Gravity Anomaly Extraction Method Based on Dynamic Error Compensation of Undulated Flight

Abstract

Undulated flight is a common operational mode in airborne gravimetry for complex terrain areas, but it easily induces dynamic errors that severely degrade the accuracy of gravity anomaly extraction. To address this problem, a gravity anomaly extraction method based on dynamic error compensation is proposed in this letter. First, the error model of gravimetry under undulated flight conditions is analyzed. Then, an error estimation and compensation algorithm is designed, which integrates an improved Kalman filter and a finite impulse response (FIR) filter to achieve precise gravity anomaly extraction without a loss of resolution. Finally, undulated flight tests are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. Field experiment results demonstrate the accurate estimation of the error parameters as well as substantial improvements in the gravity anomaly results of undulated flight lines.