What is GPS|GNSS?
GNSS stands for Global Navigation Satellite System. GNSS makes it possible to determine our current position at any point and at any time on the earth's surface. The four main satellite positioning systems are:
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GPS (US)
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GLONASS (Russian Federation)
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GALILEO (European system)
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BEIDOU (People's Republic of China)
“GPS” has become established as a colloquial term. These satellites are in our earth's orbit and continuously send signals to our earth. With the help of a GNSS antenna, these signals can be received and our location can be determined.
The most important questions about GPS surveying
How accurate is GPS?
The areas of application for satellite positioning range from classic location determination on a smartphone to surveying on construction sites. Anyone who regularly uses GPS applications is interested in high accuracy. Determining the exact position is very complex because all elements, such as the GPS antenna and satellite, are constantly moving. The most common sources of error that lead to inaccuracies in the measurement results are:
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Satellite error
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Atmospheric errors
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Signal reflection
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Antenna error
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Transformation error
These influences are offset by correction data services.
What are correction data services?
With the help of a correction data service, accuracies of 1 cm in position and 1.8 cm in height are usually achieved with the GNPS system.
Without correction data, approximately 1-5 m accuracy is achieved.
This service calculates an improvement vector in real time during the measurement and sends it to the software via an Internet connection.
As a rule, an individual contract must be concluded with a correction data service provider.
How does surveying work with GPS?
What used to take a long time and involve several people is now possible with a single surveying device that one person can operate. The progress of digital construction surveying is a blessing for the industry, as lengthy and complex surveys are now a thing of the past. Not every area that needs to be surveyed is freely accessible. But thanks to GNSS surveying, this will be child's play for you in the future. The big advantage: Visual contact between two measuring points is no longer necessary because the exact position is determined by satellites.
Digital construction documentation
Surveying doesn't stop at field recordings and documentation. When it comes to measuring buildings, some people still work with a folding rule, tape measure and distance laser. With the help of Building Information Modeling, or BIM for short, things are much faster and, of course, more accurate, because transmission errors no longer occur here. With the help of software, the planning, execution and management of buildings are carried out in one cycle in building data modeling. Areas of application include architecture, engineering and facility management, building services management and, above all, the construction of the building.
When it comes to construction documentation, it is not only important to make the correct calculations and measurements, the data must also be transferred accurately. Thanks to the software, this is not a problem because all important numbers can be sent to a PC, laptop, tablet or cell phone. This means you can easily continue working with your data in the office without paper and pencil.
But it is not always enough to have the calculations on the PC. If you need current plans directly on the construction site, networking is particularly important. This sensitive data can be imported and exported via the cloud in a matter of seconds. This is already integrated into the software solutions we offer. This means that the construction site and the office are always connected.