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In recent years, the most popular methods for determining coastline course are geodetic, satellite, and tacheometric techniques. None of the above-mentioned measurement methods allows marking out the shoreline both in an accurate way and with high coverage of the terrain with surveys. For this reason, intensive works are currently underway to find alternative solutions that could accurately, extensively, and quickly determine coastline course. Based on a review of the literature regarding shoreline measurements, it can be concluded that the photogrammetric method, based on low-altitude images taken by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), has the greatest potential. The aim of this publication is to present and validate a method for determining coastline course based on low-altitude photos taken by a drone. Shoreline measurements were carried out using the DJI Matrice 300 RTK UAV in the coastal zone at the public beach in Gdynia (Poland) in 2023. In addition, the coastline course was marked out using high-resolution satellite imagery (0.3–0.5 m). In order to calculate the accuracy of determining the shoreline by photogrammetric and satellite methods, it was decided to relate them to the coastline marked out using a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Real Time Kinematic (RTK) receiver with an accuracy of 2.4 cm Distance Root Mean Square (DRMS). Studies have shown that accuracies of determining coastline course using a UAV are 0.47 m (p = 0.95) for the orthophotomosaic method and 0.70 m (p = 0.95) for the Digital Surface Model (DSM), and are much more accurate than the satellite method, which amounted to 6.37 m (p = 0.95) for the Pléiades Neo satellite and 9.24 m (p = 0.95) for the Hexagon Europe satellite. Based on the obtained test results, it can be stated that the photogrammetric method using a UAV meets the accuracy requirements laid down for the most stringent International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) order, i.e., Exclusive Order (Total Horizontal Uncertainty (THU) of 5 m with a confidence level of 95%), which they relate to coastline measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photogrammetric surveys are increasingly being carried out using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Steering drones along the flight profiles is one of the main factors that determines the quality of the compiled photogrammetric products. The aim of this article is to present a methodology for performing and processing measurements, which are used in order to determine the accuracy of steering any drone along flight profiles. The study used a drone equipped with a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Real Time Kinematic (RTK) receiver. The measurements were performed on two routes which comprised parallel profiles distant from each other by 10 m and 20 m. The study was conducted under favourable meteorological conditions (windless and sunny weather) at three speeds (10 km/h, 20 km/h and 30 km/h). The cross track error (XTE), which is the distance between a UAV's position and the flight profile, calculated transversely to the course, was adopted as the accuracy measure of steering a UAV along the flight profiles. Based on the results obtained, it must be concluded that the values of XTE measures for two representative routes are very similar and are not determined by the flight speed. The XTE68 measure (p = 0.68) ranged from 0.39 m to 1.00 m, while the XTE95 measure (p = 0.95) ranged from 0.60 m to 1.22 m. Moreover, analyses demonstrated that the statistical distribution of the XTE measure was most similar to the gamma and Weibull (3P) distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the most popular methods for determining coastline course are geodetic, satellite, and tacheometric techniques. None of the above-mentioned measurement methods allows marking out the shoreline both in an accurate way and with high coverage of the terrain with surveys. For this reason, intensive works are currently underway to find alternative solutions that could accurately, extensively, and quickly determine coastline course. Based on a review of the literature regarding shoreline measurements, it can be concluded that the photogrammetric method, based on low-altitude images taken by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), has the greatest potential. The aim of this publication is to present and validate a method for determining coastline course based on low-altitude photos taken by a drone. Shoreline measurements were carried out using the DJI Matrice 300 RTK UAV in the coastal zone at the public beach in Gdynia (Poland) in 2023. In addition, the coastline course was marked out using high-resolution satellite imagery (0.3–0.5 m). In order to calculate the accuracy of determining the shoreline by photogrammetric and satellite methods, it was decided to relate them to the coastline marked out using a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Real Time Kinematic (RTK) receiver with an accuracy of 2.4 cm Distance Root Mean Square (DRMS). Studies have shown that accuracies of determining coastline course using a UAV are 0.47 m (p = 0.95) for the orthophotomosaic method and 0.70 m (p = 0.95) for the Digital Surface Model (DSM), and are much more accurate than the satellite method, which amounted to 6.37 m (p = 0.95) for the Pléiades Neo satellite and 9.24 m (p = 0.95) for the Hexagon Europe satellite. Based on the obtained test results, it can be stated that the photogrammetric method using a UAV meets the accuracy requirements laid down for the most stringent International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) order, i.e., Exclusive Order (Total Horizontal Uncertainty (THU) of 5 m with a confidence level of 95%), which they relate to coastline measurements.

