Acta Geodynamica et Geomaterialia

Title: ARE LOCAL ACTIVE NETWORKS A RELIABLE DENSIFICATION OF NATIONAL RTK POSITIONING NETWORK? A CASE STUDY IN SPAIN
Authors: Garrido Mª Selmira, Gil Antonio J. and Gaitán Rafael
DOI: 10.13168/AGG.2017.0011
Journal: Acta Geodynamica et Geomaterialia, Vol. 14, No. 3 (187), Prague 2017
Full Text: PDF file (2.1 MB)
Keywords: GNSS, RTK Positioning, Data acquisition, Quality control, RTK network
Abstract: The use of Continuously Operating Reference Stations, both singly and as part of an active network, is widely employed in surveying, engineering and other geomatics applications, achieving high accuracy positioning even in real time. With an active network the measurements of the reference stations are processed jointly in order to model the errors and compute network RTK corrections. Due to distance dependent errors (ionospheric and tropospheric delays), single base RTK positioning accuracy decreases with increased baseline length. However, the network solution (NRTK) retains the accuracy and the time to fix ambiguities (TTFA) at a constant level. This study aims to contribute to the scientific research on real time positioning based on active networks. In Southern Spain, ERGNSS, a national CORS network that provides GNSS data for post-processing and real time single-based reference station corrections, shares territory with the Andalusian Positioning Network (RAP), a local active network. RAP provides network and single-based RTK corrections. In order to analyze the quality of real time positioning based on both networks, several tests have been performed on a sample of test points. The reference frame, the time to fix ambiguity resolution, precision, accuracy and repeatability of RTK positioning are considered as the evaluation parameters. The results confirm that the RAP network complements the precise positioning services provided by the ERGNSS network, ensuring accurate real time positioning, full coverage and reliable positioning services in the Andalusian Community.