Chinese Journal of Polar Research

Chinese Journal of Polar Research ›› 2021, Vol. 33 ›› Issue (3): 337-350.DOI: 10.13679/j.jdyj.20200051

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Analysis of BDS-3 signal quality and basic positioning service around Antarctica

Zhao Jian1, An Jiachun1, Ai Songtao1, Wang Zemin1, Zhu Lizhong2, Song Xiangyu1,3,4   

  1. 1Chinese Antarctic Center of Surveying and Mapping, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China;
    2Polar Surveying and Mapping Engineering Center of Heilongjiang Bureau of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation, Harbin 150081, China;
    3School of Civil Engineering, Shijiazhuang Tiedao University, Shijiazhuang 050043, China;
    4Key Laboratory of Roads and Railway Engineering Safety Control (Shijiazhuang Tiedao University), Ministry of Education, Shijiazhuang 050043, China
  • Received:2020-06-30 Revised:2020-09-20 Accepted:2020-09-25 Online:2021-09-30 Published:2021-10-12

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Abstract:

With the complete deployment of satellites, the service of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) has expanded from the Asia-Pacific region to the whole world, including polar regions. In this study, GPS and BDS-3 data from 2018 to 2020 were collected at Zhongshan Station, Great Wall Station, and Xuelong icebreaker that sailed around the Antarctica. The signal quality and positioning accuracy of BDS-3 in the Antarctica was assessed with the number of visible satellites, position dilution of precision, multipath error and signal-to-noise ratio, and standard point positioning accuracy. The results show that the number of BDS satellites visible in the Antarctica is between 4 and 20, and the satellite visibility and position dilution of precision of BDS in the Antarctica are better than those of GPS. The Medium Earth Orbit (MEO) multipath errors of BDS satellites are similar to those of GPS satellites, while the Geosynchronous Earth Orbit (GEO) and Inclined Geosynchronous Satellite Orbit (IGSO) satellites of BDS have large multipath error due to their low elevations in the polar region. In terms of positioning accuracy, the standard point positioning accuracy of BDS in the Antarctica is within 7 m, which meets the design requirements of BDS. Although BDS-3 constellation is still being updated, it has solved the problem of limited number of visible satellites in high latitudes and has significantly improved the positioning performance. The positioning accuracy of BDS at Great Wall Station at the beginning of 2020 was improved by 50% compared to that at the beginning of 2019.

Key words: BDS-3, Antarctica, signal quality, positioning accuracy