Study on the accuracy of Multi-GNSS PPP for different observing sessions time spans using PRIDE PPP-AR open-source software package

Abstract The Precise Point Positioning (PPP) approach to GNSS observables is widely used for processing data from permanent stations, providing highly precise coordinates. However, the performance of PPP for observation sessions shorter than 24 h has not yet been thoroughly investigated in the case of multi-constellation acquisitions. In recent years, the PRIDE PPP-AR software package has been made freely available. Since it includes a graphical user interface (GUI) version that runs under Windows, it can also be easily used by technical surveyors aiming to process data acquired from a single GNSS receiver. This is particularly valuable for surveys conducted in areas lacking dense geodetic infrastructures or reliable augmentation services. In this paper, based on a wide and consistent dataset, the coordinate precision obtained from observation sessions ranging from 30 min to 24 h processed with PRIDE PPP-AR is analyzed. In addition to multi-constellation GNSS data (GPS + Galileo + GLONASS + BeiDou), independent GPS-only and Galileo-only processing was also evaluated. Furthermore, the reliability of the formal errors provided by the software was examined, as these represent the only available information for assessing coordinate quality in surveys that lack geometric redundancy. While several online PPP services already exist, PRIDE PPP-AR overcomes common limitations related to the number of processed files and the choice of GNSS constellations. The results show that two-hour observation sessions can reliably achieve horizontal coordinate accuracy within 2 cm and vertical accuracy within 5 cm, whereas 30-minute sessions are suitable for applications requiring 5–10 cm accuracy.