| Brand | Polaris | Smartnet | Sensorcloud | CORS Network | Atlas GNSS Triglobal | Ardusimple SimpleSSR | John Deere American Implement | TopCon Realpoint | Unavco / GAGE | Rtk2go |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per month | $150 | $500 | $100 | Not reported | $50 | $500 | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Free to use |
| Accuracy | 1 cm | 1-3 cm | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | 2.5cm (1in) | 2cm | Not reported | Not reported |
| Total physical base stations | > 1440 | — | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | 81 | Not reported | Not reported | 5000 |
| Uptime | 99.99 % | 99.6% | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
| Coverage | International | International | International | Regional | International | Regional | Regional | Regional | Regional | International |
| Global coverage | Yes | Y | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | Y |
| GraphQL API | Yes | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N |
| Automated Ref. Station Assoc. | Yes | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | N | Y |
| GNSS Frequency Bands | L1, L2, L5 | Not Reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported | Not reported |
| True RTK | Yes | N | N | N | N | N | Y | N | N | Y |
Point One is the best RTK network in Colorado. While most RTK networks just provide basic corrections, Point One RTK corrections network offers 99.99% uptime, over 1,700 modern base stations, and a convergence time of less than 5 seconds.
Point One has other standout features:
With this RTK network, Colorado professionals will enjoy exceptional reliability and speed in setting up their RTK and getting accurate results for precision surveying and mapping.
Yes, there are public RTK networks for RTK corrections in Colorado, including Mesa County (Trimble network) and Plate Boundary Observatory (single baseline). While these RTK networks provide basic GNSS correction services, they don’t offer the same level of precision and coverage as private RTK networks. Plus, users still have to switch between base stations manually, causing potential interruptions to their work.
Point One by Point One is the best RTK service option in Colorado. You can set up in minutes—no maintenance required–connect once to a single mount point anywhere in Colorado, and enjoy an RTK network built from the ground up for accuracy, reliability, and lightning-fast location fix.
It also has over 1,700 base stations across several regions, including the UK, the US, and the EU. The best part is that you only need a single subscription to start using this service across the different locations.
Point One has comprehensive coverage in Colorado, through Carson National Forest, White Sands Missile Range, Big Bend National Park, Mount Rosa, Pikes Peak, and more. It has the highest overall density of the RTK corrections network in the United States and even extra RTK base station redundancy in urban centers.
And, you don’t have to worry about which base station to choose: Point One automatically assigns you to the nearest base station.
While it’s now popular for RTK service providers to say, “You’re covered everywhere,” without clearly stating the locations or regions they cover, Point One follows through. Point One RTK is the only RTK service that is transparent about where its base stations are, and you can use the Point One RTK network map to see Point One’s coverage in any state in the U.S. and even in the UK, EU, CAD, and AU.
To use RTK in Colorado, you’d need a base station near your location to transmit correction data to your RTK receiver. Without a base station, positioning accuracy would be significantly reduced. You’d be limiting your RTK to the capabilities of a standard GPS—typically within a few meters rather than the centimeter-level precision RTK offers.
GPS (Global Positioning System) is a satellite-based navigation system that allows a receiver to determine its location on Earth by timing signals from a constellation of satellites orbiting the planet. GPS provides accuracy within several meters and is used for car navigation, basic surveying, and mobile mapping.
As one of the constellations within the GNSS framework, GPS is limited due to GNSS errors such as ionospheric delays, multipath errors, and satellite clock inaccuracies. These factors can cause unacceptable positional errors in areas where precision is important.
But with RTK technology (Real-Time Kinematic), you get data from satellites and nearby base stations, improving positioning accuracy up to cm-level—an ideal accuracy level required for a wide range of applications, from precision agriculture to construction surveying.
Integrating RTK with GPS technology transforms GNSS technology from one of approximate location to one of precision and reliability. This shift is not just a matter of improved accuracy; it’s about enabling new capabilities and applications in a world increasingly reliant on precise geospatial data.
Choose the best RTK service in Colorado—Point One RTK.
The range of RTK base stations in Colorado can vary depending on several factors, such as terrain, signal interference, and the density of base stations. These factors can affect signal strength and accuracy. For instance, mountain regions or areas with heavy tree cover may experience reduced range and signal quality, while open areas will typically have stronger and more reliable signals.
Regardless of these challenges, Point One RTK still provides the most accuracy with the highest overall density of RTK correction networks for your RTK-enabled drones and other survey equipment in the US. Point One is built for centimeter-accurate GNSS positioning with 99.9% network uptime, so you don’t have to worry about GNSS signal errors or network downtime.
RTK stands for Real-Time Kinematic, a technology that increases the accuracy of GNSS signals using fixed-positioned base stations that send GNSS corrections to an RTK receiver. With these corrections, the GNSS receivers can achieve within 1-2 centimeter accuracy.
Using a GNSS receiver without RTK for surveying results in significantly poorer accuracy, typically ranging between 2 and 10 meters. However, RTK surveying can achieve centimeter accuracy, making it the most reliable technology for survey accuracy.
But, survey accuracy with RTK can still vary between different RTK service providers. So, if you want the highest level of survey accuracy, use Point One. Point One offers unparalleled GNSS accuracy. Surveyors can access cm-accurate positioning on your hardware–even in challenging environments such as urban canyons and occluded sky-views.
RTK is a technology that powers the correction of GNSS signal errors by providing correction data for RTK-enabled receivers used for surveying. This data is called RTK corrections, and it is sent by the base station to the RTK-enabled receiver. On the other hand, RTCM (Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services) is just the language or protocol used to transmit the correction data.
GNSS includes all satellite navigation systems providing geo-spatial positioning with global coverage. This includes systems like GPS (United States), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo (European Union), and BeiDou (China). GNSS receivers calculate their position by timing the signals sent by satellites in the system.
RTK is used to enhance the precision of position data derived from GNSS. It involves a fixed base station that knows its exact location; RTK can correct the position data obtained from GNSS, achieving centimeter-level accuracy.