PPK Drones & PPK GNSS

Find manufacturers of PPK Drones and PPK GNSS Technology for unmanned vehicles, UAV, UAS, ASV, and UGVs.
Overview PPK Drones & PPK GNSS
By Technology Editor Last updated: October 20th, 2023

PPK GNSS Technology for Drones

PPK (post-processing kinematic) positioning is a method of correcting and improving the precision of positioning data derived from GNSS satellite constellations such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou. It is typically used to provide centimetre-level precision geotagging for images captured by drones for mapping and surveying applications.

As with the related GNSS correction technology RTK (real-time kinematic), a ground base station calculates a more accurate position than a standard GNSS receiver can, by making additional measurements of the carrier wave of the received signal and using statistical and mathematical calculations to eliminate the majority of errors.

PPK Drone by C-Astral
PPK Drone by C-Astral

Unlike RTK, which broadcasts GNSS position corrections to drones and unmanned vehicles in real-time, the corrections are performed after the mission is finished and the corrected images have been uploaded to post-processing software either on a desktop computer or in the cloud.

PPK Software

OxTS PPK Survey GNSS INS

OxTS PPK Survey GNSS INS

PPK software applies the more accurate location information derived from the base station to the geotags captured by the drone’s onboard GNSS receiver, using timestamps to merge the two datasets.

The accurately georeferenced aerial photos can then be used to create deliverables such as digital terrain models (DTMs), digital elevation models (DEMs) and orthophoto mosaics.

Advantages of PPK Survey

The use of PPK positioning offers a number of advantages for drone mapping and surveying. Compared to traditional methods that make use of ground control points (GCPs), PPK requires far less setup time and manpower, as ground control points must be installed manually across the landscape and their position must be accurately measured.

Compared to RTK, PPK provides a more flexible approach as post-processing can be performed at any time after the flight.

PPK also does not require a constant connection to a GNSS base station, thus simplifying telemetry and increasing dependability and potential range of operation. If real-time data links are lost, a drone with autonomous functionality can still complete the survey and flights will not have to be re-run.

Hitec Fixed Wing UAV with PPK Positioning
Hitec Fixed Wing UAV with PPK Positioning

Due to the lack of requirement to be in range of a base station, PPK drone surveys have the potential to be performed BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight), as well as in environments that have plenty of obstacles or otherwise poor connectivity conditions.

Related Articles

Mesh Radios Integrated into New NDAA-Compliant Astro UAS

Freefly Systems will use Doodle Labs’ mini Mesh Rider Radio to equip the new Freefly Astro UAS platform with long range, high-bandwidth and low latency capabilities

Apr 19, 2024
Precise Positioning GNSS Correction Service Expands to South Korea

Partnering with Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation, Hexagon's lane-level accuracy and instant convergence GNSS corrections are now available for testing

Oct 06, 2023
u-blox Introduces PointPerfect Localized Distribution Feature

The localized version of the PointPerfect GNSS augmentation service is designed for applications with restricted data bandwidth and connectivity plans

Sep 26, 2023
C-Astral Develops Fixed-Wing UAS for Long-Range Tactical & Surveying Applications

C-Astral Aerospace, a leading developer of fixed-wing UAS (unmanned aerial systems) for tactical, long-range and high-precision data gathering applications, has...

Jul 04, 2020
Qinertia PPK Software Adds 3rd-Party IMU & GNSS Support

SBG Systems has updated its INS (inertial navigation system) and GNSS PPK post-processing software to support third-party IMUs (inertial measurement...

May 07, 2020
Septentrio PPK Upgraded With Multi-GNSS & BaseFinder Functionality

Septentrio, a developer of GNSS positioning technology for UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) and unmanned systems, has announced the release of...

Nov 25, 2019
New PPK Software Released for DJI Phantom 4 RTK Drones

Klau Geomatics, a developer of PPK hardware and post-processing software, has announced the release of its new PPK software for...

Nov 29, 2018
Tersus GNSS Unveils UAV PPK Solution

Tersus GNSS has announced the introduction of the company’s new solution for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) PPK (Post Processed Kinematic)...

Aug 24, 2018