RTK for Surveying:
Achieve 1-2 cm Accuracy
- 1-2 cm horizontal, 2-3 cm vertical
- Emlid, Trimble, Leica & any NTRIP survey rover
- One-person operation, no base station needed
- RTK FIX in 5-20 seconds
What Is RTK for Surveying?
RTK surveying uses correction data from a network of permanent reference stations to reduce GNSS error from several meters to 1-2 cm in real time. A rover connects over NTRIP via a mobile data link, so no local base station is set up on site
Surveyors also call it GNSS RTK survey, survey RTK, or simply RTK positioning. RTK has become the standard for boundary, topographic, and construction surveys because it removes base station setup time and the cost of a dedicated base receiver.
NTRIP Service for Survey Rovers
RTKdata streams RTK corrections over NTRIP to the rover you already own. No proprietary format, no vendor lock-in, no base station on site.
Which NTRIP Setup Do You Have Today?
What RTKdata changes for you depends on how you get corrections today.
You own a rover and a base, and you rebuild the setup on every site.
Jump to your pathA CORS network or a manufacturer service that stops at a border.
Jump to your pathTotal station, or static GNSS with post-processing the next day.
Jump to your pathHow to Set Up RTK Surveying in 3 Steps
01
Choose an RTK Plan
02
Enter NTRIP Credentials
03
Verify Your RTK Fix
RTK for Surveying Without a Base Station
Join 10,000+ customers worldwide. Get your NTRIP credentials in under 2 minutes.
RTK Surveying Use Cases
RTK Boundary & Cadastral Surveys
Locate property corners and close boundaries with centimeter confidence. RTK survey solutions eliminate the base station bottleneck, letting crews complete up to 50 parcels per day.
Topographic RTK Surveys
Collect 500+ points in 3 hours for terrain models and contour maps. An RTK GPS survey captures the terrain faster than any total station workflow with no post-processing delays.
RTK for Construction Layout and As-Built
Stake out building corners, utilities, and grade control points with centimeter accuracy. RTK GNSS surveying delivers 40-60% time savings compared to total station layout on large sites.
RTK for GIS Data Collection
Collect asset locations at 1-2 cm horizontal accuracy for GIS databases with QField, QGIS, or SW Maps. The same workflow supports long-term deformation monitoring against permanent NTRIP reference stations.
How to Get RTK Corrections for Your Survey Rover
RTKdata provides the correction stream, not the rover. What changes for you therefore depends on the equipment you already own and on what you pay for corrections today. Three starting points cover almost every survey crew.
Path 1
Replacing Your Base Station with an NTRIP Subscription
If you own a rover and set up your own base. Standard practice for most survey crews.
Replacing Your Base Station with an NTRIP Subscription
If you own a rover and set up your own base. Standard practice for most survey crews.
What this looks like. You set the base over a known point or on an arbitrary point with an autonomous position, wait, run the rover, and repeat the setup on every site. Accuracy is not the problem. The problems are the time before the first shot, a base station that has to stand unattended for the whole day, a radio link that fails at range or behind terrain, and the fact that a base on an arbitrary point produces a locally consistent job that does not tie into anything else without a transformation.
What changes. The rover connects to the nearest permanent reference station over the mobile network instead of your own base. No base to set, no radio link to lose, no second instrument to carry or insure, and no second crew member tied to guarding it. The rover is in the ground within minutes of arriving on site.
RTK Survey Cost: Base Station vs NTRIP Subscription
An NTRIP subscription is $40 per month, $400 per year, or $1,920 once for five years, which locks your rate for the full five years. Your own base station is the opposite kind of cost: a second survey-grade receiver, a tripod and a radio link bought up front, plus maintenance, calibration and insurance for as long as you keep it.
Base station versus NTRIP subscription, side by side
| Own base station | NTRIP subscription | |
|---|---|---|
| Up front | A second receiver, tripod and radio, bought and insured. | None. The rover you already own is the only instrument. |
| Setup per site | Base set and oriented before the first shot | Credentials entered once, then nothing per site |
| Ongoing | Maintenance, calibration, insurance | $40/month, or a five-year rate lock at $1,920 once ($32/month equivalent) |
| Reference frame | Local, unless the point is known | Tied to the station network |
| Range limit | Radio link | Distance to nearest station |
| Fails when | Base is moved, stolen or loses power | No mobile data on site |
What you keep. Your rover, your field software, your workflow. The only change is where the corrections come from. Start with the RTK correction coverage map for your working area.
30 days free. No credit card, no automatic charges. $40 per month, or lock the rate for five years at $1,920 once, which works out to $32 per month.
Path 2
Switching from a CORS or Manufacturer NTRIP Service
If you already pay for corrections. Coverage stops at a network boundary.
Switching from a CORS or Manufacturer NTRIP Service
If you already pay for corrections. Coverage stops at a network boundary.
What this looks like. You subscribe to a national or regional correction network, or to a manufacturer service tied to the brand of your rover. It covers your usual working area. Outside it, coverage stops at a border or a network boundary, and a job in a neighboring country means a second contract with a separate registration process.
What changes. Your rover and your field software stay exactly as they are. You replace the caster address, mountpoint, username and password in the same NTRIP profile you already use. RTKdata streams from more than 20,000 reference stations across 140+ countries. Coverage differs by country, so check RTK correction coverage for your project area before you commit to work there.
