NGS has posted a new technical memorandum, linked from its home page http://geodesy.noaa.gov , which argues that the requirement for users to process their GPS observations using PAGE-NT be reconsidered. The memorandum describes comparison of surveys computed by contractors using PAGE-NT with OPUS Projects. It found that the difference in results is within the acceptable level for the FAA surveys.
Interesting that automated processing has so improved. Or is it improvements in equipment, SVs, models, etc that make human interaction superfluous?
Of particular interest to me was the discussion of varying approaches taken by contractors to processing i.e. choice of tropo models, elevations masks etc. I recollect discussions during the development of OPUS wherein a primary motivation for the development of the utility was the often curious choices made by some submitters of processed GPS data. A uniform, rigorous process was developed to insure that poorly processed data not be accepted into the NGSIDB.
Enough rambling,
DMM
I kinda thought that was why OPUS Projects was developed in the first place.
Would be great if they could get the training on-line or some easier way to open it up to more people.
First, I admit I am not an expert in OPUS Projects, although I did take the managers training a few years ago. That said, i recently did an FAA survey in PAGES, and tried to do it in OPUS projects just to compare (before I read the report of the study). I didn't find any advantage to using OPUS Projects. Maybe with some step-by-step instructions it might be easier, but I was trying to match the steps in FAA docs, which were made for PAGES.