Digital Twin-Enabled Characterization of GNSS Multipath in Challenging Reference Stations Using a Dual-Polarized Probe

Abstract

Reference stations constitute important elements within the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) infrastructure, as they provide valuable measurements for performance monitoring. For high-quality measurements from such stations, local error sources should be properly characterized and compensated for or minimized. Multipath remains a major contributor to these errors. In severe occurrences, multipath can cause critical errors in sensitive systems such as those utilized for code-dependent applications. This paper discusses a method for GNSS multipath characterization in challenging installation scenarios, based on a dual-polarization antenna and its integration in a hybrid measurement–simulation framework. A dedicated dual-polarized probe, which houses both an effective geodetic antenna and a multipath-susceptible antenna, was designed, manufactured, and assessed. The dual-sensing nature of the probe allows auxiliary information to be acquired about multipath generated by nearby objects and can be used to infer a plausible range of expected multipath-induced code error at a GNSS sensor station. In addition, a ray-tracing method is discussed, in which antenna measurements are integrated into digital-twin simulations of installations for characterizing multipath conditions. Finally, this study demonstrates that by combining the DPA with digital-twin simulations, it is possible to predict multipath error bounds at an installation in advance. This combined technique presents a flexible tool that is useful for planning system performance with respect to multipath, site layout/selection, and even optimal receiving antenna placement at a given installation. The proposed simulative method is validated through field experiments, and tests with commercial geodetic-grade antennas are presented to confirm the capability of this method to predict their performance ranges.