Frugal Joe said:"JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:
Frugal Joe said:"JD" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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>
> Ride-A-Lot wrote:
>> This is an out and back trail, so I would think that the tracks should
>> overlap. Can the GPS be that off?
>
>
> Even without Selective Availability anymore, it's really only accurate
> to within three meters if you have a 3-dimensional reading from getting
> at least four satellites in the constellation of 26 (2 spares in case
> one malfunctions beyond tele-repair). If you don't get a 3-dimensional
> reading, it can be off up to 30 meters +.
>
> Now go buy a map and become a true cartographer.
>
> JD
>
More like 5 m if your lucky
I was just relaying the party line on it. I wouldn't count on even 5m
on a typically good mountain bike trail because of the terrain and
trees.
JD
You are exactly right. And as you know, trails if mapped, are not mapped to
that precision.
Road and trail systems with in the DoA and DoI are often mapped to sub
meter (centerline) accuracy, although printed maps are never produced
with this accuracy.
Both the BLM and NPS have been mapping trails with submeter accuracy
for years. Even with SA Trimble units allowed for submeter precision,
and with post processing of the data, submeter accuracy. The standard
unit for the NPS for Fire, R/T and L.E. duty is a Trimble WAAS DGPS
unit. The dataloggers are set up for multipath rejection, and post
processing takes care of signal delay errors, ambiguity problems,
doppler shift ...
Given that R/T generally uses GPS and GIS as management tools and not
as Navigational tools, data collection generally takes place only when
a low DOP values are given, so it is not uncommon to have a sub 1m
2drms even before post processing. Of course, given that the NMAS for a
map at 1:24,000 is + or - 40.00 feet ... the data collected is most
often left in a GIS rather than printing it on to some USGS base map
(and DEM's only make it worse).
R
ATONR/squint 1994-2000.
And you should see what we have been doing with Kinematic Positioning
and Centroids.