Compatibility of Low-Cost GNSS Receivers for Total Electron Content (TEC) Analysis

Abstract

Although the geodetic GNSS receivers are highly precise, they are inaccessible to every user, especially in remote areas. Therefore, this work aimed to find the reasons that bolster the low-cost GNSS receivers to be used with high resolution over a wide area, instead of geodetic in space weather studies. A comparative analysis was conducted between a low-cost Ublox ZED-F9P GNSS receiver and a geodetic Novatel Propak6 GNSS receiver, focusing on ionospheric parameters such as slant total electron content (STEC), vertical total electron content (VTEC), and the number of satellites tracked using the Global Positioning System (GPS). Additionally, VTEC values were compared with the GIM model. Both receivers exhibited a similar pattern of TEC, with the R<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> value of 0.9734 and the root mean square error of 3.4583. The number of satellites tracked by both receivers during the observed periods was also found to be similar. Moreover, the VTEC results obtained from the low-cost GNSS receiver showed compatibility with the GIM model, demonstrating the reliability of the low-cost receiver in comparison to the geodetic GNSS receiver.