Linda Duffy, in the latest issue of Point of Beginning, delves deep into the advancements in satellite positioning systems, specifically how they have aided in geospatial data collection and analysis. She describes the historical context of the technology and explains how the vast improvements in speed, accuracy, and precision have changed the industry. In the article, Evon Silvia, solutions architect at Quantum Spatial, articulates the impact of GNSS:
“The availability of GNSS caused a complete paradigm shift in how we do all of our work in a cost-effective way. The real advantage of the new satellite systems – GPS III and Galileo – is not just increased accuracy, but more importantly that you can achieve that accuracy faster and more reliably at a lower cost. More satellites in range help us get the signal faster – in minutes instead of many minutes – and on a large surveying project, that really adds up. Ninety nine percent of our groundwork uses GNSS.
As GNSS becomes more accurate, specialized sectors become more interested,” continues Silvia. “Geospatial data used to be collected at ZIP code or county level, then by the mid-20th century the technology allowed for more detail that identified location by block – and now we can drill down to a corner or a building on a block, and even by person.”
Read the full article HERE