Performance tests of geodetic receivers with tilt sensors in obstructed environments using the NRTK GNSS technique

The Department of Lands (DOL), Thailand, has adopted the Network-based Real-Time Kinematic (NRTK) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) surveying technique using a Virtual Reference Station (VRS) to support cadastral surveys since 2011. Determining accurate coordinates of parcel boundary markers at building corners or near fences and walls is difficult because a GNSS range pole cannot be leveled with a circular bubble. This study aims to evaluate the performance of the receivers equipped with tilt sensors for horizontal and vertical positioning. Two types of tilt sensors used for evaluation were a magnetometer and micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) and an inertial measurement unit (IMU). Conducting the NRTK GNSS surveying tests was based on the pole tilt angles of 0 degrees, 15 degrees, 25 degrees, 35 degrees, and 45 degrees from a plumb line in controlled and obstructed environments. The IMU-based tilt sensor had more advantage of accurately positioning over the MEMS sensor. The results showed that using the IMU, better than 4 cm horizontal positioning accuracy was achievable when the pole was tilted by 15 degrees or less under non-multipath and open-sky conditions. The vertical accuracy was of a few centimeter levels and least sensitive to tilt angles using either type of sensor. However, none of the sensors precisely compensated for pole tilt in strong-multipath and complex environments, causing increased horizontal errors in decimeter levels.