Comparison of Network-RTK and PPP Technique in terms of Position Accuracy

Abstract

In Nowadays, in addition to terrestrial measurements, satellite based GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) sensors (Geodetic quality, low cost and chipset GNSS receivers) are widely used in many applications in determining the point location. Together with GNSS technology, it has created the need to calculate the point location with high accuracy, low cost and in real time. Therefore, different positioning techniques and GNSS sensors have been developed to date. In many developed countries in the world, with the help of Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS), the point location is detected in real time and with high accuracy by the Network-Real Time Kinematic (N-RTK) technique. In recent years, point location without the need for limitations such as data transmission infrastructure and reference GNSS stations has been determined in many studies with Precise Point Positioning (PPP) technique in real time and with high accuracy. Within the scope of this study, N-RTK and PPP techniques, which are widely used in engineering studies, especially in the field of Geomatics Engineering, were compared in terms of positioning accuracy relative to each other. For this purpose, the position accuracy of Network-RTK, Post-Process (PP)-PPP and Real Time (RT)-PPP techniques were examined, and their advantages and disadvantages compared to each other were revealed. Point position accuracy is better in the solution made with N-RTK technique in all three of the North, East and Up components, followed by PP-PPP and RT-PPP. In addition to the combination of satellite observations used, it is seen that the satellite orbit and clock correction information can be obtained more precisely, and the PPP-based results can be approached to the position accuracy obtained by the N-RTK technique.