Tupaia brings cm-level GNSS accuracy to mass-market devices via cloud.
Precise Positioning for Mass-Market GNSS Receivers Powered by the Cloud
High-end GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers and RTK (Real-Time Kinematic) services are critical technologies in fields that require precise positioning. However, they come with a hefty price tag due to their sophisticated hardware and the need for specialized services. These high-end GNSS receivers are engineered with advanced antennas and receivers that can track multiple satellite constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, etc.) simultaneously, ensuring centimeter-level accuracy. In addition to the cost of the hardware itself, RTK services often require subscription-based models or access to correction data from dedicated base stations, which further increases operational costs. For industries that depend on precision, such as heavy-machinery and geospatial mapping, these costs can be significant but necessary to achieve the high accuracy required for tasks like land surveying and autonomous heavy-machinery.
The use of high-precision GNSS technology initially found its primary application in land surveying. Surveyors have long relied on GNSS receivers to determine the exact coordinates of land boundaries, infrastructure, and geological features. The addition of RTK services, which provide real-time corrections from a nearby reference-station, revolutionized this field by offering real-time centimeter-level accuracy, thus drastically reducing the time needed for field data collection compared to traditional methods. Over time, these technologies have been adopted by other industries, such as agriculture for precision farming and construction for machine control, where the need for accurate location data is equally critical. As more sectors recognize the importance of precise positioning, the demand for accurate and reliable positioning solutions increases.
However, the high cost of these systems presents a significant barrier for widespread adoption, especially for mass-market adoption and for industries with significant sensitivity to BOM (Build of Materials) cost or with limited operational budgets. Providing the same level of accuracy at a lower cost is a significant challenge. Cheaper alternatives, such as consumer-grade GNSS receivers, offer lower accuracy and may not meet requirements. The inherent difficulty in achieving low-cost solutions stems from the need for expensive satellite correction data, the precision required in the hardware, and the technological complexity of providing centimeter-level accuracy in real-time. As a result, finding cost-effective solutions that maintain a high level of precision remains a hurdle for many organizations.
But not anymore!
A New Paradigm in GNSS Precise Positioning
At Tupaia, the pioneer in Precise Positioning as a Service (PPaaS), we have successfully overcome the complexity of GNSS precise positioning by developing and deploying a unique cutting-edge precise-positioning engine in the cloud. This paradigm shift allows us to offer a cost-effective solution without compromising on accuracy. By leveraging cloud inherent features and capabilities, our service supports various types of GNSS receivers including low-cost GNSS receivers, providing accurate, real-time positioning that even outperforms more expensive systems. This innovative approach opens up numerous opportunities across various domains, from smartphones and IoT, through logistics and tracking, to automotive, agriculture and construction, enabling mass-market adoption of precision GNSS technology. Our approach ensures that even industries with limited budgets can access high-quality positioning services, fostering new possibilities for automation, efficiency and safety in sectors that were previously restricted by the high cost of traditional GNSS solutions.
Enabling real-time centimeter-level accuracy in low-cost GNSS receivers is a challenging task due to significant hardware limitations and performance issues. Low-cost receivers typically rely on less sophisticated components, such as lower-quality antennas, which are not designed to handle the precision required for high-accuracy applications. These receivers are often limited with regards to the tracking capabilities, leading to reduced signal reliability and accuracy. Additionally, these GNSS modules are usually equipped with lower quality clock sources, which also impacts performance and reliability.
Tupaia's Precise Positioning Engine in the Cloud
Tupaia has developed a unique precise positioning engine that harnesses the power of cloud computing, combining advanced signal processing techniques with big-data analytics to deliver high-accuracy GNSS positioning. Tupaia's positioning technology relies on the foundations of relative positioning, utilizing raw measurements of GNSS receivers (which are commonly available today), that are sent to the cloud from both the infrastructure side (the reference stations network) and from the end-devices. However, and in order to reach centimeter accuracies, our solution encompasses many additional algorithmic layers:
- Mix-and-Match data streams selection mechanism- When a user device connects to Tupaia's cloud service and starts transmitting raw measurement information packets, the service needs to select the most appropriate data stream from the reference network. As the user-device is based on a GNSS receiver which has limited capabilities compared to high-end equipment, signal availability will be limited. Hence, there is a fundamental requirement to utilize as many signals as possible. This is even more tricky as Tupaia's philosophy is that the infrastructure network also does not rely on high-end GNSS receivers that have no limitations on signal reception and availability. As a side note, during our work we discovered cases where not all signals were available even when the network is based on high-end receivers, for example due to firmware/software issues or use of heterogeneous network. Tupaia developed a unique matching mechanism that selects the most effective stream (or streams) from the reference network and matches it to the stream received from the user device. This mechanism differs from the common approach, which is solely based on distance, as the distance is not the main metric considered by the selection mechanism. As a result of this mechanism Tupaia's positioning engine can achieve high signal utilization.
- Signal processing- Due to the inherent performance limitation of low-cost GNSS systems, either due to the antenna or the clock source or the receiver itself, analyzing and processing the signals prior to their usage in the positioning engine is mandatory. This processing stage considers the availability and reliability of the various types of signal information (phase, code, SNR, doppler, etc.), as well as signal utilization factor which is critical to eventually reach precise positioning calculation. Each signal's metric is processed, analyzed, and quantified towards the positioning calculation step.
- Big data- One of the cloud's main merits is the ability to handle and process massive amounts of data. Tupaia has developed a proprietary GNSS data warehouse, which is in charge of analyzing historical data from the data streams and from the meta-data produced by the positioning engine, as well as classifying relevant information for future positioning computations. This data is later infused into the positioning calculations, enabling more robust and precise solutions – especially in complex environments.
- Precise positioning engine It all boils down to how well you can utilize available data (measurements) for positioning calculations. Tupaia's precise positioning engine in the cloud receives the available data in a per epoch manner from the device, from at least one reference station, and the information from the data warehouse (big data). In addition to the positioning calculation, the positioning engine also eliminates all flaws and anomalies within the received signals/measurements, such as clock drifts, clock corrections, and tracking irregularities. Eventually the positioning engine fuses the data streams and derived side information to calculate a precise and robust position.
Our innovative approach with multi-layer algorithmic positioning engine provides centimeter-level precision without the need for expensive hardware, making it accessible to a broader range of industries. The cloud-based infrastructure allows for continuous updates and corrections, enhancing the reliability and consistency of the positioning data. Through this approach, Tupaia bridges the gap between cost-effective GNSS hardware and high-performance, precise positioning, unlocking new opportunities across sectors that were previously limited by the constraints of traditional GNSS systems.
Interested in Learning More? If you’d like to learn more about our precise positioning solutions or see how we can help your business, feel free to contact us. Let’s work together to bring precision to your next project!
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