During GNSS RTK surveying, most users focus only on the final coordinate values of a measured point, such as N/E coordinates, latitude and longitude, and elevation. However, an RTK point contains much more information than coordinates alone.

After saving a point, the Point Details page records important information related to the measurement process, including positioning status, satellite conditions, precision indicators, correction data status, and base station information.

By understanding these parameters, users can better evaluate:

• Whether the point was collected under a reliable RTK status;

• Whether the positioning environment was stable;

• Possible factors affecting measurement quality;

• Whether the result meets project requirements.

This blog uses the RTK point information interface in SingularPad as an example to explain the key indicators and how to interpret them.

1. Basic Point Information

The top section provides the basic information of the measured point.

Solution Status

The Solution field indicates the current positioning status:

• FIX: Integer ambiguity resolved, providing the highest RTK positioning accuracy.

• Float: Ambiguity is not fully resolved; accuracy is lower than FIX.

• DGNSS: Differential positioning without RTK fixed ambiguity resolution.

In general, FIX provides the most reliable results for centimeter-level surveying.

Satellite Usage

The satellite information, such as 37/38, indicates:

• 38 satellites are tracked;

• 37 satellites are used in the positioning calculation.

Not all tracked satellites are necessarily used. Some may be excluded due to signal quality, elevation angle, or other calculation conditions.

A larger number of satellites with stable signals generally helps improve positioning reliability.

Coordinate Information

The coordinate section displays the position information of the measured point.

• BLH

• B: Latitude

• L: Longitude

• H: Ellipsoidal height

• NE and Elev

• Projected coordinates used for surveying projects.

• The displayed values depend on the selected coordinate system.

• Scale Factor

• Represents projection distortion caused by converting the Earth's curved surface into a plane coordinate system.

• For example, a scale factor of 0.999925 means a 1000 m distance on the ground will be represented as approximately 999.925 m in the projected coordinate system.

2. Measurement Quality Indicators

The detailed information section provides additional parameters for evaluating point quality.

Speed and Heading

Speed and heading indicate the movement status of the receiver during measurement.

When both values are 0, it means the receiver remained stationary while collecting the point, which is usually preferred for static point measurement.

PDOP, HDOP, and VDOP

These values describe satellite geometry quality:

• PDOP: Overall positioning geometry quality

• HDOP: Horizontal positioning geometry quality

• VDOP: Vertical positioning geometry quality

A lower value generally indicates better satellite geometry.

In normal surveying conditions, PDOP values between 1 and 3 are generally considered good.

HRMS, VRMS, and AGE

• HRMS: Estimated horizontal precision indicator.

• VRMS: Estimated vertical precision indicator.

• AGE: Indicates the age of received correction data.

A smaller AGE value means the correction data is more up to date. Large correction delays may affect RTK stability.

Average Points and Cut-Off Angle

Average Points indicates how many epochs were used to calculate the final coordinate.

For example:

• Average Points = 5
  → The final coordinate is calculated from 5 measurement samples.

Cut-Off Angle defines the minimum satellite elevation angle used in calculation.

For example:

• Cut-Off Angle = 15°

  → Satellites below 15° elevation are excluded.

A lower cutoff angle allows more satellites to participate, while a higher cutoff angle can reduce the influence of low-elevation satellites.

Time Information

The point record also includes:

• UTC Time

• Local Time

Local time is calculated based on UTC time and the time zone configured in the software.

3. Base Station Information

The final section contains information related to the correction source.

Base ID and Distance

• Base ID: Identification number of the connected base station.

• Dist: Distance between rover and base station.

Base Coordinates and Startup Time

The base station information includes:

• Base station latitude, longitude, and height (BLH)

• Base station startup time

This information helps verify the correction source used during measurement.

Receiver Information

The SN field displays the serial number of the rover receiver.

Conclusion

RTK point information provides much more than just coordinate results. By checking positioning status, satellite conditions, precision indicators, correction data, and base station information, users can better understand measurement quality and identify potential issues during fieldwork.

Understanding these indicators helps surveyors make more reliable decisions and improve the efficiency of RTK data collection.