More than half of the incidents reported to EMSA relate to nautical events such as collision, groundings and contacts. Knowledge of accurate and high-integrity positioning is therefore not only a need for future automated shipping but a base for today’s safe navigation. Examples on accidents include Ever Given in the Suez Canal and HNoMS Helge Ingstad in Norway. A Network-RTK (NRTK) service can be used as an augmentation technique to improve performance of shipborne GNSS receivers for future positioning of manned and unmanned vessels in restricted areas, such as port areas, fairways, and inland water ways. NRTK service providers generate RTK corrections based on the observations of networks of GNSS reference stations which enables the users to determine their position with centimeter accuracy in real-time using a shipborne GNSS receiver. Selection of appropriate communication channels for dissemination of NRTK corrections data is the key to a secure positioning (localization) service. In PrePare-Ships project, the modern maritime communication system VDES (VHF Data Exchange System) is proposed to distribute SWEPOS (NRTK in Sweden) correction data to shipborne positioning modules. VDES is a very reliable technique and it is compatible with most onboard functionalities. In order to minimize the impact on the overall VDES data capacity in a local area, NRTK correction data shall only occupy a single VDES slot with a net capacity of 650 bytes. Update rates may vary but are preferably at 1Hz. However, NRTK correction data size changes instantly, depending on the number of visible GNSS satellites, and the data rate can therefore sometimes reach in excess of 1000 byte/s. In this study, a smart technique is proposed to reduce size of NRTK correction data to instantly adapt with the VDES requirements by choosing a combination of specific signals, satellites or even constellations such that the data rate is not more than 650 byte/s, and at the same time it achieves optimal positioning performance with the accuracy required by the PrePare-Ships project application.

• Direct georeferencing with onboard sensors is an advantage in UAV-based mapping. • Indirect georeferencing can be replaced by a direct method with n-RTK or PPK positioning. • Accuracies of n-RTK, PPK and PPP in direct georeferencing are sufficient for large-scale mapping. • PPP method in UAV-based mapping has practical advantages compared to relative positioning. • RT-PPP in UAV-based mapping has the potential for accuracy improvement. Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry is a very efficient, low-cost approach for mapping small or medium-sized local areas. This approach is adequate for achieving the needed accuracy in many applications, and onboard positioning sensors have made this technique more feasible by decreasing the need for ground control stations (GCPs). When real-time positioning strategies are used, photogrammetric mapping can also be performed instantaneously in the field. This is especially crucial in applications like disaster management, where current situation must be detected rapidly. It is critical to choose a georeferencing approach in applications that is appropriate for the physical parameters of the mapping area, the intended use of the photogrammetric mapping, and the needed accuracy. In order to accurately georeference the photogrammetric outputs, this study assesses the real-time and post-processed performances of absolute and relative GNSS positioning approaches. Finally, it compares these strategies in terms of the position accuracy of the created models. In the evaluations, the 3D models of the study area were created utilizing network-based Real Time Kinematic (n-RTK), Post-Processed Kinematic (PPK) Positioning, and Precise Point Positioning (PPP) approaches, with direct georeferencing of the UAV-based photogrammetric images. These models were then compared to models developed using traditional indirect georeferencing with GCPs and aided indirect georeferencing. According to the findings, direct georeferencing using the n-RTK and PPK techniques provided a horizontal position accuracy in terms of root mean square errors ( r m s 2 D = 1.6 cm and 1.9 cm) almost equal to indirect georeferencing using GCPs ( r m s 2 D = 1.9 cm). In terms of vertical position accuracies, the n-RTK and PPK approaches in direct georeferencing ( r m s h = 3.7 cm and 3.9 cm, respectively) produced rather different results than the GCPs-based conventional strategy ( r m s h = 1.6 cm), although the discrepancies were within acceptable error limits. Direct georeferencing with the PPP approach produced the lowest horizontal and vertical position accuracies ( r m s 2 D = 5.9 cm, r m s h = 5.7 cm). However, this level of accuracy was deemed adequate for use in large-scale mapping in Turkey's authorized regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the project R-Mode a navigation system for Baltic Sea is designed. In the range of these actions in summer of 2020 the signal for DGPS base station Rozewie were adopted and measurements on the sea were performer. This experiment is shown in the article.

