Differential barometry in personal navigation

Abstract

In many personal navigation applications accurate altitude information is required. Finding a correct floor in a tall building or precise guidance in multi-layer intersection is not possible with two-dimensional navigation system. Satellite navigation systems provide altitude information, but accuracy is not necessarily sufficient for this kind of situations. Barometers can be used to improve the accuracy and availability of the altitude solution. The objective of this study was to find relevant error sources of barometer based altitude in the context of personal navigation. MEMS barometer data were collected in several scenarios where different disturbances affect the pressure reading. To separate error sources, reference barometer at known altitude was used. The results show that barometers in differential mode provide highly accurate altitude solution, but local disturbances in pressure need to be taken into account in the application design.