OS Net® commercial services

Accurate positioning enabled by Ordnance Survey^®

Ordnance Survey’s GPS correction network is the country’s most comprehensive framework for correcting signals from orbiting satellites. The network is available across Great Britain with more than 90 GPS base stations contributing data. It was designed to help deliver a range of positioning services both in real-time and for post-process applications. The network has already generated efficiencies for Ordnance Survey field staff where it is enabling positioning at the few centimetre level for data-collection operations.

Ordnance Survey is now working with partner organisations to utilise this network data to develop and provide a basket of real-time and post-process GPS correction services, with a choice of accuracy levels becoming available for customers in a wide variety of markets. Potential users for this type of service are anyone who requires reliable, high-accuracy positioning, including surveyors, engineers, construction companies and utilities.

Ordnance Survey will maintain the accuracy and quality of geodetic calculation within the network while our partners will use advanced software tools to create models of the GPS errors. Once these errors are known, corrections can be calculated and then services transmitted to customers or their contractors in the field to improve their positional accuracy.

OS Net will act as an enabler, supporting most GPS applications across the country. This means that GPS users will no longer have to set out their own GPS base station network to use highly accurate centimetre or decimetre-level  GPS services. There are potential cost savings in hardware, set-up, personnel and maintenance.

How it works

OS Net works by receiving raw data from GPS satellites. Data collected by the base stations is sent in realtime via dedicated communication channels to Ordnance Survey. The data is then transmitted within milliseconds to partners. Find out more

Potential applications

There is a vast range of potential applications throughout industry sectors, including:

• building construction
• utilities
• emergency services
• port operations
• machine automation     
• air traffic services    

Further information

OS Net^TM commercial partners

• Leica Geosystems, who offer their SmartNet service
• Trimble^®, who offer their VRS Now™  service 
• TOPCON^®, who offer their TopNETPlus™  service 

Benefits

• Multiple positioning services developed by partners to suit specific market needs.
• Will include real-time and post-process services depending upon requirements.
• ­Services based on Ordnance Survey’s accurately established and maintained GPS network.
• Provides a national positioning framework and interoperability through its use of a common ETRS89 reference framework
• Enables greater operational flexibility with full Real-Time Kinematics (RTK) and Differential GPS (dGPS) Great Britain coverage possible.
• Potential significant reductions in positioning costs.

GPS Network RTK and post-processed positioning course

Newcastle University will be running three day courses on unlocking precise GPS Network RTK and post-processed positioning on the 9th September 2009 and 23rd March 2010.  This intermediate/advanced course is designed to provide theoretical and practical training on GPS continually operating reference stations, such as Ordnance Survey OS Net network, Network RTK and post-processing data using active control stations.  The course will be run by leading GPS academics and Leica professionals.

See http://www.ncl.ac.uk/cegs.cpd/cpd/cors.php  for details.