KPIs That Matter for RTK: Key Metrics for High‑Performance GNSS

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Summary

RTK performance is proven with measurable KPIs: accuracy, availability, integrity, continuity, time‑to‑fix, fix rate, latency/age of corrections, and satellite geometry. This guide explains what to track, why it matters, and how teams use these metrics to select providers, validate service quality, and operate with confidence.

Key takeaways

• Accuracy (e.g., RMS/R95) and availability show whether your solution meets spec across the day—not just at a single point in time.
• Integrity and continuity protect safety‑critical work by detecting bad data and avoiding unexpected dropouts.
• Time‑to‑fix < 30 s and a high integer fix rate (>95%) keep missions efficient.
• Latency & correction age (target ~1 s) and PDOP/satellite count indicate solution robustness in dynamic environments.
• Use dashboards and logs to monitor KPIs continuously; verify against ground truth or control points.

Introduction to GNSS and RTK Services

GNSS provides global positioning using multiple satellite constellations. RTK adds real‑time corrections from a base or network to achieve centimeter‑level accuracy. For surveying, drones, precision agriculture, robotics, and autonomy, the KPIs that matter keep projects on schedule and results repeatable.

RTK Performance Metrics

Track these metrics in the field and over time:

• Accuracy — horizontal/vertical error (RMS, CEP, R95). Validate with control points or independent ground truth.
• Availability — % of time the solution meets accuracy spec in the work window.
• Integrity — ability to detect and exclude bad measurements; define alert limits and protection levels for your use case.
• Continuity — resistance to dropouts across a task (e.g., uninterrupted operation over N minutes).
• Time‑to‑Fix — median time from start/restart to RTK Fix; lower is better.
• Fix Rate — share of epochs with integer ambiguity resolution (Fix vs Float/Single).
• Latency & Age of Corrections — end‑to‑end stream latency and rover‑reported correction age; aim for ~1 s.
• Geometry & Signal — PDOP/HDOP, satellites in view/used, SNR, cycle‑slip counts, multipath indicators.

Core KPIs for GNSS Services

Provider/network‑level indicators to watch:

• Reference network health — station uptime, spacing, monitoring, and quality alarms.
• Stream uptime — mountpoint availability, reconnect success, authentication errors.
• Message coverage — required RTCM types present and timely (observations, MSM, antenna/geo, bias/orbit models).
• Latency distribution — p50/p95 latency for your region and access method (cellular, Wi‑Fi, radio).
• Regional performance — KPI heatmaps by route/site and time‑of‑day.

GNSS KPIs

On‑receiver metrics that affect RTK outcomes:

• Constellation/band mix — GPS/Galileo/GLONASS/BeiDou across L1/L2/L5; more diversity improves resilience.
• PDOP/HDOP & SNR — track trends alongside environment changes (trees, buildings, bridges).
• Cycle slips & multipath — indicators for antenna placement or RF interference issues.
• Correction age & Fix/Float transitions — correlate with network coverage and motion events.

Core KPIs for RTK Services

RTKdata is engineered around these KPIs with robust network architecture and low‑latency correction streams. Customers use live dashboards and exports to verify performance and share reports with stakeholders.