The Effect of Coloured Noise on the Uncertainties of Rates Estimated from Geodetic Time Series

Presenter: You-Chia Lee

Date: 2016/12/08

Abstract

Geophysical studies using geodetic measurements of surface displacement or strain require not only accurate estimates of these parameters but also accurate error estimates. Williams (2003) uses high computational efficiency to estimate rate uncertainties and scale factors. Mao et al. (1999) estimates for 23 globally distributed GPS stations, using spectral analysis and Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MLE). A combination of white noise and flicker noise appears to be the best model for the noise characteristics of all three components. The white noise part of the vertical component is higher for tropical stations ( latitude) compared to mid-latitude stations. Rate uncertainty in a GPS coordinate time series may be underestimated by factors of 5-11 if a pure white noise model is assumed. The rate uncertainty can be estimated fast by using high computational efficiency approach, and the values approximate to the results by using MLE.

Reference

Mao, A., C. G. A. Harrison, and T. H. Dixon, 1999, Noise in GPS coordinate time series, J. Geophys. Res., 104(B2), 2797–2816, doi:10.1029/1998JB900033.

Williams, S. D. P., 2003, The effect of coloured noise on the uncertainties of rates estimated from geodetic time series, Journal of Geodesy, 76(9–10), 483–494, doi:10.1007/s00190-002- 0283-4.