How to compare correction services
How to compare RTK correction services beyond accuracy: continuity when a source fails, visibility, proof of position, and a published service level with a remedy.
Accuracy is the entry requirement: any survey-grade correction service should deliver centimetre positions in good conditions. The differences between services show on a bad day, when a correction source fails, a result is questioned, or a crew is waiting on a fix. Compare any service, including RTK Premium, on the four questions below.
Continuity
Does the fix hold when one correction source fails? A service that runs on a single source stops when that source stops. Ask how many correction sources serve your area, and what happens to your connection when one drops.
Visibility
When a fix drops, can you tell whether the problem is your equipment or the network? Ask whether you can see the status of each session yourself, rather than waiting for support to tell you.
Proof
Can you show where a device was, and with what correction, after the fact? Ask whether the service keeps a session record you can show a client or an auditor.
Accountability
Has anyone committed in writing to the service level? Ask whether the availability commitment is published, how it is measured, what the remedy is when it is missed, and how quickly support responds.
Checklist for any provider
Is the availability commitment published, and what is the remedy when it is missed?
How many correction sources serve your area, and what happens when one fails?
Does accuracy hold across the coverage area, or depend on distance to the nearest base station?
Can you see the status of each session yourself?
Can you produce a session record for any device after the fact?
What is the support response time, and in which hours?
Accuracy is the one question you can measure yourself. Testing a correction service shows how to compare services side by side against a surveyed point on RTKTEST.com, the open benchmark Premium Positioning runs.
How RTK Premium answers
Continuity
Each Eligible Area is served by redundant correction sources. Under the service level, a minute counts as unavailable only when no source can deliver a valid stream.
Accuracy
Network RTK: 1 to 2 cm horizontal and sub-3 cm vertical in a fixed solution, with the correction built for your position from the surrounding stations rather than from one base.
Visibility
The XYZ Platform shows the live status of each session, so you can see whether a device is connected and receiving corrections without waiting for support.
Proof
The XYZ Platform keeps a session record for each device, which you can show a client or an auditor.
Accountability
99.9% monthly availability in Eligible Areas, a refund of the monthly fee on a published scale when a month falls short, and a 2-hour support response in business hours. See Service level agreement.
FAQ
Is a low-cost NTRIP feed good enough for survey-grade work? It can be on a good day. The questions are what a dropped fix or a disputed result costs you, and whether anyone has committed in writing to the service level. Check the published service level and its remedy before comparing prices.
What is the most important thing to check? Whether the service level is committed in writing, with a remedy when it is missed.
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