Topcon Positioning Systems is offering free 90-day subscriptions to its Topnet Live GNSS correction services network for those working disaster response in California, where a series of atmospheric rivers caused widespread flooding and mudslides throughout the state.
“During major disaster response and recovery, local utilities and municipalities, local FEMA and Army Corps of Engineers, essential emergency services such as utility and construction companies have to go out and find out what's broken, what’s been wiped out, and they need the ability to utilize positioning technology,” says Jason Killpack, director, business development, emerging business, Topcon Positioning Systems. “The challenge for a lot of these companies, services and agencies that come into disaster areas is they don't have any of the local maps to know where the benchmarks are. If they find a benchmark or control point, they don't know what the local coordinate values are. Topnet Live offers all constellation correction services that any commercial GNSS receiver – regardless of brand – can utilize to gain corrected position. It doesn’t have to be a Topcon receiver.”
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Correction services provide precise positioning accuracy for GNSS receivers, which need to compensate for inaccuracies caused by satellite constellations, receiver hardware and atmospheric conditions. These inaccuracies can be calculated by a network of fixed reference stations that constantly receive GNSS data. This correction information is then broadcast to GNSS receivers as a service.
The emergency Topnet Live subscriptions will be active for 90 days at a time and will support any brand of dual-frequency GNSS equipment that can use Topcon’s standard NTRIP correction message (RTCM 3.x). Topcon and its distributors will manage these subscriptions as a service for essential agencies to aid in the assessment of damages and start the rebuilding process.
To activate the service through a participating Topcon distributor in California, contact: topconpositioning.com/insights/emergency-california-topnet-live-subscription-information.
