Integrated GNSS

The main difference is that an integrated unit runs positioning engines and data management inside the same box. A standard survey receiver usually outputs raw measurements that need external software to turn into coordinates. Our integrated units compute RTK or static solutions onboard and output displacement directly to your monitoring software, which cuts down on data transmission load and speeds up alerting.

In heavily obstructed sky conditions, any GNSS struggles because satellite signals get blocked or reflected. But multi-constellation support helps—more satellites mean a better chance of retaining a fix. In practice, we often set up a local base station within a few kilometers, which removes most atmospheric and orbital errors. With careful antenna placement and mask angle settings, we’ve gotten useful daily results in moderately constrained gullies. For dense canopy, it’s still a challenge, and we often complement GNSS with geotechnical sensors.

There’s no hard limit in our firmware; it depends on your communication bandwidth and the update rate you need. For slow-moving geotechnical deformation, one base can easily serve 10 to 20 rovers uploading data every few minutes over radio or cellular. We’ve deployed networks of 30+ units in large open-pit mines with no issues, as long as the base antenna has a clear view of the sky and the communication infrastructure is solid.

Once installed and configured, the hardware is largely hands-off. We recommend checking the antenna for debris or bird droppings every few months, and verifying cabling after severe storms. The units have internal health monitoring—voltage, temperature, data throughput—that can flag anomalies remotely. Firmware updates can be pushed over the air if you have a 4G connection. In temperate climates, we’ve had stations running for two years without physical intervention.

It’s not always about replacement; often they complement each other. GNSS gives you absolute displacement in a global reference frame, which is great for catching large-scale movement across a site. Inclinometers or crack meters provide relative deformation at specific points. For a slope, you might install a few GNSS rovers on the surface to detect overall creep, and use in-place inclinometers to see where the failure plane is forming. Many of our clients combine both for a complete picture.