Topnet Live GNSS network expands to meet digitalization demands

Topnet Live coverage map for 2021. (Image: Topcon)

Topcon Positioning Group has expanded its Topnet Live GNSS network of correction solutions with more types of correction services and subscription options. According to Topcon, the growth is a result of the increasing demand for digitalization in various industries including construction, surveying, machine control and agriculture.

Flexible service options include Realpoint, the real-time kinematic (RTK) service, and Starpoint, a Precise Point Positioning (PPP) service. The different services have varying delivery methods, coverage and reliable centimeter-level accuracy.

Under a flexible subscription model, customers can purchase to suit their needs. An RTK service supported by precise point positioning (PPP), Skybridge, is available to maintain connectivity and productivity if the customer temporarily leaves RTK coverage.

Topnet Live uses all four GNSS constellations — GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou — to provide continuous accuracy and always-on service coverage. The service provides advantages for these industries:

• Survey, Construction and Machine Control. Topnet Live removes the need for individual base stations, dramatically increasing flexibility, productivity and safety, and can drive large-scale projects with constant, reliable accuracy.
• Precision Agriculture. The solution delivers fast, consistent, accurate positioning at any time day or night for soil preparation, seeding, spreading, spraying and harvesting.
• OEMs, System Integrators, Product Designers. The solution provides scalable precise positioning and supports the implementation of flexible business models tailored to fit both OEMs’ and their customers’ needs.

“The Topnet Live RTK network, first established over a decade ago, continues to grow, with 5,100 reference stations globally, a 14% increase in the last year,” said Ian Stilgoe, Topcon vice president. “We are growing throughout the world in areas where there is an increasing demand for productivity and accuracy through digitalization, with strong growth particularly in North America and Europe. We are focused on continued expansion to maximize support for our customers, so they always have the best options globally.”

Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) supplying automotive, industrial internet of things (IoT), autonomous robotics and all sectors that require positioning, navigation and guidance also benefit from the enhanced robustness of the network, Topcon said. OEMs can sell their hardware with correction services onboard and preconfigured for immediate use by customers, regardless of geographic location, with flexible subscription and licensing options to suit exact needs.