Urban GNSS Positioning for Consumer Electronics: 3D Mapping and Advanced Signal Processing

Smartphones, as ubiquitous consumer electronics devices, rely heavily on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) for various applications, including navigation and location-based services. However, the small-sized and low-cost patch antennas used in smartphones are particularly susceptible to multipath effects and signal degradation, posing significant challenges for accurate positioning in urban environments. To address these issues, this study introduces a 3D-mapping-aided Precise Point Positioning (3DMA PPP) algorithm. The algorithm incorporates 3D building models to exclude non-line-of-sight (NLOS) satellites, while mitigating potential multipath effects and thermal noise on line-of-sight (LOS) satellites using Doppler smoothing filters and an optimized carrier-to-noise ratio (C/N0)-dependent stochastic model. Experiments conducted with Xiaomi Mi8 and Huawei Mate40 smartphones demonstrate that the proposed method achieves positioning errors within 2 m, while improving the positioning accuracy of low-cost GNSS receivers to sub-meter levels. The results show a more than 50% improvement in positioning accuracy compared to conventional algorithms, significantly enhancing the utility of consumer-grade devices for urban navigation. This work highlights the potential for advanced GNSS techniques to empower consumer electronics with precise and reliable positioning capabilities.