scholarly journals Determining Peak Altitude on Maps, Books and Cartographic Materials: Multidisciplinary Implications

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1111
Author(s):  
Kamil Maciuk ◽  
Michal Apollo ◽  
Joseph M. Cheer ◽  
Ondřej Konečný ◽  
Krystian Kozioł ◽  
...  

Mountain peaks and their altitude have been of interest to researchers across disciplines. Measurement methods and techniques have changed and developed over the years, leading to more accurate measurements and, consequently, more accurate determination of peak altitudes. This research transpired due to the frequency of misstatements found in existing sources including books, maps, guidebooks and the Internet. Such inaccuracies have the potential to create controversy, especially among peak-baggers in pursuit of climbing the highest summits. The Polish Sudetes Mountains were selected for this study; 24 summits in the 14 mesoregions were measured. Measurements were obtained employing the global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and light detection and ranging (LiDAR), both modern and highly precise techniques. Moreover, to determine the accuracy of measurements, several of the summits were measured using a mobile phone as an additional method. We compare GNSS vs. LiDAR and verify the level of confidence of peak heights obtained by automatic methods from LiDAR data alone. The GNSS receiver results showed a discrepancy of approximately 10 m compared with other information sources examined. Findings indicate that the heights of peaks presented in cartographic materials are inaccurate, especially in lesser-known mountain ranges. Furthermore, among all the mountain ranges examined, the results demonstrated that five of the summits were no longer classed as the highest, potentially impacting tourist perceptions and subsequent visitation. Overall, due to the topographical relief characteristics and varying vegetation cover of mountains, we argue that the re-measuring procedure should comprise two steps: (1) develop high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) based on LiDAR; (2) assumed heights should be measured using precise GNSS receivers. Unfortunately, due to the time constraints and the prohibitive costs of GNSS, LiDAR continues to be the most common source of new altitude data.

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (14) ◽  
pp. 4059
Author(s):  
Nobuaki Kubo ◽  
Kaito Kobayashi ◽  
Rei Furukawa

The reduction of multipath errors is a significant challenge in the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), especially when receiving non-line-of-sight (NLOS) signals. However, selecting line-of-sight (LOS) satellites correctly is still a difficult task in dense urban areas, even with the latest GNSS receivers. This study demonstrates a new method of utilization of C/N0 of the GNSS to detect NLOS signals. The elevation-dependent threshold of the C/N0 setting may be effective in mitigating multipath errors. However, the C/N0 fluctuation affected by NLOS signals is quite large. If the C/N0 is over the threshold, the satellite is used for positioning even if it is still affected by the NLOS signal, which causes the positioning error to jump easily. To overcome this issue, we focused on the value of continuous time-series C/N0 for a certain period. If the C/N0 of the satellite was less than the determined threshold, the satellite was not used for positioning for a certain period, even if the C/N0 recovered over the threshold. Three static tests were conducted at challenging locations near high-rise buildings in Tokyo. The results proved that our method could substantially mitigate multipath errors in differential GNSS by appropriately removing the NLOS signals. Therefore, the performance of real-time kinematic GNSS was significantly improved.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (17) ◽  
pp. 4948
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Czaplewski ◽  
Zbigniew Wisniewski ◽  
Cezary Specht ◽  
Andrzej Wilk ◽  
Wladyslaw Koc ◽  
...  

Satellite geodetic networks are commonly used in surveying tasks, but they can also be used in mobile surveys. Mobile satellite surveys can be used for trackage inventory, diagnostics and design. The combination of modern technological solutions with the adaptation of research methods known in other fields of science offers an opportunity to acquire highly accurate solutions for railway track inventory. This article presents the effects of work carried out using a mobile surveying platform on which Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers were mounted. The satellite observations (surveys) obtained were aligned using one of the methods known from classical land surveying. The records obtained during the surveying campaign on a 246th km railway track section were subjected to alignment. This article provides a description of the surveying campaign necessary to obtain measurement data and a theoretical description of the method employed to align observation results as well as their visualisation.


Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (16) ◽  
pp. 4375
Author(s):  
Veton Hamza ◽  
Bojan Stopar ◽  
Tomaž Ambrožič ◽  
Goran Turk ◽  
Oskar Sterle

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology is widely used for geodetic monitoring purposes. However, in cases where a higher risk of receiver damage is expected, geodetic GNSS receivers may be considered too expensive to be used. As an alternative, low-cost GNSS receivers that are cheap, light, and prove to be of adequate quality over short baselines, are considered. The main goal of this research is to evaluate the positional precision of a multi-frequency low-cost instrument, namely, ZED-F9P with u-blox ANN-MB-00 antenna, and to investigate its potential for displacement detection. We determined the positional precision within static survey, and the displacement detection within dynamic survey. In both cases, two baselines were set, with the same rover point equipped with a low-cost GNSS instrument. The base point of the first baseline was observed with a geodetic GNSS instrument, whereas the second baseline was observed with a low-cost GNSS instrument. The results from static survey for both baselines showed comparable results for horizontal components; the precision was on a level of 2 mm or better. For the height component, the results show a better performance of low-cost instruments. This may be a consequence of unknown antenna calibration parameters for low-cost GNSS antenna, while statistically significant coordinates of rover points were obtained from both baselines. The difference was again more significant in the height component. For the displacement detection, a device was used that imposes controlled movements with sub-millimeter accuracy. Results, obtained on a basis of 30-min sessions, show that low-cost GNSS instruments can detect displacements from 10 mm upwards with a high level of reliability. On the other hand, low-cost instruments performed slightly worse as far as accuracy is concerned.


2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 36-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Massimiliano Pepe

In recent years, the use of low cost GNSS receivers is becoming widespread due to their increasing performance in the spatial positioning, flexibility, ease of use and really interesting price. In addition, a recent technique of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) survey, called Network Real Time Kinematic (NRTK), allows to obtain to rapid and accurate positioning measurements. The main feature of this approach is to use the raw measurements obtained and stored from a network of Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) in order to generate more reliable error models that can mitigate the distance-dependent errors within the area covered by the CORS. Also, considering the huge potential of this GNSS positioning system, the purpose of this paper is to analyze and investigate the performance of the NTRK approach using a low cost GNSS receiver, in stop-and-go kinematic technique. By several case studies it was shown that, using a low cost RTK board for Arduino environment, a smartphone with open source application for Android and the availability of data correction from CORS service, a quick and accurate positioning can be obtained. Because the measures obtained in this way are quite noisy and, more in general, increasing with the baseline, by a simple and suitable statistic treatment, it was possible to increase the quality of the measure. In this way, this low cost architecture could be applied in many geomatics fields. In addition to presenting the main aspects of the NTRK infrastructure and a review of several types of correction, a general workflow in order to obtain quality data in NRTK mode, regardless of the type of GNSS receiver (multi constellations, single or many frequencies, etc.) is discussed.


Author(s):  
A. Martínez-Fernández ◽  
E. Serrano ◽  
J. J. Sanjosé ◽  
M. Gómez-Lende ◽  
A. Pisabarro ◽  
...  

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Rock glaciers are one of the most important features of the mountain permafrost in the Pyrenees. La Paúl is an active rock glacier located in the north face of the Posets massif in the La Paúl glacier cirque (Spanish Pyrenees). This study presents the preliminary results of the La Paúl rock glacier monitoring works carried out through two geomatic technologies since 2013: Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers and Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) devices. Displacements measured on the rock glacier surface have demonstrated both the activity of the rock glacier and the utility of this equipment for the rock glaciers dynamic analysis. The glacier has exhibited the fastest displacements on its west side (over 35&amp;thinsp;cm&amp;thinsp;yr<sup>&amp;minus;1</sup>), affected by the Little Ice Age, and frontal area (over 25&amp;thinsp;cm&amp;thinsp;yr<sup>&amp;minus;1</sup>). As an indicator of permafrost in marginal environments and its peculiar morphology, La Paúl rock glacier encourages a more prolonged study and to the application of more geomatic techniques for its detailed analysis.</p>


2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 300
Author(s):  
Dongpeng Xie ◽  
Jinguang Jiang ◽  
Jiaji Wu ◽  
Peihui Yan ◽  
Yanan Tang ◽  
...  

