Interpolation of Experimental Error Statistics for Mission Design of GPS Partial Attitude Determination

This research presents an exhaustive simulation method for designing a GNSS pitch and heading determination system. A simulated environment, validated experimentally with 2 GNSS antennas, is used in conjunction with a fixed satellite geometry in order to generate pseudorange and carrier phase measurements from satellites to receiver antennas. Antenna separation as well as receiver quality are varied, with error statistics collected and tabulated for each variation. Experiments with real receivers are conducted in a rural environment as well as an urban environment to validate positioning algorithms and simulations. Raw GPS data is collected, then processed in post. Low cost GNSS viability for partial attitude determination is discussed based on simulation and experimental data, especially in cases where dual frequency receivers and the carrier phase observable are not available. A method of directly computing minimum antenna separation or minimum receiver quality using interpolation of collected simulation data is proposed.