI-2016 model is preferred during disturbed conditions, with an RMS of 5.335 TECU.

Keywords:
GNSS, GNSS receiver, ionospheric models, ionospheric measurement correction, Klobuchar model, NeQuick-G, IRI, total electron content
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