Performance assessment of continuously operating reference stations using the deemed rover analysis approach with NRTK GNSS technique in Thailand

AbstractThe study initiated an evaluation of the GNSS continuously operating reference stations (CORS) performance for Network-based Real-Time Kinematic (NRTK) positioning in Thailand, using the deemed rover analysis approach. Fifty CORS were selected as rovers with varying network geometries. Results indicated the highest performance, 79.9% of fixed solutions, for an average triangle side length of 54 km, while the lowest performance, 29.9%, was observed for a 93 km length with accuracies at a decimetre level. These initial explorations suggest that reducing side lengths enhances fixed solution efficiency and positioning accuracy at rovers. Occasional metre-level errors occurred, potentially linked to Internet instability.Keywords: Deemed rover analysisVRSNRTKGNSSRTKLIB AcknowledgmentsThe authors would like to express their gratitude to the Royal Thai Survey Department (RTSD) for providing all the necessary data and equipment support. Our appreciation goes to Prof. Pornchai Supnithi, the head of Thailand GNSS and Space Weather Information Data Center, for providing Total Electron Content (TEC) data in Thailand.Additional informationNotes on contributorsPuttipol DumrongchaiPuttipol Dumrongchai holds a Ph.D. degree in Geodetic Science and Surveying from the Ohio State University, OH, US. He is an associate professor at the Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai, Thailand. His research interests are local geoid determination, GNSS surveying, and the CORS system. The first author's primary contributions to the research paper include designing experimental methods, analysing and discussing results, as well as writing and structuring the paper.Nantawat KongkratockNantawat Kongkratock holds a master’s degree in GNSS surveying from Chulalongkorn University. He is now working at the Royal Thai Survey Department, Bangkok, Thailand. In this paper, he collected all relevant data, performed computations, and conducted data analysis and discussions.Chalermchon SatirapodChalermchon Satirapod holds a Ph.D. in GNSS Surveying from the University of New South Wales (UNSW), Australia. He is a full professor at the Department of Survey Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. His research interests are new GNSS data processing techniques and quality-assured GNSS surveying for a range of static and kinematic applications. In this study, he contributed to the design of experimental methods, provided critical comments and valuable suggestions, and served as the corresponding author throughout the paper.Khetsophon PhinyoKhetsophon Phinyo obtained a master’s degree in Civil Engineering from Chiang Mai University, Thailand. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Civil Engineering, the Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Chiang Mai University. His research interests are local geoid determination and GNSS surveying. In this paper, he prepared additional GNSS data from CORS and made further experiments using RTKLIB.