The impact of ionospheric scintillation on the GNSS receiver signal tracking performance and measurement accuracy

The GNSS modernization provides new signal frequencies and satellites which can allow for more accurate methods of monitoring, modeling and mitigating the ionospheric effects on the GNSS applications. In this work, part of the Innovative Navigation using new GNSS SIGnals with Hybridized Technologies (iNsight) project funded by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the ionospheric scintillation effects (abrupt power fades and phase variations in the received signals) are investigated regarding the GNSS modernization. Analysis of the scintillation effects is done through a simulation-based approach using the Spirent GSS8000 GNSS signal simulator where the signals are perturbed using the Cornell Scintillation Model (CSM). The receiver signal tracking performance is evaluated based on the variance of the code and carrier tracking loop errors using the scintillation-sensitive tracking models [1, 2]. Preliminary results on the User Equivalent Range Error (UERE) on particular receiver-satellite links are investigated to understand the effect of scintillation on the (code-based) range measurements.