GNSS interferometric reflectometry (GNSS-IR) is an environmental sensing method that was initially developed to take advantage of reflected signals (multipath) collected by geodetic-quality GNSS equipment. Unlike most geodetic studies of multipath, where the goal is to correct carrier phase data, GNSS-IR uses Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) data. The amplitudes, phases, and frequencies of the interference patterns in SNR data created by the reflected GNSS signals are being used to measure surface soil moisture, snow depth, tides, permafrost melt, vegetation water content, ice-up, and lake/river levels. In order to make GNSS-IR more generally available to both geodesists and environmental scientists, we have built an open source software package in Python called “gnssrefl.” The code is currently hosted at github and its executables can be installed from pypi; dockers are provided for users without linux operating systems. gnssrefl supports the use of signals from all the major GNSS constellations. Users can analyze local data files or data retrieved from a dozen geodetic data archives. In this presentation we will summarize the main features of the gnssrefl software and share representative environmental results using it for surface soil moisture, snow depth, lake/river monitoring, and tides.

The 28th IUGG General Assembly (IUGG2023) (Berlin 2023)