Assessing the Feasibility and Performance of Low-Cost GNSS Receivers for Precise Point Positioning Across Diverse Environments

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate professor at Tehran University

2 School of Surveying and Geospatial Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Tehran, Iran

10.22059/eoge.2026.410367.1215

Abstract

Article type:
Research Article

Article history:
Received
Received in revised form
Accepted
Available online





Keywords:
Low-cost GNSS receiver,
Precise Point Positioning (PPP),
IGS products,
Urban canyon,
Multipath mitigation. Objective: The recent evolution of low-cost dual-frequency Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers has created new opportunities for high-precision positioning in cost-sensitive applications. However, limited studies have systematically evaluated their Precise Point Positioning (PPP) performance under varying environmental conditions and processing configurations. This study assesses the feasibility and positioning performance of a low-cost dual-frequency GNSS receiver in semi-obstructed and open-sky environments using PPP and Standard Point Positioning (SPP) techniques.
Method: Static GNSS observations were collected with and without a manufacturer-provided ground plane to evaluate its effectiveness in mitigating multipath effects. PPP solutions were processed using ultra-rapid, rapid, and final International GNSS Service (IGS) orbit and clock products, and performance was compared across different environmental conditions.
Results: Results indicate that environmental condition is the dominant factor influencing positioning performance. The use of a ground plane reduced multipath errors, particularly in obstructed environments. In open-sky conditions, PPP achieved centimeter to sub-decimetre level accuracy, especially when using rapid or final IGS products, whereas SPP remained limited to meter-level accuracy. Final products provided the highest positioning precision, while rapid products offered a practical balance between accuracy and convergence time.
Conclusions: The results demonstrate that low-cost GNSS receivers can support reliable high-precision positioning in professional and mass-market applications when supported by appropriate processing strategies and hardware configurations.

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