Analysis of the Accuracy of GMF, NMF, and VMF1 Mapping Functions with GPT 50 a Priori Zenith Constraint in Tropospheric Delay Modelling

Abstract
When modelling the tropospheric delay in Global Positioning System (GPS), the zenith delay is mapped to the slant with numerous mapping functions. The accuracy of the modelled tropospheric delay will be affected by the kind of mapping function used. Fixing the a priori zenith constraint as Global Temperature Pressure Humidity 50 (GPT 50), this paper compares the accuracy of the different mapping. Global Mapping Function (GMF), Niell Mapping Function (NMF) and Updated Vienna Mapping Function (VMF1), the update of Vienna Mapping Function (VMF) are the mapping functions studied. All these are used with the saastamoinen tropospheric delay model which is used in the GPS Analysis Software for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology software (GAMIT_GLOBK). For the north and east offsets these mapping functions achieved the same accuracy and can therefore be used interchangeably in modelling of the tropospheric delay effect in the planner. However, for the up offsets VMF1 achieved better accuracy compared to GMF and NMF however, being more consistent with GMF than NMF. In the future, if more mapping functions are incorporated in GAMIT_GLOBK, the accuracy of these new mapping functions should be investigated and use another a priori zenith constraint – meteorological data, which will improve positioning using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS).
Description
This paper compares the accuracy of the different mapping. Global Mapping Function (GMF), Niell Mapping Function (NMF) and Updated Vienna Mapping Function (VMF1), the update of Vienna Mapping Function (VMF) are the mapping functions studied.
Keywords
GPT50 (Global Temperature Pressure Humidity), GPS (Global Positioning System), NMF (Niell Mapping Function), VMF (Vienna Mapping Function).
Citation
Makabayi, Brian, Hunegnaw, Addisu, 2015. Analysis of the Accuracy of GMF, NMF, and VMF1 Mapping Functions with GPT 50 a Priori Zenith Constraint in Tropospheric Delay Modelling.