Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) is a precise positioning technology used in global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) to achieve highly accurate location data, typically within centimeters.
RTK enhances standard GNSS accuracy by using a fixed base station and a mobile rover unit. The base station calculates errors in satellite signals caused by atmospheric and other factors and transmits corrections to the rover in real time.
This process allows the rover to adjust its position calculations dynamically, ensuring a higher degree of accuracy. RTK is commonly employed in applications such as land surveying, agriculture, construction, and autonomous vehicles, where precise positioning is critical. It relies on robust data communication between the base station and rover, typically through radio signals, cellular networks, or the internet.
How RTK works step-by-step
Both a stationary base station and a mobile rover receive signals from multiple GNSS satellites. These signals include satellite positions and transmission times.
The base station is set up at a fixed, known location in order to calculate errors in the satellite signals, such as atmospheric delays, clock inaccuracies, or orbital deviations. By comparing the satellite data to its known position, the base station determines the error amount. The base station then transmits these error corrections to the rover in real time.
This communication is typically done via radio waves, cellular networks, or the internet. The rover applies the corrections to its GNSS data while in motion. This process significantly reduces errors, ensuring the rover calculates its position with centimeter-level accuracy.
The entire process of receiving data, calculating errors, and applying corrections happens continuously, maintaining high accuracy while the rover moves.