Aiming at the problem of high-precision positioning of mass-pedestrians with low-cost sensors, a robust single-antenna Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)/Pedestrian Dead Reckoning (PDR) integration scheme is proposed with Gate Recurrent Unit (GRU)-based zero-velocity detector. Based on the foot-mounted pedestrian navigation system, the error state extended Kalman filter (EKF) framework is used to fuse GNSS position, zero-velocity state, barometer elevation, and other information. The main algorithms include improved carrier phase smoothing pseudo-range GNSS single-point positioning, GRU-based zero-velocity detection, and adaptive fusion algorithm of GNSS and PDR. Finally, the scheme was tested. The root mean square error (RMSE) of the horizontal error in the open and complex environments is lower than 1 m and 1.5 m respectively. In the indoor elevation experiment where the elevation difference of upstairs and downstairs exceeds 25 m, the elevation error is lower than 1 m. This result can provide technical reference for the accurate and continuous acquisition of public pedestrian location information.


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-125
Author(s):  
João Luiz Jacintho ◽  
Gabriel Araújo e Silva Ferraz ◽  
Lucas Santos Santana ◽  
Patrícia Ferreira Ponciano Ferraz

RECEPTORES DE SINAIS DO SISTEMA GLOBAL DE NAVEGAÇÃO POR SATÉLITE SUBMETIDOS A INTERFERÊNCIAS FÍSICAS   JOÃO LUIZ JACINTHO1, GABRIEL ARAÚJO E SILVA FERRAZ2, LUCAS SANTOS SANTANA3, PATRÍCIA FERREIRA PONCIANO FERRAZ4   1 Instituto Federal do Norte de Minas Gerais - IFNMG, Campus Araçuaí BR 367, km 278, s/n - Zona Rural, 39600-000, Araçuaí - MG, Brasil. [email protected]. 2 Departamento de Engenharia Agrícola, Universidade Federal de Lavras – UFLA, Aquenta Sol, 3037, 37200900, Lavras - MG, Brasil. [email protected]. 3Departamento de Engenharia Agrícola, Universidade Federal de Lavras – UFLA, Aquenta Sol, 3037, 37200900, Lavras - MG, Brasil. [email protected]. 4 Departamento de Engenharia Agrícola, Universidade Federal de Lavras – UFLA, Aquenta Sol, 3037, 37200900, Lavras - MG, Brasil. [email protected].   RESUMO: Incertezas são encontradas em trabalhos com receptores do Sistemas Global de Navegação por Satélite GNSS. Diante disso, objetivou-se com este estudo investigar a influência de obstáculos físicos nos erros de acurácia e precisão em levantamentos com receptores GNSS e suas aplicações agrícolas. Foram implantados quatros pontos de controle rastreados no modo estático (base) e oito pontos de estudos rastreados no modo cinemático em tempo real (RTK) e Estático Rápido (ER), utilizando um par de receptores GNSS e um par de receptores GNSS-RTK. Os níveis de acurácia e precisão foram avaliados em oito pontos obtidos por rastreios do tipo ER e RTK. Combinados com quatro bases fixas, alocados de três formas: mínima, média e alta interferência física. Pontos provenientes do levantamento RTK, apresentaram diferenças na ordem de milímetros a centímetros, quando comparados às coordenadas obtidas do levantamento (ER). Para os níveis de obstrução, a mínima interferência apresentou erro dentro dos limites estipulados pelo equipamento, a máxima interferência apresentou menor acurácia. O efeito do multipercurso do sinal foi o fator mais determinante para a redução da acurácia das coordenadas dos pontos. Recomenda-se a aplicação do levantamento RTK para trabalhos onde a precisão das coordenadas seja mais relevante que a acurácia.   Palavras-chaves: Geodésia, levantamento planialtimétrico, acurácia, precisão.   GLOBAL SATELLITE NAVIGATION SYSTEM RECEIVERS SUBMITTED TO PHYSICAL INTERFERENCES   ABSTRACT: Uncertainties are found in works with Global Navigation Satellite System receivers (GNSS). Therefore, this study aimed to investigate influence physical obstacles on accuracy and precision errors in surveys with GNSS receivers and their agricultural applications. Four control points tracked in static (base) mode and eight study points tracked in a kinematic mode in real-time (RTK) and Fast Static (ER) were implemented, using a pair of GNSS receivers and pair of GNSS-RTK receivers. Accuracy levels and precision were evaluated at eight points obtained by ER and RTK, combined with four fixed bases, allocated in three ways: minimal, medium and high physical interference. RTK survey points showed differences order millimeters to centimeters when compared to the survey (ER) coordinates. The obstruction levels, interference minimum, had an error within limits stipulated by equipment, interference maximum showed low accuracy. RTK survey is recommended for jobs where the coordinate precision is more relevant than accuracy.   Keywords: Geodesy, planialtimetric survey, accuracy, precision.


Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 1945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petr Gabrlik ◽  
Premysl Janata ◽  
Ludek Zalud ◽  
Josef Harcarik

This article presents unmanned aerial system (UAS)-based photogrammetry as an efficient method for the estimation of snow-field parameters, including snow depth, volume, and snow-covered area. Unlike similar studies employing UASs, this method benefits from the rapid development of compact, high-accuracy global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers. Our custom-built, multi-sensor system for UAS photogrammetry facilitates attaining centimeter- to decimeter-level object accuracy without deploying ground control points; this technique is generally known as direct georeferencing. The method was demonstrated at Mapa Republiky, a snow field located in the Krkonose, a mountain range in the Czech Republic. The location has attracted the interest of scientists due to its specific characteristics; multiple approaches to snow-field parameter estimation have thus been employed in that area to date. According to the results achieved within this study, the proposed method can be considered the optimum solution since it not only attains superior density and spatial object accuracy (approximately one decimeter) but also significantly reduces the data collection time and, above all, eliminates field work to markedly reduce the health risks associated with avalanches.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Haidy Elghamrawy ◽  
Malek Karaim ◽  
Mohamed Tamazin ◽  
Aboelmaged Noureldin

The received global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signal has a very low power due to traveling a very long distance and to the nature of the signal’s propagation medium. Thus, GNSS signals are easily susceptible to signal interference. Signal interference can cause severe degradation or interruption in GNSS position, navigation, and timing (PNT) services which could be very critical, especially in safety-critical applications. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the impact of the presence of jamming signals on a high-end GNSS receiver and investigate the benefits of using a multi-constellation system under such circumstances. Several jamming signals are considered in this research, including narrowband and wideband signals that are located on GPS L1 or GLONASS L1 frequency bands. Quasi-real dynamic trajectories are generated using the Spirent™ GSS6700 GNSS signal simulator combined with an interference signal generator through a Spirent™ GSS8366 unit. The performance evaluation was carried out using several evaluation metrics, including signal power degradation, navigation solution availability, dilution of precision (DOP), and positioning accuracy. The multi-constellation system presented better performance over the global positioning system (GPS)-only constellation in most cases. Moreover, jamming the GPS band caused more critical effects than jamming the GLONASS band.


Electronics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12) ◽  
pp. 1518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cheolsoon Lim ◽  
Hyojung Yoon ◽  
Am Cho ◽  
Chang-Sun Yoo ◽  
Byungwoon Park

The performance of global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers in dynamic modes is mostly assessed using results obtained from independent maneuvering of vehicles along similar trajectories at different times due to limitations of receivers, payload, space, and power of moving vehicles. However, such assessments do not ensure valid evaluation because the same GNSS signal environment cannot be ensured in a different test session irrespective of how accurately it mimics the original session. In this study, we propose a valid methodology that can evaluate the dynamic performance of multiple GNSS receivers in various positioning modes with only one dynamic test. We used the record-and-replay function of RACELOGIC’s LabSat3 Wideband and developed a software that can log and re-broadcast Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services (RTCM) messages for the augmented systems. A preliminary static test and a drone test were performed to verify proper operation of the system. The results show that the system could efficiently evaluate the performances of stand-alone, differential GNSS, and real time kinematics positioning for three GNSS receivers in two different positioning modes by repeatedly re-radiating the recorded signals acquired through only one flight. Our proposed system is expected to be useful in evaluating dynamic navigation performance accurately and conveniently in a valid manner.


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