Using 3DF GPS Heading for Improving Underway ADCP Data

Abstract

Systematic error in the cross-track velocity measured under way from shipboard acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCPs) can be attributed to error in measuring the ship's heading with a gyrocompass. Drift- and direction-dependent errors in marine gyrocompasses may amount to 2°?3°, yet they can be difficult to observe. A new system for obtaining attitude information using differential carrier phase measurements on signals from Global Positioning System (GPS) navigation satellites can provide a heading accuracy of 0.05°. This paper proposes a method of using these GPS heading measurements as a reference, with the gyrocompass as an interpolation device, to reduce the cross-track velocity error from a shipboard ADCP. The practical application of the method is illustrated by a long north-south section dominated by latitude-induced gyrocompass error, and a small-scale survey where heading-dependent errors in the gyrocompass dominated.