GNSS & RTK · 6 min read
GNSS vs GPS: what is the difference and why it matters for surveying
GNSS vs GPS comes down to scope. GPS is one satellite navigation system, operated by the United States. GNSS (global navigation satellite…
Survey & positioning knowledge base
43 in-depth articles from our engineers on GNSS and RTK, total stations, 3D laser scanning, land surveying and precision agriculture.
43 articles
GNSS & RTK · 6 min read
What is RTK GPS? Real-time kinematic surveying explained
RTK GPS (real-time kinematic) is a satellite positioning technique that delivers centimetre-level accuracy in real time. A base station on a…
GNSS & RTK · 6 min read
How accurate is GPS? GPS accuracy from metres to millimetre-level RTK
GPS accuracy depends on the receiver and correction method. A smartphone or standalone receiver is typically accurate to about 3–5 m under open…
GNSS & RTK · 6 min read
NTRIP and CORS explained: how network RTK corrections work
NTRIP (Networked Transport of RTCM via Internet Protocol) is the standard way to send GNSS correction data over the internet. Reference…
GNSS & RTK · 6 min read
How to set up an RTK base station: step-by-step for base and rover
To set up an RTK base station, place a GNSS receiver on a tripod over a known or new control point with a clear sky view, measure the antenna…
GNSS & RTK · 6 min read
IMU GNSS receiver tilt compensation: how it works and how accurate it is
An IMU GNSS receiver uses an inertial measurement unit, combining accelerometers and gyroscopes, to measure the pole's tilt angle and direction.…
GNSS & RTK · 7 min read
GNSS antenna guide: L1/L2/L5 bands, geodetic vs smart antennas and RTK
A GNSS antenna receives the right-hand circularly polarised signals broadcast by GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou satellites and passes them,…
GNSS & RTK · 6 min read
GNSS module integration: how to add RTK positioning to your product
A GNSS module is a compact receiver, supplied as a chip-based module or OEM board, that engineers build into machines, drones, robots and…
GNSS & RTK · 6 min read
GPS survey equipment: how surveying GPS receivers differ from consumer GPS
GPS survey equipment uses multi-frequency, multi-constellation GNSS receivers, geodetic-quality antennas and real-time corrections (RTK) to…
GNSS & RTK · 6 min read
RTK GPS price guide: what survey-grade GNSS costs and why
RTK GPS price varies widely. As a broad indication, survey-grade RTK receivers from direct-selling manufacturers often start in the low…
GNSS & RTK · 6 min read
Handheld GPS for surveying and GIS: recreational, mapping or survey grade
A handheld GPS for surveying and GIS falls into one of three grades. Recreational units give typical accuracy of a few metres, mapping-grade…
Total stations & levels · 7 min read
What is a total station? How it works, accuracy and price
A total station is an electronic surveying instrument that combines a digital theodolite, an electronic distance meter (EDM) and a computer. It…
Total stations & levels · 6 min read
Reflectorless total station and EDM: range, accuracy and prism use
A reflectorless total station measures distance by bouncing a laser from the surface itself instead of from a prism. Its electronic distance…
Total stations & levels · 6 min read
Robotic total station vs manual total station: is robotic worth it?
A robotic total station is a motorised total station that finds, locks onto and follows a prism automatically, so one person can survey or stake…
Total stations & levels · 6 min read
Theodolite vs total station: differences, uses and which to buy
A theodolite measures horizontal and vertical angles only, while a total station combines an electronic theodolite with a distance meter (EDM)…
Total stations & levels · 6 min read
Auto level vs laser level vs total station for construction levelling
An auto level is an optical instrument whose compensator keeps the line of sight horizontal, so one person reads heights on a staff with…
Total stations & levels · 6 min read
Survey tripods, tribrachs, prisms and poles: an accessories guide
A survey tripod holds the instrument steady over a point, the tribrach levels and centres it, the prism reflects the total station's distance…
Total stations & levels · 6 min read
Survey data collectors and field controllers: what to look for
Survey data collectors are rugged handheld computers or tablets that run field software, control GNSS receivers and total stations, and store…
Total stations & levels · 6 min read
Construction layout and stakeout with GNSS and total stations
Construction layout is the process of transferring design positions and levels from plans onto the ground, so crews build in the right place at…
3D scanning & lidar · 7 min read
What is lidar? How lidar scanners work and where they are used
What is lidar? Lidar (light detection and ranging) is a remote sensing method that fires laser pulses or a modulated laser beam at surfaces and…
3D scanning & lidar · 8 min read
3D laser scanner buying guide: types, accuracy, price and how to choose
A 3D laser scanner measures millions of points on surfaces by timing or triangulating laser light, producing a point cloud for modelling and…
3D scanning & lidar · 6 min read
Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS): how it works, accuracy and field workflow
Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) is the capture of dense 3D point clouds from a laser scanner set up on a tripod at fixed stations. At each…
