Nonlinear Estimation of Navigation and Geodetic Parameter on the Basis of the Point-Mass Method Taking into Account the Statistical Relationship of Node Weights

A new solution to the estimation problem is proposed in which unknown parameters depend nonlinearly on available measurements. The final estimate is formed by the point-mass method as a weighted sum of partial estimates obtained at probable values of unknown parameters. The peculiarity of the solution is an additional account of the covariance of weight coefficients for partial estimates. In contrast to known approaches, a priori probabilities of values of unknown parameters are not assumed as the known given data. The considered approach is effective in solving nonlinear estimation problems characterized by low accuracy of available measurement data and (or) their few number.