Precise Point Positioning: Where are we now?

The concept of Precise Point Positioning (PPP) using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology was first introduced in 1976. However, it took until the 1990s for PPP to generate interest amongst the greater GNSS community. Over the last two decades, dual-frequency PPP has been extensively researched, and several PPP online services and software packages have been developed. This research has shown that centimetre-level point positioning is not only achievable in postprocessed static mode, but potentially also for real-time applications, with a single GNSS receiver. With the advent of cost-effective, accurate, Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning provided by an increasing number of Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) networks around the world, the focus of PPP has shifted to real-time or near real-time solutions. Real-time and near real-time correction products from organisations such as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the International GNSS Service (IGS) and Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) allow PPP to potentially offer a viable alternative to RTK solutions in some circumstances, while maintaining the advantages of PPP over differential real-time products. However, several limitations still remain, primarily the long convergence times needed to resolve ambiguities, currently restricting the use of PPP for real-time applications. This paper provides a brief history of the development of PPP and reviews the advances made in PPP in the last two decades with an emphasis on the potential to utilise PPP as a ‘fill-in’ service for existing CORS networks in areas where dense CORS coverage is not justified, e.g. due to low population density. This paper also outlines the current limitations and possible future direction of PPP.

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