Experimental Study on Accuracy of GPS Positioning

Geophysical measurement relies on the positioning accuracy of GPS (global positioning system). Usually the positioning accuracy is area dependent. This paper uses a commercially available GPS receiver to verify its positioning accuracy with practical measurement in a small area. With a measurement setup in an open ground, the results show that even for the fixed point, the GPS measured positioning error of about 0.234 meter could be observed for a period of time. Of 12 GPS measured distance errors, only one is about 5.7 meters, all others are within the range of 3-5 meters of GPS receiver specification.