Outputs from the General Technical Development Project in 2011-2014 Towards the Realization of Multi-GNSS Surveying in Japan

Abstract

The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan conducted a research and development project from 2011 to 2014 on the smart use of multi-GNSS signals for more efficient surveying and precise positioning essential in the management of national lands. The project aims to combine signals from various satellite positioning systems, such as GPS, QZSS, GLONASS, and Galileo, collectively called GNSS, to achieve centimeter-level positional accuracy in a short period of time, especially in urban or mountainous areas where satellite visibility is limited. Four years of effort on the smart use of multi-GNSS signals by the General Technical Development Funds of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism yielded technical outputs such as 1) Methods to handle between-receiver biases to combine multi-GNSS signals, 2) Open source software for multi-GNSS surveying named GSILIB, 3) A draft manual of multi-GNSS surveying applicable to public surveys in Japan. This paper overviews the project and focuses on major technical outputs.