Testing EGNOS in Topcon Autoguidance Solution

Thursday, March 26, 2020

Auto-guidance is a foundational precision agriculture technology, not only optimizing in-field routes to reduce inputs and increase yield, but enabling other precision techniques to function and thrive.

While correction services are necessary to increase accuracy of satellite-based guidance systems, finding the appropriate level to suit operational demands isn’t always clear. That’s why Topcon tests its solutions in real-world applications to understand, develop and recommend the best fit for the varying needs of farming applications.

 

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Configuring Topcon autoguidance

 

EGNOS is a free correction service used by many European farmers’ primarily in cereal or tuber crops and for several farming applications, including soil preparation, seeding, crop care, and/or harvest. It also allows reducing the number of passes and the overlaps between working lines what implies more sustainable farming, reducing soil compaction, fuel consumption and phytochemicals, while increasing field productivity.

Topcon recently tested EGNOS using Topcon auto-guidance solutions at its facility located in Tres Cantos (Madrid area, Spain). The test yielded powerful results and confirmed EGNOS is the ideal free-to-use correction service in Europe. Technical highlights include:

  • The EGNOS Cross-track Navigation Error remained below 16cm:

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EGNOS Crosstrack Total system error (TSE) graph

  • The Pass-to-Pass (P2P) Navigation System Error results around 10cm:

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EGNOS and GPS P2P Navigation System Error mean values (NSE) graph

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