Comparative study on GNSS positioning systems for autonomous vessels in the arctic region

Abstract

Accuracy and reliability of major positioning systems is a crucial enabler for autonomous shipping worldwide and, in particular, in the Arctic region. Satellite positioning can be used in conjunction with other situational awareness systems that provide relative positioning information for decision-making. This work describes high-level requirements and concentrates on studying the current state-of-the-art performance of the satellite-based positioning systems. We provide a comparative study between three Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) constellations, namely Galileo, Global Positioning System (GPS), and GLObal NAvigation Satellite System (GLONASS) suitable for autonomous vessels operation in the Arctic Region. Simulation results show that all studied constellations achieve accuracy of fewer than three meters in the analyzed scenarios. The results also show that all GNSSs provide good visibility with low elevation angles, whereas with high elevation angles, which might be needed due to natural barriers, the GLONASS provides the highest number of visible satellites. The paper also outlines the main strategies applicable for improving the positioning accuracy as well as overviews active positioning projects specifically for the Arctic region.