M. Boulianne et al., FLOATING LINES AND CONES FOR USE AS A GPS MISSION PLANNING AID, Photogrammetric engineering and remote sensing, 62(3), 1996, pp. 311-315
This paper presents a new method for generating obstruction diagrams a
s a function of site obstacles for GPS observations. The proposed meth
od takes advantage of the human ability for stereoscopic vision. Inste
ad of going on the site and measuring the azimuth and elevation angle
of every obstacle in the vicinity of a prospective GPS point, the phot
ogrammetric approach proposes using a visibility cone injected into a
stereoscopic model. In this way, the time consuming and costly phase o
f site reconnaissance is eliminated. In the presence of obstructions,
the cone rays that are lower than the obstacles are raised like floati
ng lines. Afterwards, by recording the azimuth and elevation angles of
these rays, obstruction contours can be generated. With this diagram,
superimposed on the satellite track plot, the mission planner can eva
luate the best GPS observation window based, for example, on Geometric
Dilution of Precision (GDOP). A practical test shows the applicabilit
y and feasibility of the method.