Precise Point Positioning with raPPPid

Abstract

Precise Point Positioning (PPP) is an effective GNSS positioning method for various high-precision applications. PPP utilizes precise satellite products, accurate error modeling, and advanced algorithms to achieve centimeter or even millimeter level accuracies. Unlike relative positioning methods, PPP does not require nearby reference stations. On the downside, the convergence time of PPP, the period until the desired accuracy is achieved, is still its limiting factor and is currently a prominent topic in scientific research. The open-source software raPPPid is specifically designed to push the limits of PPP and reduce the convergence period with various concepts (e.g., integer ambiguity fixing). As part of the Vienna VLBI and Satellite Software, raPPPid is publicly available under https://github.com/TUW-VieVS/raPPPid. Typically, raPPPid achieves centimeter level accuracy with geodetic GNSS equipment after a convergence time of clearly below 1 minute. Furthermore, raPPPid smoothly handles low-cost data from, for example, u-blox receivers or smartphones.