Evaluation of the Effect of Commonly Used Materials on Multipath Propagation of Global Positioning System (GPS) Signals via GPS Simulation

Authors

  • D. Sathyamoorthy Science & Technology Research Institute for Defence (STRIDE), Ministry of Defence, Malaysia
  • S. Shalini Science & Technology Research Institute for Defence (STRIDE), Ministry of Defence, Malaysia
  • M.A. Zainal Fitry Science & Technology Research Institute for Defence (STRIDE), Ministry of Defence, Malaysia
  • A. Siti Robiah Science & Technology Research Institute for Defence (STRIDE), Ministry of Defence, Malaysia
  • I. Mohd Idris Science & Technology Research Institute for Defence (STRIDE), Ministry of Defence, Malaysia
  • M.Y. Mohd Hasrol Hisam Science & Technology Research Institute for Defence (STRIDE), Ministry of Defence, Malaysia

Abstract

In this study, Global Positioning System (GPS) simulation is employed to study the effect of five commonly used materials (aluminium, glass, wood, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and ceramic) on multipath propagation of GPS signals. Based on the results of this study, it is found that multipath signals from panels made of the materials cause increase in probable error values due to errors in the GPS receiver’s pseudorange measurements. The probable errors decrease with increasing distances of the panels from the GPS receiver due to decrease of strength of multipath signals. It is observed that aluminium causes the highest amount of the multipath, resulting in the highest probable errors. This is followed by glass, ceramic, PVC and wood.

Author Biography

  • D. Sathyamoorthy, Science & Technology Research Institute for Defence (STRIDE), Ministry of Defence, Malaysia

    Dinesh Sathyamoorthy received the B.Eng. and M.Eng.Sc. degrees in computer engineering from Multimedia University,  in 2003 and 2006 respectively, and the PhD degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Universiti Teknologi Petronas, in 2013. He is currently a research officer in the Science & Technology Research Institute of Defence (STRIDE), Ministry of Defence. He serves on the editorial boards for the Defence S&T Technical Bulletin, Malaysian Journal of Remote Sensing & GIS, and The Journal of Defence and Security, as well as reviewer for several international journals and conferences, including the Defence Science Journal, Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, International Journal of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, and the annual IEEE International Geoscience & Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS). He is also a committee member of the Institution of Geospatial & Remote Sensing Malaysia (IGRSM) and IEEE Geoscience & Remote Sensing (GRSS) Malaysia Chapter.  His research interests include geospatial technologie, and digital signal & image processing.

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20-05-2014

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Evaluation of the Effect of Commonly Used Materials on Multipath Propagation of Global Positioning System (GPS) Signals via GPS Simulation. (2014). Advances in Military Technology, 9(1), 81-95. https://www.aimt.cz/index.php/aimt/article/view/1033