Correction Method for the Observed Global Navigation Satellite System Ultra-Rapid Orbit Based on Dilution of Precision Values

For ultra-rapid orbits provided by the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), the key parameters, accuracy and timeliness, must be taken into consideration in real-time and near real-time applications. However, insufficient observations in later epochs appear to generate low accuracy in observed orbits, for which a correlation between the Dilution of Precision (DOP) of the orbit parameters and their accuracy is found. To correct the observed GNSS ultra-rapid orbit, a correction method based on the DOP values is proposed by building the function models between DOP values and the orbit accuracy. With 10-day orbit determination experiments, the results show that the observed ultra-rapid-orbit errors, generated by insufficient observations, can be corrected by 12–22% for the last three hours of the observed orbits. Moreover, considering the timeliness constraints in ultra-rapid-orbit determination, a DOP amplification factor is defined to weight the contribution of each tracking station and optimize the station distribution in the orbit determination procedure. Finally, six schemes are designed to verify the method and strategy in determining the ultra-rapid orbit based on one-month observations. The orbit accuracy is found to decrease by 1.27–6.34 cm with increasing amplification factor from 5–20%. Thus, the observed ultra-orbit correction method proposed is ideal when considering accuracy and timeliness in ultra-rapid orbit determination.