Reach RS+ and RS2
Set up GCPs for
drone mapping
Placing GCPs with Reach RS+, Lone Drone Services, Canada, Ontario
What GCP is and how it works
Placing Ground Control Points
Reach provides accurate coordinates for GCP
You get repeatable mapping data
Our customer KiteMap from Colombia flew over a site multiple times at different altitudes with DJI Phantom 4 Pro. They processed orthophoto and DEM and extracted contour lines.
Contour lines
processed
without GCPs
Processing software relies only on the drone's GPS data recorded in its photos' EXIF. Therefore, the accuracy of the final orthophoto is only meter-level, so contour lines don't match.
Contour lines
processed
with GCPs
Drone images are georeferenced with GCPs. The final orthophotos are accurate so the contour lines are almost identical and have the same shape.
Drone Pilots using Reach
Drone Pilots using Reach
Development of an avalanche monitoring system
Aeria team used Reach RS2 units to place ground control points. This data helped the team to develop an avalanche monitoring system in the north of Pemberton, British Columbia.
Mapping the extent of invasive seagrass
Researchers from North Carolina State University placed GCPs with Reach RS+ for mapping the extent of invasive seagrass. The project was aimed at developing innovative options for habitat restoration and resistance to harmful invasive seagrass.
3D modeling of an irrigation system
With the help of Reach RS2, the СampoDigital team placed ground control points for the drone flight in Osorno, a famous center of agriculture and cattle farming in Chile. Then, based on the collected data, they made a 3D model of the area for the irrigation project.
Drone mapping of gully erosion
The Mangoesmapping team used Reach RS+ to place GCPs for a drone mapping of gully erosion. The project was to evaluate the effectiveness of erosion minimization methods and reduce the negative impact on water quality on the Great Barrier Reef.
Land surveying
With Reach RS+ surveyors from the Krops aerial services company placed GCPs for the land surveying project at Ranco lake in southern Chile. The project was to divide the 20 ha field into small pieces of land and build several cottages.
Estimation of crop density
Research scientists from Australia developed a method to estimate crop plant density using UAV imagery. They utilized Reach RS+ to place ground control points with sub-centimeter accuracy. The resulting map summarized the number of safflower seedlings. The model can be used to estimate the plant density of different crop types.
Evaluating repeatable data precision
The researcher from Dronographica experimented with evaluating the relative repeatable precision of the Reach RS+. He measured GCPs with Reach RS+ and got sub-cm precise data for photogrammetry.
How Reach receivers work
Reach is an RTK receiver. RTK is a technique used to improve the accuracy of a GPS receiver. Traditional GPS receivers could only determine the position with 2–4 meters accuracy. RTK can give you 1–2 centimeter accuracy.
You don’t necessarily need a second unit for RTK all the time. Usually, there are local services that share base corrections over the Internet. This technology is called NTRIP.
How to get started
1.
Explore the site and place ground control points
Determine all features of the landscape and analyze the amount of GCPs — in most cases, from five to ten points are required.
2.
Connect your rover to a local base or NTRIP provider
Using the ReachView 3 app, create a survey project and choose your local coordinate system.
3.
Collect the coordinates of each GCP with the rover
The Reach receiver allows you to get centimeter-precise data.
4.
Fly a drone
Fly an area to collect aerial images with any drone such as Phantom, Mavic, etc.
5.
Export GCP from Reach in CSV format
Once data is collected, you can export your project in CSV, DXF, GeoJSON, DroneDeploy CSV, or ESRI Shapefiles format.
6.
Import photos and GCP list to mapping software
Upload CSV file with GCPs to your mapping software for accurate georeferencing. Create your project with DroneDeploy, Pix4d, Agisoft, or other mapping software.
Surveying
with ReachView 3
Collect points
Create a survey project and collect data in your local coordinate system.
Coordinate systems based on
WGS84, NAD83, GDA2020, and others
Export GCP list to CSV
Record each position as a point with centimeter precise coordinates. You can export your survey project in CSV which is recognized by most mapping software.
Engineered to be tough
Reach receivers are designed to work in challenging conditions, even dusty areas, under the burning sun, and in frosty areas
-20…
+65ºС
Working temperature. Isn’t afraid of either heat or cold.
