Soil Moisture Retrieval using Indigenously Developed NavIC-GPS-SBAS Receiver: Initial Results

Soil Moisture is very important parameter to study water and carbon cycles. Many earth observation satellite missions tried to estimate soil moisture using sensor data. However, in-situ measurements are essential to validate the measurements provided by satellite sensors. Global network of GNSS receivers can provide this insitu dataset for validation of sensor data. GNSS satellites operate at the L-band microwave frequency between 1.2 to 1.6 GHz for constellations such as GPS [2]. NavIC is newly established regional constellation of 3 Geostationary (GEO) and 4 Geosynchronous (GSO) navigation satellites providing the data at L5 (1176.45 MGz) and S bands (2492.028 MHz). The present work reports the very first attempt of utilising indigenously developed NavIC-GPS-SBAS (NGS) user receiver to retrieve soil moisture. Surface soil moisture was retrieved based on multipath phase, directly affecting SNR measurements of the GNSS user receiver. As NavIC is operating with GEO and GSO satellites 24-hour data is available to provide continuous in-situ measurements for soil moisture.