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OS Net benefits

Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology is changing the way we understand our position and the way we do things. It's a fantastic technology now enjoyed by almost everyone in Great Britain (in some way or another).

GPS as it currently stands only delivers positional accuracy to around 10 m or more. OS Net® takes raw GPS + GLONASS data and through building complex error models provides GPS corrections to our surveyors that enable them to position at the few centimetre level.

Although OS Net services were established for our own use, we have commercial partners who take the raw GNSS data from OS Net and develop their own basket of real-time and post-process GPS services, with a choice of accuracy levels for customers.

This has changed the way position is used in the high-precision survey market and, ultimately, in many more as OS Net and derived products are established as a core element of the GI backbone for Great Britain.


New methodology 

Using services enabled by OS Net allows people to work in the most modern, cost-efficient way currently available to the surveying community. Use of network RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) is changing the way surveying is done, and this paradigm shift means a whole new culture for the industry with more cost-efficient and quicker surveying.


Requires only one GPS receiver

Traditional use of GNSS for surveying requires two receivers (one as a base station and one as a rover). OS Net-enabled services do not require this, as information for corrections is fed directly to user's GPS device without the need for a base station. This means that expensive GNSS units can be used at double the efficiency (as only one is needed per operator), which saves time and money.


Can work anywhere

An OS Net-enabled service is a national service covering most of Great Britain. This means that as long as you have a GNSS signal and some means of receiving correctional data, you can use the service anywhere in Great Britain. This allows great flexibility in operations.


OS Net network; reliable and accurately established

The GNSS network has been established by us, the national mapping agency of Great Britain. We rightly have a reputation for quality and expertise, and this has been reflected in the establishment of raw GNSS data from this network. This is now available for our partners to develop their own correction services.

We are committed to keeping OS Net up to date and hopes to be able to adopt Galileo technology (and others) as they become available.


Common reference framework

OS Net is accurately and reliably established and uses our common reference framework (ETRS89), so that all data captured through the use of OS Net is to a common standard and easily interoperable with other datasets.

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For general enquiries, complaints, feedback or suggestions, email: customerservices@ordnancesurvey.co.uk or call us on 08456 05 05 05