Copyright of Revista Ciencia y Tecnología Agropecuaria is the property of Agrosavia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objectives: The current railway maintenance method is unitary and simple, which is a human force intensive work, requiring tedious and interminable manual check from professional technicians. As a multi‑scale, multi‑probability and long‑term digital representation approach, the digital ‑ twin has seen a rising popularity in engineering construction. Inspired by the convenience of digital‑twin, this paper designs a simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) system for railway locomotives. Methods: Unlike traditional mobile mapping system which demands high precision three‑dimensional laser scanning, inertial measurement unit (IMU) / real time kinematic (RTK), as well as complicated post‑processing methods, our solution is capable of real time mapping and odometry visualization through constructed factor graph. The factor graph is a bipartite graph with two node types: Factor nodes and variables nodes, and they are always connected by edges. A new variable node is added to the graph when the pose displacements exceed a certain threshold, then the factor graph is optimized upon the insertion. We use three types of factors for graph construction: IMU preintegration factors, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) odometry factors, RTK factors. Results and Conclusions: The real time performance is further achieved through sliding window optimization. Under more than 300 km field test in various environments, our approach can achieve centimeter‑ lever positioning accuracy in feature rich and low speed cases, and the structures are clearly visible in the real time mapping result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

LitPOS (Lithuanian Positioning System), the network of continuously operating GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) stations, became operational in July 2007. It provides data both for real-time and post-processing applications. LitPOS stations cover the whole territory of Lithuania. There are 31 of LitPOS GNSS stations in total network. Also LitPOS network includes 3 ASGEUPOS (Poland) and 6 LATPOS (Latvia) stations. LitPOS network data processing and analysis of station’s velocities was done using Bernese 5.2, TSview and CATREF programs. Results of analysis show that North/East velocities of the LitPOS stations are very homogeneous what leads to the conclusion that there are no any significant horizontal deformations of Earth’s crust in the territory of Lithuania. Up components of LitPOS stations velocities fit very well to vertical movements of Earth’s crust as described by the land uplift models of Fennoscandia.

Precision Agriculture (PA) refers to applications asking for reliable and highly available precise positions, at centimeter level, in most of operational scenarios. Machinery guidance, automatic steering and controlled traffic farming enable machinery to move along repeatable tracks on the field, minimizing pass-to-pass errors and overlaps. In the recent years, satellite-based navigation has also opened the door to (semi) autonomous machineries for some specific farming scenarios and operations. Farming industry is now looking to use small robots to bring efficiencies and benefits to farms, capable of complex tasks that have not been possible with traditional large-scale agricultural machinery. Even though the state-of-the-art Real Time Kinematic (RTK) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers usually match the requirements posed by PA applications in open fields, propagation effects degrade the performance under foliage or with surrounding obstacles. This paper presents an experimental testbed and methodology suitable to assess the real performance of RTK GNSS-based devices in operational environments. Such testbed and methodology were effective to compare different devices, which resulted to be equivalent in open-sky conditions, but with significant differences in other types of environments. The paper also discusses opportunities and current limits of GNSS for emerging PA applications based on small robots and artificial intelligence.

Photogrammetric surveys are increasingly being carried out using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Steering drones along the flight profiles is one of the main factors that determines the quality of the compiled photogrammetric products. The aim of this article is to present a methodology for performing and processing measurements, which are used in order to determine the accuracy of steering any drone along flight profiles. The study used a drone equipped with a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Real Time Kinematic (RTK) receiver. The measurements were performed on two routes which comprised parallel profiles distant from each other by 10 m and 20 m. The study was conducted under favourable meteorological conditions (windless and sunny weather) at three speeds (10 km/h, 20 km/h and 30 km/h). The cross track error (XTE), which is the distance between a UAV’s position and the flight profile, calculated transversely to the course, was adopted as the accuracy measure of steering a UAV along the flight profiles. Based on the results obtained, it must be concluded that the values of XTE measures for two representative routes are very similar and are not determined by the flight speed. The XTE68 measure (p = 0.68) ranged from 0.39 m to 1.00 m, while the XTE95 measure (p = 0.95) ranged from 0.60 m to 1.22 m. Moreover, analyses demonstrated that the statistical distribution of the XTE measure was most similar to the gamma and Weibull (3P) distributions.

