A Fast Satellite Selection Algorithm Based on Positioning Accuracy Contribution

In the field of satellite navigation and positioning, the selection of satellites is crucial for enhancing positioning accuracy, reducing computational load, and optimizing resource utilization. With the operation of the four global navigation satellite systems, the number of visible satellites has increased dramatically. Under the influence of multipath errors and non-line-of-sight reception, the quality of satellite signals becomes uneven in complex environments. Selecting the optimal set of satellites from a large number of visible ones with varying quality, in order to achieve the best balance between positioning accuracy and real-time performance, is a challenging task. To address this issue, the paper conducts a detailed analysis of the factors influencing positioning accuracy. It develops an evaluation model for positioning accuracy contributions that incorporates both satellite observation quality and geometric configuration, referred to as the AWGDOP (Adaptive Weighted Geometric Dilution of Precision) contribution. This evaluation model allows for the assessment of each satellite's contribution to the overall positioning accuracy. Furthermore, a fast satellite selection algorithm, based on positioning accuracy contribution, is proposed. It achieves rapid satellite selection by iteratively eliminating the satellite with the smallest contribution. To verify the effectiveness of the fast satellite selection algorithm proposed in this paper, tests are conducted in both open and obstructed environments. The test results indicate that the proposed algorithm can reduce the positioning error by 25% to 35% in terms of accuracy and decrease computational time by 5% to 20% in terms of real-time performance, compared to the full-constellation solution based on an empirical model.