IP67
Can be held 1 meter deep underwater for half an hour.
Up to
22 hours
Industrial LiFePO4 battery that doesn’t die of cold. Can charge over USB from a powerbank.
Choosing the set of RTK receivers
Depending on the working area
User reviews
Mapping Iceland Glaciers
We used two Emlid Reach RS, one as a base and the other as a rover, and were surprised by the good performance and long battery life in very windy, wet, and cold conditions.
Intertidal Oyster Reef Mapping with Reach RS
The Emlid receiver has proved to be an efficient means of surveying out in the field. A hotspot was used to connect the receiver via Wifi and GPS data was easily collected with a smartphone through the Emlid surveying application page.
Volume Measurement with DJI Phantom 4 and Reach RS+
Reach RS+ allowed us to quickly collect GCPs before drone mapping with Phantom 4 and helped to carry out precise volume measurements of the feldspar stock. The results obtained with a drone are identical to one obtained with a total station.
Reach
in the Emlid Store
The ReachView app and all features of Reach RS2 and Reach RS+ are included
Specifications
Mechanical
- Dimensions 126x126x142 mm
- Weight 950 g
- Operating tº -20…+65 ºC
- Ingress protection IP67 (water and dust)
Electrical
-
Autonomy
16 hrs as 3.5G RTK rover,
22 hrs logging - Battery LiFePO4 6400 mAh, 6.4 V
- External power input 6–40 V
- Charging USB Type-C 5 V, 2 A
- Certification FCC, CE
Positioning
-
Static
H: 4 mm + 0.5 ppm
V: 8 mm + 1 ppm -
PPK
H: 5 mm + 0.5 ppm
V: 10 mm + 1 ppm -
RTK
H: 7 mm + 1 ppm
V: 14 mm + 1 ppm - Convergence time ~5 s typically
Connectivity
- LoRa radio
- Frequency range 868/915 MHz
- Power 0.1 W
- Distance Up to 8 km
- 3.5G modem
- Regions Global
-
Bands
Quad-band, 850/1900,
900/1800 MHz - SIM card Nano-SIM
- Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
- Bluetooth 4.0/2.1 EDR
- Ports RS-232, USB Type-C
Data
- Corrections NTRIP, VRS, RTCM3
- Position output NMEA, LLH/XYZ
-
Data logging
RINEX with events
with update rate up to 10 Hz -
Internal storage
16 GB
160+ days of logging at 1 Hz
GNSS
-
Signal tracked
GPS/QZSS L1C/A, L2C
GLONASS L1OF, L2OF
BeiDou B1I, B2I
Galileo E1-B/C, E5b
- Number of channels 184
- Update rates 10 Hz GNSS
- IMU 9DOF
Mechanical
- Dimensions 145x145x85 mm
- Weight 690 g
- Operating tº -20…+65 ºC
- Ingress protection IP67 (water and dust)
Electrical
- Autonomy Up to 30 hrs
- Battery LiFePO4 3.2 V
- External power input 6–40 V
- Charging MicroUSB 5 V
- Certification FCC, CE
Positioning
- Static horizontal 5 mm + 1 ppm
- Static vertical 10 mm + 2 ppm
- Kinematic horizontal 7 mm + 1 ppm
- Kinematic vertical 14 mm + 2 ppm
Connectivity
- LoRa radio
- Frequency range 868/915 MHz
- Distance Up to 8 km
- Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n
- Bluetooth 4.0/2.1 EDR
- Ports RS-232, MicroUSB
Data
- Corrections NTRIP, RTCM3
- Position output NMEA, LLH/XYZ
-
Data logging
RINEX with events
with update rate up to 14 Hz - Internal storage 8 GB
GNSS
-
Signal tracked
GPS/QZSS L1, GLONASS G1,
BeiDou B1, Galileo E1, SBAS - Number of channels 72
- Update rates 14 Hz / 5 Hz
- IMU 9DOF
Have a question?
Ask our team
Email us at info@emlid.com or fill in a contact form. We normally reply within one working day. However, in most cases, you will hear from us in a few hours.