Black ice, a thin and nearly invisible ice layer on roads and pavements, poses a significant danger to drivers and pedestrians during winter due to its transparency. We propose an efficient black ice detection system and technique utilizing Global Positioning System (GPS)-reflected signals. This system consists of a GPS antenna and receiver configured to measure the power of GPS L1 band signal strength. The GPS receiver system was designed to measure the signal power of the Right-Handed Circular Polarization (RHCP) and Left-Handed Circular Polarization (LHCP) from direct and reflected signals using two GPS antennas. Field experiments for GPS LHCP and RHCP reflection measurements were conducted at two distinct sites. We present a Normalized Polarized Reflection Index (NPRI) as a methodological approach for determining the presence of black ice on road surfaces. The field experiments at both sites successfully detected black ice on asphalt roads, indicated by NPRI values greater than 0.1 for elevation angles between 45o and 55o. Our findings demonstrate the potential of the proposed GPS-based system as a cost-effective and scalable solution for large-scale black ice detection, significantly enhancing road safety in cold climates. The scientific significance of this study lies in its novel application of GPS reflection signals for environmental monitoring, offering a new approach that can be integrated into existing GPS infrastructure to detect widespread black ice in real-time.

This study proposes a soil moisture retrieval method from ground reflection signals received by Global Positioning System (GPS) antenna modules consisting of an up-looking (UP) right-hand circular polarization (RHCP) and two down-looking (DW) RHCP and left-hand circular polarization (LHCP) signals. Field experiments at four different surface types (asphalt, grassland, dry soil, and moist soil) revealed that the DW RHCP and LHCP signals are affected by antenna height and multipath interference signals. The strength differences between the DW LHCP and UP RHCP signals were in good agreement with the DW LHCP signals. Methodologically, this study applied a spectrum analysis to the detrended surface-reflected signals for RHCP and LHCP. The study indicated that the down-looking antenna exhibited greater sensitivity to reflected GPS signals than the up-looking antenna. We demonstrated the feasibility of estimating soil moisture using GPS signals, by comparing LHCP signals received by the down-looking antenna with theoretical values. This study presents a novel method for estimating soil moisture in vegetated areas, leveraging the advantage of crosspolarization comparisons to achieve stronger signal strength than single-polarization reflection signals. With further research, including long-term observations and detailed analysis, the proposed method has the potential to enhance performance significantly.

강수는 기상학, 농업, 수문학, 자연재해, 토목 및 건설 등 분야에서 매우 중요한 기상 변수들 중 하나이다. 최근 이러한 강수를 탐지하고, 측정 및 예보를 하기 위해서 위성원격탐사기술은 필수적이다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 미국항공우주국(National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA)에서 발사한 전 지구 강수 관측 위성인 GPM 위성을 기반으로 다양한 자료와 합성된 강수 자료인 IMERG 자료의 정확도를 한반도, 특히 남한지역에 대해 지상관측자료와 비교분석 하였다. 기상자동관측 장비인 AWS의 관측 강수량을 검증 자료로 사용하여, 2016년 1월부터 12월까지 1년간의 기간 동안 한반도의 육상부분에 대하여 IMERG의 월 강수량 자료를 비교 검증하였다. 잘 알려진 대로 위성은 해안가와 섬 지역 같은 부분에서 단점이 있지만, 별도로 비교 분석하였다. 위성 자료인 IMERG와 지상 관측 자료인 AWS를 비교한 결과, 상관계수가 0.95로 높은 상관성을 보였으며, Bias, RMSE의 오차 비교에서도 각각 월 15.08 mm, 월 30.32 mm의 낮은 오차를 산출하였다. 해안지역에서도 육상지역과 마찬가지로 0.7 이상의 높은 상관계수를 산출하며, 강수 자료로서 IMERG의 신뢰도를 검증하였다.