PRIDE PPP-AR: mitigating multipath and day-boundary discontinuities for geodesy and geophysics

PRIDE PPP-AR is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Precise Point Positioning (PPP) software specifically designed for applications in Earth sciences. Since its initial release in 2019, the software has been updated to version 3.1. The core strength of PRIDE PPP-AR lies in its PPP-AR processing capabilities with arbitrary dual-frequency ionosphere-free combinations. It is also featured by low Earth orbit satellite solutions, multipath mitigation, epoch-by-epoch constraints in segmented processing mode, multi-day continuous processing, and ocean tide loading corrections without ocean tide coefficients. Furthermore, PRIDE PPP-AR is compatible with the three major operating systems: Linux, Windows, and macOS, providing great convenience for early-career researchers, facilitating easier learning and usage.

Tests conducted using 511 IGS reference stations in January 2018 showed that, when compared with IGS solutions, PRIDE PPP-AR can achieve millimeter-level static solutions and tropospheric delays, and centimeter-level dynamic solutions, with an average fix rate of 95%. In the fields of geodesy and Earth sciences, the high-precision positioning capabilities of PRIDE PPP-AR make it a powerful tool for studying Earth dynamics, crustal deformation, and seismic monitoring. Additionally, its performance on high-dynamic platforms such as aerial photogrammetry and shipborne gravimetry is outstanding, providing technical support for scientific research and engineering practices in related fields. The new version of PRIDE PPP-AR will be able to fully utilize the advantages of GNSS modernization, enhancing high-precision positioning accuracy in a broader range of research areas.