RTK Elevation MAPS

Elevation is something we often hear of as a layer that has value. We agree with this statement. Elevation provides a layer that is useful in drainage MAPS and to locate the topographic position of various other layers of data. 

But how good is your elevation data? If it is not RTK it probably isn't a whole lot more useful than owning a snowmobile in Florida. Most farmers are using WAAS receivers on their equipment. It is an easy way to collect elevation data, but it certainly is not a good one.

Examples of Elevation Data

The MAPS shown above are a good example of WAAS versus RTK. These MAPS were taken at the same time. We also had MAPS from other equipment that the farmer provided. The quality of his data was even worse. The main issue is not just accuracy, but there is no repeatability with WAAS. Every map looks different.

If you don't have RTK you don't really have an elevation map.