Development of an Operational RTK GPS-equipped Buoy for Tidal Datum Determination

摘要

GPS in differing modes - stand-alone, DGPS, RTK, has been used onboard buoys to determine water levels for a variety of purposes. The rationale for the presented research is to determine the effectiveness of using RTK GPS to recover tidal datums in support of hydrographic survey operations. Data are analysed from a described experimental RTK buoy devel- oped by the U.S. Naval Oceanographic Office to characterise the effectiveness of an RTK GPS-enabled buoy. Results indicate that for the data analysed, under 10 centimetre GPS height determination is possible. The requirements for an operational tidal buoy system based on Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components are discussed.