GNSS scintillation: detection, forecasting and mitigation
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Bath
Department Name: Electronic and Electrical Engineering
Abstract
Although GNSS systems now underpin a significant part of modern infrastructure, such as financial markets, telecoms, power generation and distribution as well as transport and emergency services, they suffer from a number of known vulnerabilities. One such shortcoming relates to an ionospheric disturbance known as scintillation. The phenomenon of scintillation is familiar to most people through the twinkling of star light as it crosses the atmosphere. Ionospheric scintillation causes amplitude and phase variations on signals from GNSS satellites when they cross the ionised upper atmosphere (the ionosphere). Currently, GNSS receivers are not robust against radio scintillation; effects range from degradation of positioning accuracy to the complete loss of signal tracking. During scintillation events, required levels of accuracy and continuity, as well as availability, may not be met, thus compromising commercial operations, such as maritime navigation, geophysical exploration and airplane navigation during airport precision approach. The project will quantify the problem of ionospheric scintillation over the forthcoming solar maximum (2010-2013) and develop algorithms to reduce the impact on the users. The research will lead to improved GNSS receiver design that will enable robust performance of receivers that are compromised by effects of the natural environment through ionospheric scintillation.
Organisations
- University of Bath (Lead Research Organisation)
- Natural Environment Research Council (Co-funder)
- Spirent Communications plc (Collaboration)
- Septentrio (Belgium) (Project Partner)
- Chronos Technology (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- Fugro (Netherlands) (Project Partner)
- Spirent Communications (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
People |
ORCID iD |
Cathryn Mitchell (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Prikryl P
(2015)
GPS phase scintillation at high latitudes during geomagnetic storms of 7-17 March 2012 - Part 2: Interhemispheric comparison
in Annales Geophysicae
Benton C
(2011)
GPS satellite oscillator faults mimicking ionospheric phase scintillation
in GPS Solutions
Benton C
(2013)
Further observations of GPS satellite oscillator anomalies mimicking ionospheric phase scintillation
in GPS Solutions
Hobbs S
(2014)
System Design for Geosynchronous Synthetic Aperture Radar Missions
in IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing
Forte B
(2017)
Identification of scintillation signatures on GPS signals originating from plasma structures detected with EISCAT incoherent scatter radar along the same line of sight.
in Journal of geophysical research. Space physics
Burston R
(2016)
A comparison of the relative effect of the Earth's quasi-DC and AC electric field on gradient drift waves in large-scale plasma structures in the polar regions
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Yin P
(2017)
A multiresolution inversion for imaging the ionosphere
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Deshpande K
(2016)
Satellite-beacon Ionospheric-scintillation Global Model of the upper Atmosphere (SIGMA) II: Inverse modeling with high-latitude observations to deduce irregularity physics
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Pinto Jayawardena T
(2016)
Imaging the topside ionosphere and plasmasphere with ionospheric tomography using COSMIC GPS TEC
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Chartier A
(2016)
Three-dimensional modeling of high-latitude scintillation observations
in Radio Science
Description | Mechanisms of scintillation and statistical result that are of importance for the safe use of satellite navigation |
Exploitation Route | They are being used for testing satnavs |
Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine |
Description | Technology transfer to companies. Production of a scintillation module in a company project |
First Year Of Impact | 2016 |
Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Electronics |
Impact Types | Economic |
Description | SEIGG |
Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
Impact | Protection from Space Weather |
Description | Spirent UK |
Organisation | Spirent Communications plc |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Ionospheric simulations for GNSS |
Collaborator Contribution | Hardware simulator loan |
Impact | Software modules |
Start Year | 2011 |