Real-time GPS seismology with a stand-alone receiver: A preliminary feasibility demonstration

We show the feasibility of a real-time estimation of waveforms and coseismic displacements, within a few centimeters in accuracy, with a stand-alone dual-frequency Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver using a so-called "variometric" approach. The approach is based on time single-differences of carrier phase observations collected at a high-rate (1 Hz or more) using a stand-alone receiver, and on standard GPS broadcast products (orbits and clocks), which are ancillary information routinely available in real time. In the approach, first, the time series of epoch-by-epoch displacements are estimated. Then, provided that the collected observations are continuous, they can be summed over the interval (limited to a few minutes) over which an earthquake occurs. Since epoch-by-epoch displacements divided by the interval between consecutive epochs are essentially equal to the epoch-by-epoch velocities, this is equivalent to saying that we are using the GPS receiver as a velocimeter. Estimation biases, due to the possible mismodeling of various intervening effects (such as multipath, residual clock errors, orbit errors, and atmospheric errors), accumulate over time and display their signature as a trend in coseismic displacements. The trend can be considered linear and easily removed, at least for short intervals. Since the proposed approach (named VADASE (Variometric Approach for Displacements Analysis Stand-alone Engine)) does not require either additional technological complexity or a centralized data analysis, in principle it can be embedded into GPS receiver firmware, thereby providing a significant contribution to tsunami warning and other hazard assessment systems. After a preliminary test using a simulated example, the effectiveness of this approach was proven using real data. We analyzed the 1 Hz GPS data recorded by the International Global Navigation Satellite Systems Service station BREW during the Denali Fault, Alaska, earthquake (Mw 7.9, 3 November, 2002, 22:12:41 UTC), as well as the 5 Hz data collected by some of the stations of the University NAVSTAR Consortium-Plate Boundary Observatory network and the California Real Time Network during the Baja California, Mexico, earthquake (Mw 7.2, 4 April, 2010, 22:40:42 UTC). Comparisons of the results obtained using VADASE, as well as other already well-established approaches, displayed agreement to within a few centimeters.