CORS Applications
CORS stations have a wide variety of uses and applications, beyond
traditional surveying. CORS are currently being used to track
seismic activity in southern California. Other CORS have been
equipped with additional sensors that allow them to record meteorological
as well as positional data.
CORS in Construction
One of the most interesting applications of CORS in the construction
industry is heavy machine control. There are currently several
GPS based machine control products on the market. These systems
use data from a CORS or standard reference receiver in conjunction
with GPS and sensor data collected from the piece of equipment.
An on-board computer compares the data with a digital model of
the desired terrain and instructs the operator on how to position
the equipment's tool. In the future it will be likely that the
computer will actually control the tool while the operator drives
the piece of equipment.
CORS in Agriculture
The field of agriculture is rapidly becoming more technologically
advanced. As commercial farming operations become larger there
is more need to be able to accurately track the operations. GPS
technology can be used to map fields, track chemical applications,
and even navigate in large scale operations where there are few
landmarks in a field stretching to the horizon in all directions.
A CORS located centrally on a large commercial farm can provide
the necessary satellite corrections to take the GPS positions
from the 10 meter range to the sub-meter range. This increased
accuracy in field layout could result in acres of additional crop
production in large operations, or savings resulting from more
precise chemical application.
CORS in the Community
There is an almost limitless number of possible applications
for CORS within a community beyond providing a reference station
for surveying activities. Many communities already use some form
of GPS for tracking municipal vehicles, but not with the precision
available with CORS. The combination of precision GPS mapping
and machine control technology could be applied to a community’s
snow plows. The plows would be able to identify where the curbs
are located, even if they are buried under the snow.
CORS could prove to be very useful for emergency personnel. With
a single GPS receiver with a link to a CORS, crime scene and traffic
accident investigations could be recorded more precisely and thoroughly,
and be conducted more quickly. Search and rescue operations could
be tracked more accurately, preventing gaps or unnecessary overlapping.
Firefighters could use GPS to locate addresses in rural areas,
and the precision provided by the addition of a CORS would allow
them to find hydrants or valves hidden in heavy brush or rubble.
These are just a few examples of the potential applications of
CORS. Once CORS technology is in place within a community, the
uses are almost certain to expand beyond the initial intended
application.
GPS and CORS Applications
For additional information on GPS and CORS applications read
and visit the article and sites below:
- Trimble - Putting GPS to Work
- Geocaching
- GIS Lounge - Uses for GPS
- Reliable GPS is Here by Skip Kincaid
- Structural monitoring with GPS - Global Positioning System;
bridge safety monitoring by Keith Dudd
- New Applications Make Nationwide Differential Global
Positioning System More Pervasive by James Arnold
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