Abstract
The BeiDou global navigation satellite system (BDS-3) and Galileo systems both broadcast satellite signals on five frequencies, which can form many observation combinations with dual-frequency ionospheric-free (DFIF) precise point positioning (PPP). This study analyzes the PPP static and kinematic performance of a total of eight different DFIF combinations, including BDS-3’s B1C/B2a, B1C/B3I, B1I/B2b, and B1I/B3I and Galileo’s E1/E5, E1/E6, E1/E5a, and E1/E5b combinations. A 10-day dataset from 60 Multi-GNSS Experiment (MGEX) stations was adopted. The root mean square error (RMSE) of the PPP was tested in the north, east, and up (NEU), horizontal (H), and three-dimensional (3D) components. The PPP accuracy of BDS-3 was comparable with that of Galileo. Both BDS-3 and Galileo signals allow for independent PPP processing both in static and kinematic modes. When the 3D error was used as the evaluation criterion, the order of the combinations in which the positioning accuracy gradually deteriorated was as follows: E1/E5, B1C/B3I, B1I/B2b, E1/E6, B1I/B3I, E1/E5b, E1/E5a, and B1C/B2a; The 3D RMSE values for the best combination, E1/E5, and the worst combination, B1C/B2a, were 1.06 cm and 1.43 cm, respectively; the positioning accuracies of all combinations remained at the level of 1 cm in static mode. In kinematic mode, the order of the combinations in which the PPP accuracy gradually deteriorated was as follows: E1/E5, E1/E5a, E1/E5b, B1I/B2b, B1I/B3I, B1C/B2a, B1C/B3I, and E1/E6. The 3D RMSE values for the best combination, E1/E5, and the worst combination, B1C/B2a, were 3.89 cm and 1.95 cm, respectively. The best results could be achieved with the E1/E5 combination, which outperforms the worst combination, E1/E6, by about 1 cm.