Into the Future With Real-Time Precision: Exploring RTK GNSS With Emlid
United States - April 5, 2024 / Emlid /
The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) represents the pinnacle of navigation technology, offering remarkable location-based services across the globe. However, not all GNSS solutions are created equal. Enter Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) GNSS technology—an advanced form of positioning that significantly improves the precision of satellite navigation systems. Emlid, an RTK receiver manufacturer, leverages GNSS technology to offer unparalleled accuracy to various industries and applications.
GNSS Positioning and How It Works
At its core, GNSS allows users worldwide to pinpoint their geographic location through satellite signals orbiting the Earth. The traditional GNSS positioning method calculates how long it takes for a signal to traverse from a satellite to a receiver. By measuring the travel time of signals transmitted from at least four satellites, a GNSS receiver can determine the user's location with an accuracy of a few meters—a sufficient level of precision for many everyday applications.
For situations requiring acute accuracy, where every centimeter counts, standard GNSS readings fall short. This is where RTK GNSS steps in as a game-changer for precision navigation, offering centimeter-level location data essential for fields such as surveying, agriculture, and autonomous vehicles.
To understand GNSS positioning and its intricacies comprehensively, Emlid recommends watching their informative "Positioning With GNSS" video feature, which provides an insightful visual explanation of the technology and its capabilities.
The RTK GNSS Breakthrough
RTK GNSS is a sophisticated technique that corrects the errors inherent in the basic GNSS signal. When satellites beam down their signals, these messages encounter a long, 20,200-km journey through the ionosphere and atmosphere to your GNSS receiver. Factors like atmospheric disturbances, physical obstructions, and environmental effects can distort the signal, introduce delays, and, as a result, decrease accuracy.
To combat these challenges and maximize precision, RTK GNSS employs a two-receiver system—one stationary base station with a known location and one mobile unit, or "rover." The rover and base station receive signals from the same constellation of satellites. Then, the base station sends error corrections based on its fixed position to the rover. The rover uses this information to adjust its calculations, narrowing positional data to the centimeter level.
Choosing the Right Receiver With Emlid
When selecting a suitable RTK GNSS receiver, Emlid prompts its clients to consider its capacity to handle varying frequency bands. Single-band and multi-band receivers can achieve high-precision results, yet they differ in how environmental factors affect their performance.
Multi-band units, such as Emlid's Reach RS2+ receivers, harness multiple frequency bands, which allows for rapid fix solutions—often within five seconds—and maintain reliability even in more challenging environments.
These multi-band receivers can also function effectively over longer baselines and in locations with partial sky visibility. For those interested in unpacking the nuances between single-band and multi-band receivers, Emlid's article offers an informative deep-dive that translates complex technology into accessible information.
Whether you are a GIS professional, drone operator, or involved in precision agriculture, adopting Emlid's RTK GNSS receivers will mark a significant upgrade to your navigation toolkit. Customers who use Emlid are not just purchasing a product but also investing in certainty by knowing that the most advanced satellite navigation technology supports every measurement they make.
