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Pdop Notes
Pdop Notes
A minimum of four (4) orbital satellites is necessary to determine 3D position and time. Three (3) satellites are necessary if you are only wishing to calculate your 2D position.
Ephemeris Data
The following chart displays a truncated list of ephemeris data. Ephemeris data is updated every ten minutes. You should always wait a few minutes after turning on your GPS so that it may collect the most recent ephemeris data.
Determining PDOP
An ideal DOP value will be low (PDOP <= 6 or HDOP <= 4). Most GPS units today come with software that will assist in satellite tracking to determine where and when you will have good PDOP values. The best combination will be ample satellite coverage and low PDOP values. The following charts will display most and least optimal coverage for Lexington, Kentucky on June 17, 2003.
The greatest total number of satellites is found between 12:00AM to 12:30AM (0000h to 0030h) and from 11:15PM to 12:00AM (2315h to 0000h). There is also good coverage from 7:00AM to 9:15AM (0700h to 0915h). The greater the number of satellite, generally the lower the PDOP value, but this is not always the case. You may have cases where half a dozen satellites may be clustered in one area of the sky, giving good satellite coverage but poor PDOP. This will often occur at very high latitudes (ex. Greenland or Antarctica) or in equatorial regions.
The lowest PDOP values are found from 12:00AM to 1:00AM (0000h to 0100h) and from 10:15PM to 12:00AM (2215h to 0000h). There are also low PDOP values from 7:00AM to 930AM (0700h to 0930h). These times are also the times when you have your maximum satellite coverage. Note that your highest PDOP values (2:30AM or 0230h) coincide with your lowest satellite coverage. Your choices for optimal coverage and low PDOP are going to be just after midnight, a couple of hours after sunrise, and the hour just before midnight. You may also calibrate your software package develop filters that will automatically eliminate times of day in which the satellite coverage is too low and/or the PDOP values are too high, as seen in the diagram below. The filter has been set to eliminate all times in which satellite coverage is below 4 and to eliminate all times when PDOP values are above 6. This filter does not display the most optimal times to conduct GPS readings, but it does eliminate the worst times and gives the user a much larger window of opportunity to conduct fieldwork. Important these filters do not take into account terrain features or man-made obstructions. Good satellite coverage and low PDOP values can change dramatically depending upon site-specific features on the surface of the Earth (i.e. tall buildings, mountains, steep gorges, etc.)