Hydrographic surveys, in accordance with the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) S-44 standard, can be carried out in the following five orders: Exclusive, Special, 1a, 1b and 2, for which minimum accuracy requirements for the applied positioning system have been set out. They are as follows, respectively: 1, 2, 5, 5 and 20 m, with a confidence level of 95% in two-dimensional space. The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) network solutions (accuracy: 2–3 cm (p = 0.95)) and the Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) (accuracy: 1–2 m (p = 0.95)) are now commonly used positioning methods in hydrography. Due to the fact that a new order of hydrographic surveys has appeared in the IHO S-44 standard from 2020—Exclusive, looking at the current positioning accuracy of the DGPS system, it is not known whether it can be used in it. The aim of this article is to determine the usefulness of GNSS/Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) for hydrographic surveys. During the research, the following two INSs were used: Ekinox2-U and Ellipse-D by the SBG Systems, which were supported by DGPS and Real Time Kinematic (RTK) receivers. GNSS/INS measurements were carried out during the manoeuvring of the Autonomous/Unmanned Surface Vehicle (ASV/USV) named “HydroDron” on Kłodno lake in Zawory. The acquired data were processed using the mathematical model that allows us to assess whether any positioning system at a given point in time meets (or not) the accuracy requirements for each IHO order. The model was verified taking into account the historical and current test results of the DGPS and RTK systems. Tests have confirmed that the RTK system meets the requirements of all the IHO orders, even in situations where it is not functioning 100% properly. Moreover, it was proven that the DGPS system does not only meet the requirements provided for the most stringent IHO order, i.e., the Exclusive Order (horizontal position error ≤ 1 m (p = 0.95)). Statistical analyses showed that it was only a few centimetres away from meeting this criterion. Therefore, it can be expected that soon it will be used in all the IHO orders.

In order to enable port operations, which require an accuracy of about 10cm, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) operates the Maritime Ground Based Augmentation Service (MGBAS) in the Research Port of Rostock. The MGBAS reference station provides GPS dual frequency code + phase correction data, which are continuously transmitted via an ultra-high frequency (UHF) modem. Up to now the validation of the MGBAS was rather limited. Either a second shore based station was used as an artificial user, or measurement campaigns on a vessel with duration of a few hours have been conducted. In order to overcome this, we have installed three separate dual frequency antennas and receivers and a UHF modem on the Stena Line ferry vessel Mecklenburg-Vorpommern which is plying between Rostock and Trelleborg. This paper concentrates on the analysis of the highly accurate phase based positioning with a Real Time Kinematic (RTK) algorithm, using correction data received by the UHF modem onboard the vessel. We analyzed the availability and accuracy of RTK fix solutions for several days, whenever the ferry vessel was inside the service area of the MGBAS.

This paper presents a compact, low-cost unmanned aerial system for antenna measurement. The proposed system overcomes existing limitations in terms of unmanned aerial vehicle positioning and data geo-referring accuracy using a real-time kinematic positioning system to achieve centimeter-level accuracy. Amplitude-only measurements acquired using a low-cost power sensor are processed by means of the phaseless sources reconstruction method. This is an iterative phase retrieval technique that allows recovering an equivalent currents distribution, which characterizes the antenna under test (AUT). From these equivalent currents, near-field to far-field transformation is applied to calculate the AUT radiation pattern. This contribution also analyzes probe antenna characterization and the impact of positioning and geo-referring accuracy on the radiation pattern. Two application examples of antenna measurement at S- and C-bands using the implemented system are presented.

W artykule opisano fazy podchodzenia statku do portu ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem problemu wyznaczania pozycji jednostki z dużą dokładnością w czasie rzeczywistym. W tym aspekcie przeprowadzona została analiza systemów pozycjonowania, ich dokładności, dostępności, niezawodności oraz zasięgu działania. W artykule przedstawiono wyniki badań obserwacji dokładności systemu pozycjonowania w Świnoujściu, przeprowadzonych przez zespół NavSim Polska Sp. z o.o. Podkreślając wykorzystanie techniki RTK (Real Time Kinematic), przeprowadzono analizę działania Morskiej Stacji Referencyjnej (MSR) w Świnoujściu. Artykuł prezentuje możliwe praktyczne wykorzystanie technologii GNSS RTK (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) do budowy systemów elektronicznego zobrazowania rzeczywistej sytuacji nawigacyjnej dużej jednostki oraz wdrożenia na wzór systemów lotniczych ILS (Instrument Landing System) lub GBAS (Ground Based Augmentation System) morskich systemów IDS (Instrument Docking System). Przedstawione wnioski uzasadniają przydatność MSR w Świnoujściu oraz stosowanie podobnych systemów w celu zwiększenia bezpieczeństwa podczas wprowadzania statków do portu.

