Trimble Launches VRS Now Service in Germany

During the Intergeo 2006, Trimble (Germany) has announced they will launch the Trimble VRS service for Germany in December. The commercial subscription service will provide surveyors, civil engineers and geospatial professionals with instant access to Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) corrections without the need for a base station.

Using GNSS reference station data from SAPOS, the SAtellite POSitioning Service of the German State Survey, the Trimble service will deliver centimetre-level RTK positioning customised for each GNSS receivers exact location anywhere in the network. The Trimble VRS Now service will supply fast, easy to use and accurate GNSS positioning for a variety of applications.

Volker Wegener, head of the Central Bureau SAPOS said, "The Trimble VRS Now service is a prime example of SAPOS being an enabler to support commercial GNSS applications across the country. While SAPOS will maintain the accuracy and quality of the reference station network, we are delighted that Trimble will use their extensive expertise and resources to derive added value for new customers through the new Trimble VRS Now service."

SAPOS uses Trimble VRS software to operate the majority of its GPS and GPS plus GLONASS networks, which cover approximately 357,045 square kilometers (136,415 square miles). Users will connect into the system using a wireless connection; the software acknowledges the users field positions and allows them to operate as though there is a reference station—a virtual reference station—right next to their rover.

Utilising Trimble VRS Now, surveyors and civil engineers can tap into centimeter-level RTK or differential GPS (DGPS) corrections anytime, anywhere within the VRS Now computed network.