The Future of Surveying: How NTRIP Delivered RTK Corrections Outperform Conventional Base and Rover Setups
Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) have transformed surveying and positioning in the construction industry, making it possible to obtain highly accurate data for a variety of projects. However, GNSS accuracy is limited by a number of factors, including ionospheric and atmospheric interference, satellite geometry, and multipath effects. Some of these limitations have been overcome by using Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) surveying, which provides centimeter-level accuracy by using a base station to provide corrections to a rover.
RTK surveying has traditionally required a direct radio link between the base and the rover, which can be difficult in remote, hilly, or heavily wooded terrain. Often requiring expensive external radios to achieve any substantial range. However, NTRIP networks (Networked Transport of RTCM via Internet Protocol) and the existing cellular infrastructure has enabled RTK corrections to be delivered over the internet, allowing for greater flexibility and accuracy in surveying. Also reducing the cost and amount of hardware a user requires to preform high accuracy RTK GNSS based data collection and stakeouts
Advantages of NTRIP Delivered RTK Corrections over Conventional Base and Rover
Set Up:
1- INCREASED ACCURACY AND RELIABILITY OF THE DATA:
Data quality and reliability are one of the primary advantages of NTRIP-delivered RTK corrections over conventional base and rover setups. The accuracy of data can be impacted by factors such as:
• line of sight
• interference
• distance between the base and rover when using a direct radio link.
NTRIP-delivered RTK corrections, on the other hand, are transmitted over the internet, allowing a network of base stations to provide corrections to the rover. This improves data accuracy and reliability even in challenging environments.
2- LOWER COST AND MAXIMUM EFFICIENCY
Another advantage of NTRIP-delivered RTK corrections is increased surveying efficiency and cost-effectiveness. A surveyor may need to transport and set up an expensive base station and external radio to cover a large area with a traditional base and rover setup, which can be time-consuming and costly. Equipment is left un-attended and vulnerable to theft, damage or other unknowns. NTRIP, on the other hand, allows a surveyor to access corrections from a network of base stations, eliminating the need for multiple set-ups and reducing survey time and cost.
3. NTRIP-DELIVERED RTK CORRECTIONS OFFER GREATER SURVEYING FLEXIBILITY.
Surveying is limited to the coverage area of the base station with a traditional base and rover setup. NTRIP, on the other hand, allows surveyors to access corrections from a larger network of base stations, expanding coverage and allowing surveyors to survey in remote or difficult environments.
NTRIP-delivered RTK corrections allow rovers to receive corrections from multiple reference stations, providing greater mobility and wider coverage area compared to conventional RTK that may be limited by distance and terrain.
Virtual Reference Station (VRS) corrections are another type of RTK correction service that is widely used. VRS corrections use a network of reference stations to calculate a virtual base station and RTK corrections based on the location of the user within each set of 3 reference points instead of the location of the nearest individual reference station, resulting in higher accuracy and reliability than a SBL (Single Base line) NTRIP-delivered RTK correction. VRS corrections also benefits from allowing the network to cover much larger areas than conventional SBL (Single base line) corrections and retain that accuracy one might get with a localized base receiver.
Finally, using NTRIP-delivered RTK corrections in construction surveys has several advantages over traditional base and rover setups. It improves accuracy and reliability, increases efficiency and cost-effectiveness, and increases surveying flexibility. Surveyors and GIS professionals should consider incorporating NTRIP-delivered RTK corrections into their workflows to maximize flexibility, and efficiency and minimize hard ware costs.
Do you want to leverage NTRIP Delivered RTK Corrections benefits at a glance? Discover WizNET
With WizNET VRS, users can access real-time kinematic (RTK) correction data from a network of reference stations, allowing for highly accurate surveying and mapping. Wiz network can save you time, prevent costly mistakes, and help you complete your project efficiently.
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