What Is Real-Time Kinematics (RTK) And How Does It Work?
RTK stands for "Real-Time Kinematic," and it's a satellite navigation technique used to enhance the precision of positioning data, primarily in applications like surveying, mapping, agriculture, construction, and geodesy. RTK is a type of differential GPS (Global Positioning System) technology that provides centimetre-level accuracy in real-time.
Here's how RTK works:
Base Station: A fixed GPS receiver, known as the base station, is placed at a known, precisely surveyed location. This base station continuously collects GPS signals from satellites and calculates its precise position.
Rover Receiver: The rover receiver, which is typically a handheld GPS unit or a component of a larger GPS system (like on a surveying drone or agricultural machinery), is the device that needs accurate positioning data. This rover receiver also collects signals from GPS satellites.
Correction Data: The base station and rover receiver communicate in real-time, usually via radio signals, a cellular network, or the internet. The base station sends correction data to the rover. This correction data contains information about the difference between the known position of the base station and the measured position based on GPS signals.
Correction Applied: The rover receiver applies the correction data it receives from the base station to its GPS measurements. By using this correction data, it can compensate for errors in the GPS signals caused by factors like atmospheric interference and satellite clock inaccuracies.
High Precision Positioning: With the correction data applied, the rover receiver can calculate its position with extreme accuracy, often down to centimetre-level precision. This real-time, high-precision positioning is what makes RTK valuable for applications requiring precise location data.
RTK has a wide range of applications, including drone surveying, land surveying, construction site layout, precision agriculture (for tasks like planting, harvesting, and soil sampling), autonomous vehicle navigation, and more. It significantly improves the efficiency and accuracy of tasks that rely on precise geospatial data.
Drones For Surveying
We sell a wide range of RTK-enabled drones, such as the DJI Matrice 350 RTK, the DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise Series, the DJI Matrice 30 Series, and the DJI Agras series of drones. However, it is important to note that only a select few drones implement survey-grade RTK technology for the purpose of mapping and surveying with high accuracy. The drones that can produce survey-grade mapping results are as follows:
DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise
DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral
DJI Matrice 350 RTK with DJI Zenmuse P1 or DJI Zenmuse L1 payloads
Contact us to learn more about drone surveying.