Realizing a terrestrial reference frame using the Global Positioning System

We describe a terrestrial reference frame (TRF) realization based on Global Positioning System (GPS) data alone. Our approach rests on a highly dynamic, long-arc (9 day) estimation strategy and on GPS satellite antenna calibrations derived from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment and TOPEX/Poseidon low Earth orbit receiver GPS data. Based on nearly 17 years of data (1997-2013), our solution for scale rate agrees with International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF)2008 to 0.03 ppbyr(-1), and our solution for 3-D origin rate agrees with ITRF2008 to 0.4 mmyr(-1). Absolute scale differs by 1.1ppb (7 mm at the Earth's surface) and 3-D origin by 8 mm. These differences lie within estimated error levels for the contemporary TRF.

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Copyright 2015 American Geophysical Union. (AGU).
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Author Haines, Bruce J.
Bar-Sever, Yoaz E.
Bertiger, Willy I.
Desai, Shailen D.
Harvey, Nate
Sibois, Aurore E.
Weiss, Jan-Peter
Publisher UCAR/NCAR - Library
Publication Date 2015-08-26T00:00:00
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Topic Category geoscientificInformation
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Metadata Date 2023-08-18T18:33:06.208475
Metadata Record Identifier edu.ucar.opensky::articles:25206
Metadata Language eng; USA
Suggested Citation Haines, Bruce J., Bar-Sever, Yoaz E., Bertiger, Willy I., Desai, Shailen D., Harvey, Nate, Sibois, Aurore E., Weiss, Jan-Peter. (2015). Realizing a terrestrial reference frame using the Global Positioning System. UCAR/NCAR - Library. http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7br8wrg. Accessed 22 June 2025.

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