New publication
"MPG-NET: A low-cost, multi-purpose GNSS co-location station network for environmental monitoring" by Aichinger-Rosenberger et al. (2023)
Over the last years, a tremendous amount of progress has been made in the development of low-cost, dual-frequency GNSS equipment. This enables their usage for high-precision applications, which were typically restricted to geodetic-grade instrumentation in the past.
In our latest study, we make use of these developments in order to develop a multi-purpose, low-cost GNSS station, specifically designed for GNSS remote sensing (GNSS-RS). The study introduces the MPG-NET project, which aims for the deployment of a whole network using this station design in the Swiss Alps. We discuss technical details of the station setup and present initial time series of derived GNSS-RS products at the prototype site at Zurich-Affoltern. The quality of derived zenith total delays (ZTD) and volumetric soil moisture products is assessed and validated against benchmark data obtained from numerical weather models and in-situ sensors. Our results suggest a good agreement with reference data sets, with errors of few millimeters for ZTD, and high correlation for soil moisture content. Furthermore, the study also provides an outlook on future plans such as further network extension and product combination to enhance early-warning systems for natural hazards in Alpine regions.
Detailed results and additional information can be found in our Measurement article, available here: external page https://doi.org/10.1016/j.measurement.2023.112981