Autonomous driving support systems and self-driving cars require the determination of reliable vehicle positions with high accuracy. The real time kinematic (RTK) algorithm with global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is generally employed to obtain highly accurate position information. Because RTK can estimate the fix solution, which is a centimeter-level positioning solution, it is also used as an indicator of the position reliability. However, in urban areas, the degradation of the GNSS signal environment poses a challenge. Multipath noise caused by surrounding tall buildings degrades the positioning accuracy. This leads to large errors in the fix solution, which is used as a measure of reliability. We propose a novel position reliability estimation method by considering two factors; one is that GNSS errors are more likely to occur in the height than in the plane direction; the other is that the height variation of the actual vehicle travel path is small compared to the amount of movement in the horizontal directions. Based on these considerations, we proposed a method to detect a reliable fix solution by estimating the height variation during driving. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, an evaluation test was conducted in an urban area of Tokyo. According to the evaluation test, a reliability judgment rate of 99% was achieved in an urban environment, and a plane accuracy of less than 0.3 m in RMS was achieved. The results indicate that the accuracy of the proposed method is higher than that of the conventional fix solution, demonstratingits effectiveness.

Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV) are increasingly used to perform numerous tasks connected with measurements in inland waters and seas. One of such target applications is hydrography, where traditional (manned) bathymetric measurements are increasingly often realized by unmanned surface vehicles. This pertains especially to restricted or hardly navigable waters, in which execution of hydrographic surveys with the use of USVs requires precise maneuvering. Bathymetric measurements should be realized in a way that makes it possible to determine the waterbody’s depth as precisely as possible, and this requires high-precision in navigating along planned sounding profiles. This paper presents research that aimed to determine the accuracy of unmanned surface vehicle steering in autonomous mode (with a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller) along planned hydrographic profiles. During the measurements, a high-precision Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Real Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning system based on a GNSS reference station network (positioning accuracy: 1–2 cm, p = 0.95) and a magnetic compass with the stability of course maintenance of 1°–3° Root Mean Square (RMS) were used. For the purpose of evaluating the accuracy of the vessel’s path following along sounding profiles, the cross track error (XTE) measure, i.e., the distance between an USV’s position and the hydrographic profile, calculated transversely to the course, was proposed. The tests were compared with earlier measurements taken by other unmanned surface vehicles, which followed the exact same profiles with the use of much simpler and low-cost multi-GNSS receiver (positioning accuracy: 2–2.5 m or better, p = 0.50), supported with a Fluxgate magnetic compass with a high course measurement accuracy of 0.3° (p = 0.50 at 30 m/s). The research has shown that despite the considerable difference in the positioning accuracy of both devices and incomparably different costs of both solutions, the authors proved that the use of the GNSS RTK positioning system, as opposed to a multi-GNSS system supported with a Fluxgate magnetic compass, influences the precision of USV following sounding profiles to an insignificant extent.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have revolutionised the availability of high resolution topographic data in many disciplines due to their relatively low-cost and ease of deployment. Consumer-grade Real Time Kinematic Global Navigation Satellite System (RTK-GNSS) equipped UAVs offer potential to reduce or eliminate ground control points (GCPs) from SfM photogrammetry surveys, removing time-consuming target deployment. Despite this, the removal of ground control can substantially reduce the georeferencing accuracy of SfM photogrammetry outputs. Here, a DJI Phantom 4 RTK UAV is deployed to survey a 2 × 0.5 km reach of the braided River Feshie, Scotland that has local channel-bar relief of c.1 m and median grain size c.60 mm. Five rectangular adjacent blocks were flown, with images collected at 20° from the nadir across a double grid, with strips flown in opposing directions to achieve locally convergent imagery geometry. Check point errors for seven scenarios with varying configurations of GCPs were tested. Results show that, contrary to some published Direct Georeferencing UAV investigations, GCPs are not essential for accurate kilometre-scale topographic modelling. Using no GCPs, 3300 independent spatially-distributed RTK-GNSS surveyed check points have mean z-axis error −0.010 m (RMSE = 0.066 m). Using 5 GCPs gave 0.016 m (RMSE = 0.072 m). Our check point results do not show vertical systematic errors, such as doming, using either 0 or 5 GCPs. However, acquiring spatially distributed independent check points to check for systematic errors is recommended. Our results imply that an RTK-GNSS UAV can produce acceptable errors with no ground control, alongside spatially distributed independent check points, demonstrating that the technique is versatile for rapid kilometre-scale topographic survey in a range of geomorphic environments.

The possibility of using of GIS technologies for the construction of buffer zones and Voronoi polygons and cartograms which help to do the design work at a higher quality level with the application of one of the effective method of GPS surveying – the survey in real time kinematic (RTK) is demonstrated in the article.

