The PPK (Post-Processing Kinematic) workflow

The PPK workflow is relatively straightforward. You must have a base station and a rover, and both units must record raw GNSS data throughout the entire workflow. This raw data contains all the observations without any calculations.

Once the job is done, the base and rover logs are downloaded to a computer for further processing to cm-level accuracy.

You don’t always need to have your own base station. In many cases, there are local service providers that have their own base recording registries. You can simply use your raw data for the same period of time as your work.

PPK wokflow characteristics:

• Using PPK for drone mapping reduces the number of ground control points you need. This saves you a lot of preparation time in the field and allows you to work on much larger and more difficult areas. In the case of our PPK survey system with the X5 Multi-band GNSS Receiver and using the LED Light Delay Adjustment App for the DJI Phantom 4 Pro and Mavic series drones, the necessary accuracy can be achieved without using ground control points.
• It provides a more reliable and simpler workflow, because you don’t need to think about the constantly stable connection between the rover and the base, as in the case of RTK surveys. This makes it ideal for flights over larger areas.
• PPK also allows for longer baselines.
• Processing can be run multiple times with different settings.
• The correction occurs after the flight, unlike in RTK surveys.
• On the other hand, additional time is needed to process the position data after the flights have been made.
• On the downside, it is possible to make mistakes during the workflow, which can lead to georeferenced change or poor accuracy in the overall project output. So you have to pay special attention during the post process.