We have measured the geometric deformations of the Onsala 20 m VLBI telescope utilizing a combination of laser scanner, laser tracker, and electronic distance meters. The data put geometric constraints on the electromagnetic raypath variations inside the telescope. The results show that the propagated distance of the electromagnetic signal inside the telescope differs from the telescope’s focal length variation, and that the deformations alias as a vertical or tropospheric component. We find that for geodetic purposes, structural deformations of the telescope are more important than optic properties, and that for geodetic modelling the variations in raypath centroid rather than focal length should be used. All variations that have been identified as significant in previous studies can be quantified. We derived coefficients to model the gravitational deformation effect on the path length and provide uncertainty intervals for this model. The path length variation due to gravitational deformation of the Onsala 20 m telescope is in the range of 7–11 mm, comparing elevation 0$$^{\circ }$$∘and 90$$^{\circ }$$∘, and can be modelled with an uncertainty of 0.3 mm.

We evaluated the performance of GNSS absolute antenna calibrations and its impact on accurate positioning with a new assessment method that combines inter-antenna differentials and laser tracker measurements. We thus separated the calibration method contributions from those attainable by various geometric constraints and produced corrections for the calibrations. We investigated antennas calibrated by two IGS-approved institutions and in the worst case found the calibration’s contribution to the vertical component being in excess of 1 cm on the ionosphere-free frequency combination L3. In relation to nearby objects, we gauge the 1 σ accuracies of our method to determine the antenna phase centers within ±0.38 mm on L1 and within ±0.62 mm on L3, the latter applicable to global frame determinations where atmospheric influence cannot be neglected. In addition to antenna calibration corrections, the results can be used with an equivalent tracker combination to determine the phase centers of as-installed individual receiver antennas at system critical sites to the same level without compromising the permanent installations. © 2020, The Author(s).

We have validated the performance of a prototype coordinate measurement system based on multilateration by comparing it to a laser tracker, i.e. a well-proven instrument widely used in the industry. After establishing the uncertainty budget of the different systems, we performed position measurements with both instruments on common targets. Using the estimated uncertainties associated with the measurements, we found that the multilateration system provided lower position uncertainties than the laser tracker: on average 18 µm versus 33 µm for distances up to 12 m. The uncertainties represented by confidence ellipsoids are compatible between the two systems: for confidence regions of 95% probability, they overlap as expected, i.e. in 94% of the cases. We also measured the length of a 0.8 m long reference scale bar with the multilateration system at an error of only 2 µm. This cross-comparison is a new and key step in the characterization of this SI-traceable multilateration system. © 2023 The Author(s).

Speed information from GPS is increasingly used and provides an alternative to conventional methods such as wheel speed sensors. We investigate the possibility to use GPS derived speed as a reference when verifying laser and radar-based speed measuring devices used in traffic enforcement. We have set up a realistic test scenario where a GPS equipped vehicle was driven at three different speeds (40, 90 and 130 km/h) through a pre-defined measurement zone. An independent and traceable reference speed was calculated by accurately measuring the length of the measurement zone (approximately 15 metres), and the time it took to pass through it. The reference speed was compared to the average GPS speed for each passage. This comparisons show that the standard uncertainty of such GPS speed measurements is less than 0.05 km/h. Hence, GPS derived speed meets the accuracy requirements for verification of laser and radar based speed measuring devices.