3D scanning & lidar · 6 min read
SLAM mapping explained: handheld lidar scanners and mobile mapping
SLAM mapping (simultaneous localisation and mapping) lets a moving scanner build a 3D map while working out its own position within that map. A…
3D scanning & lidar · 6 min read
Point clouds explained: data, registration, software and deliverables
A point cloud is a set of 3D points, each with X, Y and Z coordinates and often intensity and colour, that together describe the surfaces of…
3D scanning & lidar · 7 min read
Scan to BIM and as built drawings: a practical workflow for construction
As built drawings record a building or structure exactly as it was constructed, including every change made on site. Today they are often…
3D scanning & lidar · 8 min read
Digital twin technology and reality capture: how laser scanning builds one
Digital twin technology creates a virtual model of a physical asset that stays linked to real data about it. Reality capture, using laser…
3D scanning & lidar · 7 min read
3D scanning for reverse engineering and inspection: light vs laser
Reverse engineering is the process of measuring an existing object and rebuilding its design data, usually a CAD model, without original…
3D scanning & lidar · 6 min read
Stockpile measurement: GNSS, drones and laser scanning compared
Stockpile measurement determines the volume of bulk material, such as aggregate, coal, ore, sand or grain, by surveying the pile's surface and…
3D scanning & lidar · 7 min read
Drone surveying and mapping: RTK, ground control points and lidar drones
Drone surveying uses an unmanned aircraft carrying a camera or lidar sensor to capture overlapping data over a site, which software turns into…
Land surveying & GIS · 8 min read
Types of land surveys: boundary, ALTA, topographic and construction
A land survey measures and documents the position of boundaries, features and elevations on a parcel. The main types are boundary surveys (legal…
Land surveying & GIS · 6 min read
Topographic survey: what it includes, equipment and deliverables
A topographic survey measures the shape and height of the ground and the position of natural and built features on a site, such as buildings,…
Land surveying & GIS · 8 min read
Contour lines and contour intervals: how to read and make topographic maps
Contour lines are lines on a map that join points of equal elevation. The contour interval is the fixed height difference between neighbouring…
Land surveying & GIS · 6 min read
What is geospatial data? GIS mapping and field data collection explained
Geospatial data is any information tied to a location on the Earth, recorded with coordinates such as latitude, longitude and height. It comes…
Land surveying & GIS · 6 min read
Utility mapping and subsurface utility engineering (SUE) with GNSS
Utility mapping is the process of detecting, positioning and recording underground and overhead services such as water, gas, power and telecom…
Land surveying & GIS · 6 min read
Surveying equipment list: instrument names, uses and what a crew needs
Modern surveying equipment falls into four groups: positioning instruments (GNSS RTK receivers), angle and distance instruments (total stations…
Precision agriculture · 6 min read
Tractor auto steering system guide: how autosteer works, install, calibrate
A tractor auto steering system uses an RTK GNSS antenna, an inertial sensor and a controller to calculate the tractor's position and heading,…
Precision agriculture · 6 min read
Tractor GPS guidance: lightbar vs auto-steer and which accuracy you need
Tractor GPS guidance comes in two forms. A lightbar shows the driver how far the tractor is off the planned line, and the driver steers.…
Precision agriculture · 6 min read
Precision agriculture technology: GNSS guidance, auto-steering and data
Precision agriculture is a farm management approach that uses GNSS positioning, sensors and software to treat each part of a field according to…
Buying & sourcing · 6 min read
Survey equipment supplier: how to choose one and buy from China
Choose a survey equipment supplier by checking four things: verifiable specifications and test reports, real after-sales support (firmware,…
Buying guide
How to choose a GNSS RTK receiver in 2026
A buyer's checklist for survey-grade GNSS RTK receivers: base and rover vs network rover, channels and signals, IMU tilt, radio range,…
Buying guide
Base and rover vs network RTK (CORS/NTRIP): which do you need?
Compare a radio base and rover RTK set with network RTK via CORS/NTRIP: cost, range, coverage, accuracy and when to use…
Buying guide
GNSS RTK receiver vs total station: when to use each
When a GNSS RTK receiver is faster and when a total station is more accurate: open sky, urban canyons, indoors, construction layout and…
Buying guide
Tractor auto-steering: costs, savings and payback
How a ±2.5 cm RTK auto-steering system saves seed, fertiliser, fuel and labour, how to estimate payback, and what to check before…
No article matches that search.
Ask our engineers your question instead.
Free tools
Free tool
Auto-steer savings calculator
Estimate overlap savings and payback of tractor auto-steering.
Request a quote
Get a quotation within one business day
Tell us the products, quantity and destination. An engineer replies with a configured price, kit contents and delivery date.
- WhatsApp, fastest reply+86 176 2154 1688
- Sales hoursMon–Sat, 09:00–18:00 China time (UTC+8)
- CompanyShanghai Mars Industrial Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China