Snow water equivalent (SWE) is a key variable for various hydrological applications. It is defined as the depth of water that would result upon complete melting of a mass of snow. However, until now, continuous measurements of the SWE are either scarce, expensive, labor-intense, or lack temporal or spatial resolution especially in mountainous and remote regions. We derive the SWE for dry-snow conditions using carrier phase measurements from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers. Two static GNSS receivers are used, whereby one antenna is placed below the snow and the other antenna is placed above the snow. The carrier phase measurements of both receivers are combined in double differences (DDs) to eliminate clock offsets and phase biases and to mitigate atmospheric errors. Each DD carrier phase measurement depends on the relative position between both antennas, an integer ambiguity due to the periodic nature of the carrier phase signal, and the SWE projected into the direction of incidence. The relative positions of the antennas are determined under snow-free conditions with millimeter accuracy using real-time kinematic positioning. Subsequently, the SWE and carrier phase integer ambiguities are jointly estimated with an integer least-squares estimator. We tested our method at an Alpine test site in Switzerland during the dry-snow season 2015–2016. The SWE derived solely by the GNSS shows very high correlation with conventionally measured snow pillow (root mean square error: 11 mm) and manual snow pit data. This method can be applied to dense low-cost GNSS receiver networks to improve the spatial and temporal information on snow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A cost-effective solution for in situ antenna characterization and diagnostics based on Radio Frequency IDentification technology and Remotely Piloted Aircrafts is presented. The cost-effectiveness of the proposed solution is achieved by replacing the radio frequency equipment on-board the small aircrafts with Radio Frequency IDentification tags, while the Antenna Under Test is connected to a Radio Frequency IDentification reader, thus reducing the weight and complexity of the payload of the aircrafts dedicated to antenna measurement task. Received Signal Strength measurements are geo-referred with centimeter-level accuracy thanks to a Real Time Kinematic system. An iterative phase retrieval technique based on the Sources Reconstruction Method is used to recover an equivalent magnetic currents distribution on the Antenna Under Test aperture plane. The reconstructed currents distribution provides antenna diagnostics information and enables the calculation of the antenna radiation pattern. The presented method has been validated by means of measurements in the UHF band for two different antenna arrays with excellent results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents an enhanced autonomous airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging system able to provide full 3D radar images from the subsurface. The proposed prototype and methodology allow the safe detection of both metallic and non-metallic buried targets even in difficult-to-access scenarios without interacting with the ground. Thus, they are particularly suitable for detecting dangerous targets, such as landmines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The prototype is mainly composed by an Ultra-Wide-Band (UWB) radar module working from Ultra-High-Frequency (UHF) band and a high accuracy dual-band Real Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning system mounted on board an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The UAV autonomously flies over the region of interest, gathering radar measurements. These measurements are accurately geo-referred so as to enable their coherent combination to obtain a well-focused SAR image. Improvements in the processing chain are also presented in order to deal with some issues associated to UAV-based measurements (such as non-uniform acquisition grids) as well as to enhance the resolution and the signal to clutter ratio of the image. Both the prototype and the methodology were validated with measurements, showing their capability to provide high-resolution 3D SAR images.

The paper focuses on a comparison of different positioning methods provided by free and open source software (FOSS) package called RTKLIB. The RTKLIB supports real-time and post-processed positioning. The most important modes of operation tested by the authors are Kinematic, Static, Fixed and Precise Point Positioning (PPP). The data for evaluation were obtained from low-cost Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver. The tested receiver was based on the u-blox's LEA-6T GNSS module. This receiver provides different types of information including raw carrier phase measurements. It gives the possibility for centimeter-level precision of positioning. As the supporting source of data ASG-EUPOS system was used. ASG-EUPOS is a Polish network of GNSS reference stations providing the real-time corrections and post processing services for the entire territory of Poland.

