Base distance
ESA describes conventional single-base RTK service areas on the order of 10–20 kilometres; network approaches address wider-area service.
REAL-TIME DIFFERENTIAL GNSS
RTK
Real-Time Kinematic positioning uses carrier-phase GNSS measurements and corrections from a surveyed reference station to produce a high-precision position at a moving rover.
01 / Overview
A known point
improves a moving point.
RTK is a differential GNSS technique. A base receiver at a well-known position observes many of the same satellite and atmospheric errors as a nearby rover, allowing correction information to be applied at the rover.
Carrier-phase measurements can support centimetre-level positioning, but the receiver must resolve integer ambiguities and maintain suitable satellite tracking.
02 / Architecture
Reference, corrections,
rover position.
A single-base RTK system requires a reference receiver, a real-time communication channel, and a rover receiver. Network RTK uses multiple stations to model corrections across a wider service area.
SPACE / 01GNSS satellitesShared observations
REFERENCE / 02RTK baseKnown coordinates
LINK / 03Correction streamRadio or network delivery
FIELD / 04RoverResolved field position
03 / Operating window
Precision depends
on conditions.
Correction continuity
Real-time operation depends on a working communication path between the correction source and rover.
Ambiguity resolution
The rover needs time and adequate observations to resolve carrier-phase ambiguities.
Signal tracking
Obstruction, multipath, interference, and loss of continuous tracking can reduce performance or force reinitialization.
04 / Boundaries
A correction status
is not a guarantee.
Fixed does not describe every error.A fixed ambiguity solution does not eliminate antenna, multipath, reference-frame, calibration, or machine-control errors.
Repeatability needs a stable reference.Changing bases, frames, coordinates, or correction providers can shift the realized position.
Machine performance is a system result.Receiver accuracy alone does not establish steering, implement, or field-operation accuracy.
05 / Evidence
Primary sources.
This briefing uses ESA's public RTK explanation and NOAA's description of continuously operating reference infrastructure. Exact performance must be verified for the receiver, service, baseline, installation, and environment.