How to compare without canceling anything. Add RTKdata as a second NTRIP profile in your controller. The 30-day trial requires no credit card and does not renew by itself, so you can switch between profiles on a real site, compare time to first fix and how the solution holds under canopy or near structures, and decide on your own measurements. Every step is in the NTRIP setup guides for survey receivers.
How multiple crews work. RTKdata bills per concurrent correction stream. One stream carries one rover at a time, and that stream moves between as many receivers as you own. Two crews in the field at the same time need two streams. Both run on the same account with the same credentials, so nothing changes in the field except the number of streams on the subscription. Fleet rates for larger teams are available on request.
30 days free. No credit card, no automatic charges. Cancel anytime, the paid period runs to its end.
Path 3
Moving to RTK from a Total Station or Static GNSS
If you do not use RTK yet. Results after post-processing, or not until the next day.
Moving to RTK from a Total Station or Static GNSS
If you do not use RTK yet. Results after post-processing, or not until the next day.
What this looks like. You set up and orient a total station on every station point, or you log static GNSS observations and post-process them against a reference station file the next day. Both reach survey accuracy. What they cost you is different: the total station needs line of sight to every point and a backsight or resection on each setup, and static GNSS leaves the site before you know whether the baseline resolved.
What changes when you move to RTK. Coordinates are final at the moment of measurement, stakeout runs from the same rover without a second instrument on a setup point, and there is no post-processing step between the site visit and the deliverable.
What you save is time, and the money follows the hours. A static GNSS session holds the rover on a single point for anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours before the data is processed at all, depending on baseline length and the accuracy required. An RTK observation resolves in seconds and the coordinate is final on the spot. A total station spends its time on setups rather than on measurements: every station point needs an instrument setup and an orientation, and every measured point needs a clear line of sight, so obstructed or spread-out sites cost setups instead of shots. Fewer field hours per job is the first saving. The second is the return trip you do not make, because RTK tells you in the field whether the point resolved, while a failed static occupation is only discovered during post-processing.
Where the equipment money actually goes. Moving to RTK means buying a rover, so the saving is not in the purchase. What an NTRIP subscription removes is the second instrument: RTK normally needs a base station set up on site, and a correction service replaces that receiver, tripod and radio for $40 per month. That is the part of RTK where the hardware cost disappears.
RTK vs Total Station and Static GNSS Surveying
A total station measures angles and distances from a fixed instrument and needs an unobstructed line of sight to every point. An RTK rover measures each point independently from satellite signals and a correction stream, so no line of sight between points is required. A total station stays more reliable under dense canopy and indoors, where satellite reception fails.
Total station, static GNSS and RTK compared
| Total station | Static GNSS | RTK | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Line of sight to the point | Required | Not required | Not required |
| Result available | In the field | After post-processing | In the field |
| Reference frame | Local, unless the setup is on known points | Tied to the reference file | Tied to the station network |
| Second visit when an observation fails | No | Yes | No |
RTK requires a dual-frequency GNSS rover that can accept an external correction stream over NTRIP. A correction subscription does not turn a single-frequency handheld or a mapping-grade receiver into a survey instrument. The table directly below lists common survey receivers with NTRIP support.
Compatible GNSS Survey Receivers and Field Software
GNSS Survey Receivers with NTRIP Support
| Receiver | Brand | Use Case | Setup Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emlid Reach RS3 | Emlid | Survey, stakeout, GIS | Setup Guide → |
| Trimble R12i | Trimble | Boundary, topo, construction | Setup Guide → |
| Leica GS18 | Leica | Cadastral, topo, monitoring | Setup Guide → |
| Septentrio mosaic-X5 | Septentrio | OEM, high-precision integration | Setup Guide → |
| ArduSimple simpleRTK2B | ArduSimple | Custom builds, robotics, research | Setup Guide → |
View all 15+ compatible receivers and setup guides →
NTRIP Field Software for Surveying
| Software | Platform | Setup Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Emlid Flow | iOS / Android | Setup Guide → |
| Carlson SurvPC / SurvCE | Windows Mobile / CE | Setup Guide → |
| MicroSurvey FieldGenius | Windows / Android | Setup Guide → |
See all compatible field software →
Try RTK Corrections on Your Own Rover
RTK Surveying Customer Reviews
Thomas Cargill, Lone Star Geospatial LLC
RTK Surveying FAQ
What is RTK surveying and how does it work?
Is RTK GPS accurate enough for professional surveying?
How much does RTK surveying cost?
An RTKdata subscription costs $40 per month, $400 per year (equal to $33.33 per month), or $1,920 once for five years (equal to $32 per month), with a 30-day free trial and no credit card required. Compared with buying a base station at $10,000–$25,000, an NTRIP subscription removes the hardware cost entirely.
What GNSS receivers work with RTKdata?
Do I need a base station for RTK survey work?
What coordinate system do RTKdata corrections use?
What happens in areas with poor cell coverage?
Can two survey crews use one RTKdata account at the same time?
Yes. RTKdata bills per concurrent correction stream, so two crews working at the same time need two streams on the account. The credentials stay the same for both, and each stream moves freely between the receivers you own. Add streams as the team grows. Fleet rates for larger teams are available on request.