Evaluation of Static Autonomous GNSS Positioning Accuracy Using Single-, Dual-, and Tri-Frequency Smartphones in Forest Canopy Environments

Abstract

Determining the current position in a forest is essential for many applications and is often carried out using smartphones. Modern smartphones now support various GNSS constellations and multi-frequency analyses, which are expected to provide more accurate positioning. This study compares the static autonomous GNSS positioning accuracy under forest conditions of four multi-frequency multi-constellation smartphones as well as six single-frequency smartphones and a geodetic receiver. Measurements were carried out at 15 different study sites under forest canopies, with 24 measurements lasting approximately 10 min each taken for the 11 GNSS receivers. The results indicate that, on average, multi-frequency smartphones can achieve a higher positioning accuracy. However, the accuracy varies greatly between smartphones, even between identical or quasi-identical tested smartphones. Therefore, no accuracy should be generalised depending on the number of usable frequencies or constellations, but each smartphone should be considered separately. The dual-frequency Xiaomi Mi 10 clearly stands out compared with the other smartphone with a DRMS of 4.56 m and has a 34% lower absolute error than the best single-frequency phone.