Cordouan Lighthouse


Publications

Simulations of direct and reflected wave trajectories for ground-based GNSS-R experiments

2014 — Article — WHEDDCDF8F023

Simulations reveal that the choice of Earth's surface model significantly impacts the accuracy of GNSS-R (Global Navigation Satellite System Reflectometry) measurements, with planimetric differences averaging 9 cm for satellite elevation angles above 10° and 13.9 cm between 5° and 10°. The study also highlights substantial errors due to angular refraction from the troposphere, which can reach up to 116 m in planimetric terms when the receiver height exceeds 300 m. Conducted at two test sites—Cordouan Lighthouse in France's Gironde estuary and Lake Geneva on the Franco-Swiss border—the research underscores the critical role of digital elevation models (DEMs) in improving measurement precision, with average planimetric differences of 6.3 m without DEM integration. The simulator developed for this study provides tools to optimize GNSS-R receiver placement for monitoring water levels and other surface variations.

Simulations of direct and reflected waves trajectories for in situ GNSS-R experiments

2014 — Preprint — WHE0E231E47F7

A simulator was developed to accurately determine the reflection points of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals on Earth's surface, offering a unique method to monitor water level variations. The study found that geometric differences between reflection points, when considering Earth as a sphere or ellipsoid, averaged 44 cm for satellites with elevation angles greater than 10° and 1 m for those between 5° and 10°. Integration of Digital Elevation Models (DEM) significantly impacted reflection point accuracy, with errors reaching up to 3.80 m without DEM integration at a minimum elevation angle of 5°. Tropospheric effects also introduced substantial errors, increasing from 43 cm at a 5 m receiver height to 103 m at 300 m. These findings underscore the importance of precise Earth representation and atmospheric corrections in GNSS-R experiments.

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