Theory and Experiment Analysis on the Influence of Floods on a GNSS Pseudo-Range Multipath and CNR Signal Based on Two Cases Study in China

Abstract

The surrounding environment of a GNSS observation station is changed during a flood, and this results in a more serious multipath than in a normal environment. Considering that the multipath error is largely related to the pseudo-range multipath and CNR (Carrier-to-noise ratio) of the GNSS signal, the influence of floods on a pseudo-range multipath and CNR is analyzed in theory and through experiment. To ensure the accuracy of the analysis results, the ground track repeat period of GPS, GLONASS, and BDS satellites is investigated from the perspective of theory and skyplots. Two real cases study collected in Zhengzhou and Xinxiang, China, in 2021, are used to demonstrate the influence of floods on a pseudo-range multipath and CNR in detail. Experimental results show that the pseudo-range multipath of a GPS satellite performs more seriously during a flood. The maximum RMS increase rate is approximately 17.85%, and the average of all other satellites with a whole arc is approximately 6.55%. In addition, the CNR of three GNSS systems performs a decrease during a flood. For GPS and GLONASS satellites, the decrease performs more seriously at a high elevation angle than that at a low elevation angle. The maximum decrease is approximately 5 dB-Hz for the GPS satellite and approximately 7 dB-Hz for the GLONASS satellite. In terms of the BDS system, the CNR of all three orbital type satellites decreases during a flood. The average decrease is approximately 2 dB-Hz for BDS MEO and GEO satellites, and about 1 dB-Hz for the BDS IGSO satellite.

Keywords

• GNSS
• ground track repeat period
• pseudo-range multipath
• carrier-to-noise ratio
• flood