Modeling and estimation of C1-P1 bias in GPS receivers

Modern dual-frequency global positioning system (GPS) receivers are capable of providing direct measurements of both L1 C/A (C1) and P code (P1) without the use of the Y-codes under Anti-Spoofing. A discrepancy or bias between the C1 and P1 measurements from these receivers has however been of concern to operators and users of GPS reference networks. For the purpose of modeling and estimation, the nature and characteristics of the discrepancy must be investigated. The research results presented indicate that the discrepancy between the C1 and P1 measurements contains two different types of components: one is of constant type while another is time variant. A method has been developed for their modeling and estimation. The residual C1-P1 time series after a satellite-dependent bias removal agree at a few-centimeter level, indicating the effectiveness of the proposed model. This allows the C1-P1 discrepancy, both constant and non-constant components, to be removed from GPS reference network solutions. Numerical results are provided to support the analysis.