Effect of ionospheric delay modelling on long range VRS

Relative GPS positioning based on VRS data makes it possible to reduce the observation time span needed for accurate positioning in long range distances from the reference station. The ability to derive an efficient and precise baseline solution with VRS data depends on the level of precision of the ionospheric assumption in the virtual observations. Increasing the ability to produce efficient VRS coverage will necessitate the formulation of a trustworthy technique for mapping the ionospheric delay at larger distances (hundreds of kilometres). In order to derive the minimal conditions needed for such a mapping technique, this study aims to explore how the accuracy of a VRS is impacted by the ionosphere, when it is produced at long range distances from the reference stations using different interpolation methods. Over the course of this research, several experiments that examined the precision of setting up the VRS in different scenarios were conducted, in order to determine the optimal method for mapping the ionosphere with the objective of providing long-range VRS service. The KRIGING method was found to be the most appropriate among the tested methods for mapping the ionosphere in the process of creating VRS observations. The ionospheric model that was created on the basis of KRIGING described the ionospheric delay's temporal behaviour closest to the real variability as a function of time.