Copyright of Comunicaçõe Geológicas is the property of Laboratorio Nacional de Energia e Geologia, I.P. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A carrier phase reconstruction technique is presented as an enabler for low-power centimeter-accurate mobile positioning. Reliable carrier phase reconstruction permits the duty cycling of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver whose outputs are used for precise carrier-phase differential GNSS (CDGNSS) positioning. Existing CDGNSS techniques are power intensive because they require continuous tracking of each GNSS signal's carrier phase. By contrast, the less-precise code-ranging technique that is commonly used in mobile devices for 3-to-10-meter-accurate positioning allows for aggressive measurement duty-cycling, which enables low-power implementations. The technique proposed in this paper relaxes the CDGNSS continuous phase tracking requirement by solving a mixed real and integer estimation problem to reconstruct a continuous carrier phase time history from intermittent phase measurement intervals each having an ambiguous initial phase. Theoretical bounds on the probability of successful phase reconstruction, corroborated by Monte-Carlo-type simulation, are used to investigate the sensitivity of the proposed technique to various system parameters, including the time period between successive phase measurement intervals, the duration of each interval, the carrier-to-noise ratio, and the line-of-sight acceleration uncertainty. A demonstration on real data indicates that coupling a GNSS receiver with a consumer-grade inertial measurement unit enables reliable phase reconstruction with phase measurement duty cycles as low as 5%. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Differential GPS carrier phase measurements have much lower noise and multipath error than that of pseudorange measurements. The result is centimeter accuracy for Real-Time Kinematic (RTK). However, the measurement of the carrier phase has a constant unknown integer ambiguity. Several technical issues are related to solving the integer ambiguity correctly. They are: proper stochastic model, search space definition and initialization, search space reduction, state and standard deviation calculation, validation and rejection criteria for the unique and correct candidate. Search space reduction is critically important. It not only affects the ambiguity resolution speed, but also defines the ambiguity resolution success rate. The smaller the search space, the easier it is to find the unique and correct candidate set. The paper analyzes the integer ambiguity search space in its residual domain. The search space is minimized by: Analyzing the maximum independent integer ambiguity measurement set theoretically; Selecting the best initial measurement set that minimizes the search range of each satellite in the set and reduces the error effects from noise that may cause the wrong integer ambiguity solution for the remaining satellites not contained in the initial measurement set. Since the Residual Sensitive Matrix (S-Matrix) relates the integer ambiguity candidate set directly to post-fix residuals, it is not necessary to compute a fix for each candidate set thus making the integer ambiguity search process much more efficient. Also, minimizing the search space in the residual domain improves the search efficiency significantly and at the same time improves its reliability. Performance issues, such as recursive and weighted search techniques as well as methods for improving reliability, are also discussed in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrographic surveys, in accordance with the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) S-44 standard, can be carried out in the following five orders: Exclusive, Special, 1a, 1b and 2, for which minimum accuracy requirements for the applied positioning system have been set out. They are as follows, respectively: 1, 2, 5, 5 and 20 m, with a confidence level of 95% in two-dimensional space. The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) network solutions (accuracy: 2–3 cm (p = 0.95)) and the Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) (accuracy: 1–2 m (p = 0.95)) are now commonly used positioning methods in hydrography. Due to the fact that a new order of hydrographic surveys has appeared in the IHO S-44 standard from 2020—Exclusive, looking at the current positioning accuracy of the DGPS system, it is not known whether it can be used in it. The aim of this article is to determine the usefulness of GNSS/Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) for hydrographic surveys. During the research, the following two INSs were used: Ekinox2-U and Ellipse-D by the SBG Systems, which were supported by DGPS and Real Time Kinematic (RTK) receivers. GNSS/INS measurements were carried out during the manoeuvring of the Autonomous/Unmanned Surface Vehicle (ASV/USV) named "HydroDron" on Kłodno lake in Zawory. The acquired data were processed using the mathematical model that allows us to assess whether any positioning system at a given point in time meets (or not) the accuracy requirements for each IHO order. The model was verified taking into account the historical and current test results of the DGPS and RTK systems. Tests have confirmed that the RTK system meets the requirements of all the IHO orders, even in situations where it is not functioning 100% properly. Moreover, it was proven that the DGPS system does not only meet the requirements provided for the most stringent IHO order, i.e., the Exclusive Order (horizontal position error ≤ 1 m (p = 0.95)). Statistical analyses showed that it was only a few centimetres away from meeting this criterion. Therefore, it can be expected that soon it will be used in all the IHO orders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Autonomous driving support systems and self-driving cars require the determination of reliable vehicle positions with high accuracy. The real time kinematic (RTK) algorithm with global navigation satellite system (GNSS) is generally employed to obtain highly accurate position information. Because RTK can estimate the fix solution, which is a centimeter-level positioning solution, it is also used as an indicator of the position reliability. However, in urban areas, the degradation of the GNSS signal environment poses a challenge. Multipath noise caused by surrounding tall buildings degrades the positioning accuracy. This leads to large errors in the fix solution, which is used as a measure of reliability. We propose a novel position reliability estimation method by considering two factors; one is that GNSS errors are more likely to occur in the height than in the plane direction; the other is that the height variation of the actual vehicle travel path is small compared to the amount of movement in the horizontal directions. Based on these considerations, we proposed a method to detect a reliable fix solution by estimating the height variation during driving. