POS/MV - system performance with inertial/RTK GPS integration

Describes the Position and Orientation System for Marine Vessels (POS/MV), being used in multibeam and geophysical surveys around the world, and its performance using integrated inertial/DGPS and real-time kinematic (RTK) GPS data. POS/MV is a 3-axis position and orientation measurement system that implements a tightly coupled Kalman filter based integration of an inertial navigator and various forms of GPS. POS/MV's integrated method of measuring position and orientation has advantages over other approaches, particularly when GPS, DGPS or RTK GPS outages occur. The inertial navigator component acts as a "flywheel" through an outage, maintaining data continuity and accuracy. This paper describes the technology behind the POS/MV and presents results which demonstrate the POS/MV's position and orientation accuracy and ability to provide uninterrupted position and orientation data through DGPS, RTK GPS and GPS outages.