Reliability of Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) Positioning for Low-Cost Drones’ Navigation across Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Critical Environments

UAVs are nowadays used for several surveying activities, some of which imply flying close to tall walls, in and out of tunnels, under bridges, and so forth. In these applications, RTK GNSS positioning delivers results with very variable quality. It allows for centimetric-level kinematic navigation in real time in ideal conditions, but limitations in sky visibility or strong multipath effects negatively impact the positioning quality. This paper aims at assessing the RTK positioning limitations for lightweight and low-cost drones carrying cheap GNSS modules when used to fly in some meaningful critical operational conditions. Three demanding scenarios have been set up simulating the trajectories of drones in tasks such as infrastructure (i.e., building or bridges) inspection. Different outage durations, flight dynamics, and obstacle sizes have been considered in this work to have a complete overview of the positioning quality. The performed tests have allowed us to define practical recommendations to safely fly drones in potentially critical environments just by considering common software and standard GNSS parameters.