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, an evaluation test was conducted in an urban area of Tokyo. According to the evaluation test, a reliability judgment rate of 99% was achieved in an urban environment, and a plane accuracy of less than 0.3 m in RMS was achieved. The results indicate that the accuracy of the proposed method is higher than that of the conventional fix solution, demonstratingits effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USV) are increasingly used to perform numerous tasks connected with measurements in inland waters and seas. One of such target applications is hydrography, where traditional (manned) bathymetric measurements are increasingly often realized by unmanned surface vehicles. This pertains especially to restricted or hardly navigable waters, in which execution of hydrographic surveys with the use of USVs requires precise maneuvering. Bathymetric measurements should be realized in a way that makes it possible to determine the waterbody's depth as precisely as possible, and this requires high-precision in navigating along planned sounding profiles. This paper presents research that aimed to determine the accuracy of unmanned surface vehicle steering in autonomous mode (with a Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller) along planned hydrographic profiles. During the measurements, a high-precision Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Real Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning system based on a GNSS reference station network (positioning accuracy: 1–2 cm, p = 0.95) and a magnetic compass with the stability of course maintenance of 1°–3° Root Mean Square (RMS) were used. For the purpose of evaluating the accuracy of the vessel's path following along sounding profiles, the cross track error (XTE) measure, i.e., the distance between an USV's position and the hydrographic profile, calculated transversely to the course, was proposed. The tests were compared with earlier measurements taken by other unmanned surface vehicles, which followed the exact same profiles with the use of much simpler and low-cost multi-GNSS receiver (positioning accuracy: 2–2.5 m or better, p = 0.50), supported with a Fluxgate magnetic compass with a high course measurement accuracy of 0.3° (p = 0.50 at 30 m/s). The research has shown that despite the considerable difference in the positioning accuracy of both devices and incomparably different costs of both solutions, the authors proved that the use of the GNSS RTK positioning system, as opposed to a multi-GNSS system supported with a Fluxgate magnetic compass, influences the precision of USV following sounding profiles to an insignificant extent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work presents an enhanced autonomous airborne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imaging system able to provide full 3D radar images from the subsurface. The proposed prototype and methodology allow the safe detection of both metallic and non-metallic buried targets even in difficult-to-access scenarios without interacting with the ground. Thus, they are particularly suitable for detecting dangerous targets, such as landmines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The prototype is mainly composed by an Ultra-Wide-Band (UWB) radar module working from Ultra-High-Frequency (UHF) band and a high accuracy dual-band Real Time Kinematic (RTK) positioning system mounted on board an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV). The UAV autonomously flies over the region of interest, gathering radar measurements. These measurements are accurately geo-referred so as to enable their coherent combination to obtain a well-focused SAR image. Improvements in the processing chain are also presented in order to deal with some issues associated to UAV-based measurements (such as non-uniform acquisition grids) as well as to enhance the resolution and the signal to clutter ratio of the image. Both the prototype and the methodology were validated with measurements, showing their capability to provide high-resolution 3D SAR images. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Two critical pieces of information: surface topography and drainage tile maps. • Drone imagery can supply critical information. • RTK-GPS drone visible imagery provides accurate topographic maps. • Thermal infrared integrated with RTK provides accurate drainage systems maps. • Thermal infrared GPS-based imagery alone will not suffice. A 2012 agricultural census reported approximately 218,000 U.S. farms to have subsurface tile networks that artificially drain over 19.7 million hectares. These drainage networks present a significant expense to landowners during their installation, inspection, maintenance, and upgrading. The conventional methods for locating buried drain tiles are by excavation employing heavy machinery and hand tile probes which are expensive and time-consuming. Aerial photography offers promise as a less-expensive alternative for mapping tile networks over vast acreages. In aerial photography, ground-surface discolorations from the concentratio of draining moisture periodically appear directly atop functioning drains. We have noted drainage surface patterns occurring on Midwestern fields with minimal surface residue one to three days following significant rainfall. An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) equipped with visible or thermal infrared (TIR) imaging can detect these distortions at appropriate times. Our study compared Real Time Kinematic (RTK) and Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) Global Positioning System (GPS) for mapping of subsurface drain tiles. The case study revealed WAAS GPS provided insufficient accuracy and precision for physically locating the buried tiles. Although more expensive and complicated, satellite RTK technology increases the vertical and horizontal alignment of UAV surveys as it projects aerial imagery precisely and accurately onto a geodetic coordinate system. The pairing of RTK technology with the UAV survey was deemed essential for physically locating buried tile lines in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]