Research in the North: New technologies to improve location accuracy

Research in the North: New technologies to improve location accuracy

As part of the competition “Application-oriented excellence research in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania”, the Ministry of Science, Culture, Federal and European Affairs announced the results on March 10, 2025. Among the funded projects, the AIR-MoPSy (Atmospheric Impact on the R-Mode Positioning System) project at the University of Greifswald stands out. This project aims to explore the effects of mid-atmosphere variability on radio wave propagation in order to sustainably improve the accuracy of a backup system for satellite-based positioning, such as GPS. The relevance of this research is reinforced by the artificial interference of GNSS signals in the Baltic Sea region caused by the current political situation ( uni-greifswald.de ).

Participating institutions, besides the University of Greifswald, include the DLR Institute for Solar-Terrestrial Physics, the DLR Institute for Communication and Navigation, the Leibniz Institute for Atmospheric Physics, and the Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde. These collaborations signal a multidisciplinary approach to the pressing issue of GNSS reliability. In total, five research alliances received support for four years, alongside ten individual projects, which are set to be funded for twelve months. The research aims to transfer findings into societal and economic applications.

Research alliances and subject areas

• KITIERWOHL: Smarte Technologien zur Analyse und Sicherstellung des Tierwohls (Universitätsmedizin Rostock)
• AutoPasture: Digitale Anwendungen für autonomes Herden- und Weidemanagement (Hochschule Stralsund)
• Alg4Nut: Algen in der Wiederkäuerfütterung (Universität Rostock)
• Target-H: Innovative Therapien und Diagnostik am Beispiel von Hautkrebs (Universitätsmedizin Rostock)
• AIR-MoPSy: Atmospheric Impact on the R-Mode Positioning System (Universität Greifswald)

Research in the field of GNSS positioning is of great international importance. Numerous scientific papers were presented at the 2022 Institute of Navigation (ION) GNSS+ conference, including five focused on atmospheric effects on GNSS signals. The complexity of these phenomena, which is particularly important when used near the equator, requires extensive data collection and the development of realistic models. In addition, a prototype was presented that is intended to recognize and reduce these effects ( gpsworld.com ).

Significant innovations include the GUARDIAN real-time monitoring system, which analyzes ionospheric disturbances using dual GNSS data from various monitoring stations. This system can provide information to significantly increase the reliability of GNSS systems.

Atmospheric observations and their meaning

A key aspect in the context of GNSS SIGNAL PROCESSING is the propagation delay caused by the Earth's atmosphere. Delays are particularly evident in the ionosphere and troposphere, which significantly influence geodetic usage. While multi-frequency measurements and correction models can mitigate many of these effects, residual deviations remain. Innovative algorithms and sophisticated modeling are necessary to reduce these deviations and thus further improve the accuracy of GNSS positioning. One example is the I95 index, which has been used to quantify ionospheric influences in regions since the 1990s ( tu-dresden.de ).

In short, ongoing research and development in satellite navigation and atmospheric science will not only improve the efficiency of existing systems but also open new avenues for their resilience to disruption.