Alternatives to Current GPS-RTK Services

C. Rizos, J. van Cranenbroeck

Abstract:	Many GPS permanent receiver network operators are seeking ways of making their network infrastructure the basis of a profitable business. One approach is to try to recruit a core of users who are prepared to pay for the RTK services. But this is only feasible if the number of users, and the fees charged, are sufficient to generate a reasonable return-on-investment. On the other hand, there are those who advocate that there is no need to recoup investment, that the installed GPS receivers should be seen as public infrastructure such as roads. The topic of this paper is new business models for GPS-RTK services. One concept is a Client-Server based model. What if instead of broadcasting RTK/RTCM corrections and placing the onus of obtaining a final solution on the user and his equipment, the user’s coordinates are determined by the service provider? Currently, providers of GPS corrections have no control over the quality of the results computed by users. This makes it difficult for them to justify charging for their services. With the trend towards lower cost GPS equipment, it is clear that putting the computational effort on the server side will justify more easily the charging the users for a value-added product: the user’s accurate and quality controlled position in the local reference frame. This paper describes the clientserver concept as well as possible business models that may underpin such a service model. These models include some derived from mobile telephony businesses. Furthermore, with the proliferation of independent, competitive RTK services, the concept of a GPS data/service ‘broker’ is worth exploring.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 19th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2006) September 26 - 29, 2006 Fort Worth Convention Center Fort Worth, TX
Pages:	1219 - 1225
Cite this article:	Rizos, C., van Cranenbroeck, J., "Alternatives to Current GPS-RTK Services," Proceedings of the 19th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GNSS 2006), Fort Worth, TX, September 2006, pp. 1219-1225.
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