The Measurement Analytics (MANTIS) Laboratory recently joined forces with the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) for a hands-on geospatial research experiment aimed at advancing the understanding of specific GNSS technologies. This collaborative effort brought together researchers and engineers from both teams to conduct a comparative field study of GNSS receiver performance across various grades and correction techniques.
The joint fieldwork took place on the Texas A&M University campus, where teams collected GNSS data over a known benchmark. The objective was to evaluate the feasibility, limitations, and practical applications of different GNSS configurations in the context of geospatial sciences, surveying and mapping, and transportation-related projects. By comparing the different setups, the researchers seek to quantify positional accuracy, reliability under varying environmental conditions, and overall cost-effectiveness.
Key considerations included accuracy and precision (how close each receiver-correction pair could measure relative to the benchmark), operational complexity (time, setup, and training required to deploy each system), and cost benefit (balancing budget constraints with positional accuracy needs). Findings are expected to inform best practices for selecting GNSS technologies based on project requirements, whether for asset inventory, roadway mapping, traffic infrastructure planning, or other geospatial applications where precise positioning is critical.
This collaboration underscores the value of interdisciplinary research and practical testing as MANTIS and TTI continue to bridge engineering and geospatial science to support innovation in transportation systems and beyond.