What are the three basic types or grades of GPS?

There are generally three grade categories of GPS Receivers:

  • Recreation Grade.
  • Map Grade.
  • Survey Grade.

What is a survey grade receiver?

Survey grade receivers are designed for the achievement of consistent network accuracy in the static or real-time mode. Positions determined by these receivers will generally provide the best accuracy of the categories listed.

What is MAP receiver?

These receivers are generally defined as those that allow user to configure some settings such as PDOP, SNR (carrier-to-noise-density ratio C/N0), elevation mask and the logging rate. They most often have an integrated antenna and CDU in the receiver.

What type of map does a GPS use?

topographic maps
Most 7.5-minute topographic maps represent the spherical earth on paper by utilizing the Universal Transverse Mercator projection that divides the globe into UTM zones (see figure below) If you have a handheld GPS receiver, you may want to locate yourself on your paper map in the field.

What is considered survey grade accuracy?

The term survey-grade accuracy may have different meanings to different people. It generally implies an absolute accuracy of around 10 cm (0.3 ft) or below, depending on the specific application.

How accurate is a survey grade GPS?

Survey grade GPS receivers are the most accurate and the most expensive. They are accurate to within a centimeter and can cost in the tens of thousands of dollars. These GPS receivers are most often used by professional surveyors and excel in high accuracy measurements of fixed positions.

How accurate is a surveyor’s GPS?

The accuracy obtained from this method depends on the duration of the observations, but is typically about 1 part per million (1 millimetre per kilometre) so a difference in position can be measured over 30 kilometres with an uncertainty of about 30 mm, or about 100 mm over 100 kilometres.

What is a grade GPS receiver?

Mapping grade GPS receivers are most often used by government agencies, researchers, and other users who require more accurate and dependable coordinate fixes than a recreational GPS can provide. 3. Survey grade GPS receivers are the most accurate and the most expensive.

What is the difference between mapping grade GPS and recreational GPS?

Mapping grade GPS receivers are generally sold by “high end” and licensed resellers. These GPS receivers are typically less user-friendly than the recreational GPS, and they cost significantly more. Mapping grade GPS are more accurate than recreational units, commonly to within a meter (~3 feet).

What is the range of the accuracy of a mapping grade receiver?

Most mapping grade receivers of all tracking configurations are WAAS (or other Satellite Based Augmentation Signal SBAS) enabled, and thereby offer real-time results. Such differentially corrected mapping receivers may be capable of achieving a network accuracy of ~0.5 to 5 meters.

How accurate is a GPS receiver?

At the lower end is the GPS receiver that can collect data to within accuracy levels of 3-5 meters. Higher grade receivers are capable of reaching accuracy levels of 0.5 – 2 meters, or 1.5-5 feet.