Comparative analysis of sensors, algorithms, and models within a navigation system

This paper presents a comparative analysis of a number of different components within a navigation filter. A discussion of how different sensors, mathematical models, and algorithms impact the performance of a navigation system is presented. The different components were implemented using a generic navigation filter architecture, the All-Source Navigation Filter. This architecture has been designed with the flexibility to allow an engineer to substitute different elements of a navigation system, such that it can provide an accurate solution for a range of conditions. A brief overview of the filter architecture is presented including details of a number of different elements that can be integrated within the system. An implementation of the ASNF is presented which operates on two different platforms each with a range of different sensors. Results are generated from a number of different filter configurations. Finally, discussions aided by position plots are presented that compare the effect of different configurations on the performance of the navigation solution.