Analysis of the potential of low-cost GNSS receivers in the establishment of geodetic control networks using a static technique

Abstract

Recent developments in Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology have significantly improved the performance and quality of inexpensive measuring equipment, namely low-cost GNSS. These devices enable positioning with an accuracy comparable to that of geodetic-grade GNSS receivers. The main objective of this study was to verify whether such receivers are sufficient for establishing geodetic control networks using static measurement techniques, which require high accuracy in both horizontal and vertical directions. Field tests were carried out using several low-cost GNSS receivers and antennas, operated simultaneously with geodetic-grade instruments. The collected observations were processed using commercial software and compared with a benchmark campaign. The analyses considered the lengths of measurement sessions, information about antenna reference point offsets used, and the challenges in calculating baselines with low-cost GNSS receivers. Special attention was paid to minimizing the time required for measurement activities, while maintaining the required accuracy parameters. The results show that low-cost GNSS receivers fulfill the requirements of the relevant national guidelines – i.e., achieving vertical positioning accuracy of not exceeding 0.01 m, as well as horizontal positioning errors of well below 0.07 m. The conducted analyses further confirmed the stability and repeatability of the obtained results for sessions lasting 20 minutes or longer. The conducted work and obtained results confirm that low-cost GNSS receivers’ affordability combined with their high precision makes them a valuable alternative to geodetic instruments in many practical applications.