The method to inverse PWV using VMF1 grid data

Abstract

In this paper, the method interpolating Vienna Mapping Function (VMF1) grid data to estimate Precipitable Water Vapor (PWV) is introduced. Using precise point positioning technique, the PWV values are estimated without external meteorological measurements. The experiment results demonstrate a good agreement with those derived with current state-of-the-art procedure that relies on site-specific meteorological observations. The zenith path delay (ZPD) results are compared with International GNSS Service (IGS) troposphere product and the RMS of differences are within 8.3 mm. Compared with sounding data, the RMS of the PWV difference are less than 5 mm, which preliminarily validates the feasibility to apply this method to regional weather monitoring. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.