GPS and DGPS - Positioning You for Effective Decision-Making

The use of Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) technology is increasing in earth science disciplines due to the inherent benefits of obtaining accurate position locations.

Benefits include the ability to make better decisions, for example, in locating and following up on anomalies, and in improving survey cost effectiveness and time management.

Examples of typical applications include:

• Surveying in remote locations with no gird system (for example, in the high Arctic for diamond exploration)

• High resolution resource exploration mapping

• High productivity ferrous ordnance (UXO) detection

• Ground portable magnetic and gradient surveying for environmental and engineering applications

• Base station monitoring for observing diurnal magnetic activity and disturbances with integrated GPS time

For those who want to learn more about general GPS principles, you may want to refer to www.trimble.com/GPS This resource provides a good overview from one of the premier hardware manufacturers.

GEM offers a range of options to meet various customer needs.

NEW! OmniStar / CDGPS Option

View the PDF Brochure

Positioning Accuracy and Navigation - A Cross-Section of Alternatives

GEM addresses our customer requests for GPS and its higher resolution derivative, Differential GPS (DGPS) through both built-in and external GPS options. Built-in GPS offers many advantages because it minimizes weight and removes bulky components that can be damaged through normal survey procedures.

Some customers, for example, want a very simple GPS solution that only provides time synchronization for very accurate base station work. Other customers require an advanced DGPS solution with centimetre positioning accuracy for highly detailed survey results.

All options, with the exception of the base station option, give you access to a unique Navigation package which includes:

• Conversion to Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinates

• Coordinate rotation for working on arbitrarily oriented grids

• Lane guidance with notification of lane deviation

The choice of one of Gem's GPS solutions ultimately reflects your survey methodologies and accuracy requirements. We provide a range of options to meet these needs as shown here.

Custom Solutions

GEM systems supports built-in GPS boards that are carefully selected for performance and non-magnetic properties. RTK and RTCM options available. We can also support customer-supplied external systems that meet similar specifications. For details, please contact us.

• SBAS - Satellite Based Augmentation Systems incorporates WAAS, EGNOS and MSAS.

• WAAS - Wide Area Augmentation System is a satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) that is designed to improve the accuracy and ensure the integrity of information coming from GPS satellite

• EGNOS - European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service is Europe's first venture into satellite navigation. It will augment the two military satellite navigation systems now operating, the US GPS and Russian GLONASS systems.

• MSAS - Multi-Functional Satellite Augmentation System, They are geostationary satellites. They are owned and operated by the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), and provide coverage for the hemisphere centred on 140° East; this includes Japan and Australia.

• OmniStar - Is a Paid Subscription system is a Satellite Based Augmentation Systems that transmit their corrections from orbiting satellites instead of ground-based transmitters..

• CDGPS - New nation-wide DGPS service developed for the Canadian market that provides unmatched accuracy and coverage for positioning applications across the country.

• RTCM - Ratio Technical Commission for Maritime Services is a scientific and educational organization, focusing on all aspects of maritime radiocommunications, radionavigation, and related technologies. Various standards are established through this body.

• RTK -- a way to use GPS measurements that provides real time centimetric positioning. It is essentially a GPS differential mode of operation using carrier phase measurements which is claimed to make use of the most accurate information delivered by the GPS system.