Performance of a Low-Cost Dual-Frequency GNSS Receiver for Near Real-Time Water Vapor Estimation

Abstract

Tropospheric remote sensing based on high-grade Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) is nowadays an established technique termed as GNSS-Meteorology. The GNSS signal propagation delay in the troposphere provides information to infer Integrated Water Vapor (IWV), comprising a valuable data source for Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) models. This study is aimed at investigating the performance of a low-cost dual-frequency GNSS receiver in tropospheric monitoring. For this purpose, near real-time estimates of IWV and Zenith Total Delay (ZTD) from the low-cost, GNSS Receiver “PREWAM” (Precipitable Water Vapor Monitor) (developed by Cloudwater Ltd) based on a sino gnssK803 chip are compared with respective ones deriving from a collocated Leica GR30 high-grade geodetic receiver during a four-month winter period in Cyprus. It is shown that PREWAM has the potential to provide tropospheric estimates with comparable accuracy to a high-grade receiver.