Tag: Thought Leadership

The incredible but imperfect mechanics of measuring pseudorange — and how we get closer to perfection Once a technology has been around long enough, you start to take it for granted. It simply becomes a part of everyday life — as inconspicuous as the air we breathe. In many ways, that’s already happened with GPS […]

Ground-penetrating radar is an electromagnetic technique that provides high-resolution 2D and 3D subsurface images. In this guide, we dive into how it works and why RTK corrections can significantly improve the accuracy of GPR. What is Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR)? Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is a geophysical method that emits radar pulses into the ground to measure the reflected […]

There’s at least one underground utility strike in the United States every minute, resulting in significant damage to well-being and properties, financial loss, and service disruptions. Underground utility locators minimize the occurrence of these strikes by identifying and mapping pipes and cables buried in the ground. This guide will help you understand underground utility locators, […]

The World Geodetic System (WGS) is a standard that defines Earth-centered, Earth-fixed (ECEF) models, Earth gravitational, and World Magnetic models. In 1983, a new realization of WGS—WGS84—was developed from modifications of the Navy Navigation Satellite System (NNSS). Today, that realization is used worldwide for global positioning and navigation in automotive and mobile devices. This article […]

Geodetic reference datums are central to geospatial positioning applications such as Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), forming the foundation for geospatial mapping and inertial navigation systems. The first of these reference datums, the North American Datum of 1927 (NAD27), was published in the 20th century, but since then, datums have been […]

Learn about the differences between loose and tight coupling in GNSS, and why tight coupling provides greater precision to power more reliable solutions.

Accurate underground pipe location is critical for engineers and construction teams to avoid damaging existing infrastructure, minimize the risk of costly repairs or accidents, and ensure the safety of both the workers and the public during excavation and building projects. Pipes carrying wastewater, gas, and oil are usually buried underground for safety and aesthetic reasons–but […]

From Earth, the sun looks like a steady celestial presence, a small but powerful speck that reliably shares its light day in and day out. But a closer look at our central star reveals something far less steady and settled. This is especially evident during the solar maximum, a period of peak activity in which […]

The North American Datum of 1983, or NAD83, is a crucial system used for mapping and navigation across North America. It was developed to replace the older NAD27 and marked a significant upgrade by integrating modern satellite technology.  This change completely revolutionized fields like construction surveying and geospatial analysis. Before NAD83, professionals relied on traditional […]

The International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) is a reference frame for earth sciences and global positioning derived from the International Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS). The ITRF is approved by the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) to serve as a stable reference to measure Earth's deformation and crustal motion. The IAG also recommends ITRF as the […]