SIRGAS Integration of the reference frame of

El Salvador into SIRGAS (SIRGAS-ES2007.8)

C.E. Figueroa, W. Amaya.
Gerencia de Geodesia, Instituto Geográfico y del Catastro Nacional (GG-IGCN), San Salvador, El Salvador.
L. Sánchez
Deutsches Geodätisches Forschungsinstitut (DGFI), Munich, Germany.
-90.0° -89.5° -89.0° -88.5° -88.0° -87.5°

Introduction 14.5°
CEBR
MANU
RGBN-SALV2007 Reference Station
RGBN-SALV2007 Secondary Control Point
COST MCEB
MMAN Constinuously Operating Station
The reference frame of El Salvador (Red Geodésica MCOS
SIRGAS-CON (IGS) Station
PAZU
Básica Nacional de El Salvador) is a GPS base network of MPAZ TEXW DDAM
LAJA
MLAJ
SCRU MTEX MDDA
38 stations (Fig.1). It was measured by the GG-IGCN 14.0°
MSCR MOCO
IJ_5
14.0°

SURI OCOT
using differential GPS positioning in partial sub-networks MSUR SNJE BETO
ESCO PBLA
LBEN MBET ESUS
and in 36 daily sessions between October and December TERM
SBAR MESU MESC MPBL
MSBA SSIA ANTO GAGR
MLBE
2007. Most of the reference stations (28) were NOA1 HSIH
MANT P15S MGAG CLFA
MP15 MCLF
determined together with a secondary control point in 13.5°
MHSI
ECHA
AIES CEPL MCJA
CJAL 13.5°

MECH MCEP
order to ensure the long-term stability of the network. CLNA JOYA VMIG
UNIN
MCLN
LCAN MAEL
PIST MMAE PETA
Integration into SIRGAS MPIS
MPET
13.0° 13.0°
To provide a reliable reference frame, compatible with -90.0° -89.5° -89.0° -88.5° -88.0° -87.5°

the GNSS technologies, the Salvadorian basic geodetic

network shall guarantee consistency with the reference Fig. 1. National reference frame of El Salvador (Red Geodésica
frame in which the GNSS orbits are computed, i.e. the Básica Nacional de El Salvador, SIRGAS-ES2007.8)
ITRF. This consistency is achieved by integrating this
network into the continental reference frame SIRGAS, Data analysis
which is the densification of the ITRF in Latin America The GPS data were processed by DGFI within the SIRGAS-
and the Caribbean. So, for datum definition and control WGII (Geocentric Datum) activities. The analysis
purposes, the observational data were processed strategy is based on the double difference approach
together with 25 reference stations of the SIRGAS (Bernese Software V5.0, Dach et al. 2007), including the
Continuously Operating Network (SIRGAS-CON) (Fig. 2). following characteristics:
Consequently, this solution is called SIRGAS-ES2007.8:
SIRGAS El Salvador2007.8 and, as SIRGAS is the regional 1) Satellite orbits, satellite clock offsets, and EOPs are fixed
ITRF densification, SIRGAS-ES2007.8 is the national to the combined weekly IGS solutions;
SIRGAS densification in El Salvador. 2) Absolute calibration values for the antenna phase centre
corrections published by the IGS are applied;
120° -105° -90° -75°
45° 45° 3) L1 and L2 phase ambiguities are solved following the
quasi ionosphere free (QIF) strategy;
GOLD
PIE1
4) Periodic site movements due to ocean tide loading are
MDO1
30°
HER2
30° modeled according to the FES2004 model;
MTY2 5) Zenith delay due to the tropospheric refraction (~wet
LPAZ NAS0
part) is estimated at a 4 hours interval within the
MERI CBSB
GCGT
SCUB
network adjustment. The Niell dry mapping function is
OAX2 CHET
ELEN applied to interpolate the a priori zenith delay (~dry
15° 15°
GUAT
ANDS
part) modeled using the Saastamoinen approach.
SSIA
MANA
ETCG In a first step, free solutions for the daily sub-networks
IGS Station
SIRGAS-CON Station are computed applying the above characteristics. Then,
PERA
POPA these partial networks are combined in the normal
GLPS
0°
120° -105° -90°
QUI1 0°
-75°
equation level into a unified solution. Daily station
Fig. 2. SIRGAS-CON stations selected for the datum
sessions with large residuals in the final combination
definition in the computation of the Salvadorian (> ± 20 mm in N or E, and > ± 30 mm in Up) are reduced
reference frame SIRGAS-ES2007.8 from the normal equations.

Results
The final solution aligned to the SIRGAS reference frame is computed with datum constrained to the selected SIRGAS-
CON stations (Fig 2). The weights of the reference coordinates are inversely proportional to the internal precision of
the GPS measurements (±1E-04 m in the Bernese Software). The final positions of SIRGAS-ES2007.8 refer to the IGS05
(IGS realization of ITRF2005) and they are valid for the mean epoch of the total time span in which the observations
were carried out, i.e. 2007.8 (November 7, 2007). The precision of coordinates at the reference epoch is estimated to
be ±7 mm for the horizontal component and ±20 mm for the vertical one.

Geodesy for Planet Earth, IAG Scientifc Assembly. August 31 to September 4, 2009. Buenos Aires, Argentina