KOPRI Expands Research Possibilities with GSR2700 ISX

Client: Korean Polar Research Institute
Products: GSR2700 ISX, SDR+ Professional data collection software


Client

King Sejong Station, the Antarctic scientific facility of the Korean Polar Research Institute (KOPRI), has dedicated nearly two decades to studying environmental warming in the Antarctic region. As the 33rd Signatory of the Antarctic Treaty and an active member of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, KOPRI is committed to examining global warming and aiding the global scientific community on the quest to prevent further environmental warming in Antarctica and the world.

Challenges

KOPRI researchers faced four distinct challenges while surveying in Antarctica:

  1. Overcoming Antarctic Weather: Even on the mild Barton Peninsula, temperatures dip to -20°C with wind speeds in excess of 120 kilometers per hour. Researchers in these conditions are exposed to dangerous wind chill factors exceeding -40°C, risking freezing exposed skin in just 10 minutes. Meanwhile GNSS receivers experienced a decrease in satellite tracking and compromised battery life.
  2. Increasing Safety: Research projects can send crews to less than ideal survey locations, such as a glacier, thin ice shelf or a small boat in choppy waters. Completing surveys safely and returning with accurate data is a concern of both KOPRI and field researchers.
  3. Combining Data: Because researchers use both total stations and GNSS receivers, data must be combined from both types of equipment without problems. Combining data minimizes the amount of time needed to be at a job site and eliminates the need to return to the job site to perform additional surveys.
  4. Thrive Where Other Manufacturers Failed: Before turning to SOKKIA, KOPRI attempted to complete research surveys using GNSS receivers from other manufacturers. These GNSS receivers failed to produce dependable survey results in the challenging environment or provide adequate customer service.

Solution

SOKKIA recognized KOPRI’s unique situation and worked with researchers to find the best surveying solutions overcame their challenges with SOKKIA’s GSR2700 ISX and SDR+ Professional Edition data collection software:

  • GSR2700 ISX Receiver: With magnesium alloy housing and a rugged IP67 rating, the GSR2700 ISX fulfilled the demands of researchers in need of a rugged GNSS receiver to overcome the dangerous weather. Despite the challenging environment, the receiver continually produced dependable, high-precision data for each project. It gave scientists the ability to complete surveys in locations that were previously impossible to reach. They also found that the GSR2700 ISX maintained maximum satellite coverage using both GNSS and GLONASS satellite tracking, increasing data accuracy and reliability.
  • SDR+ Professional Edition Software: Researchers used SDR+ Professional Edition data collection software to enhance their productivity and to enable them to gather data from both total stations and GNSS receivers in the same job. When used with GNSS receivers, the data collection software gave researchers time to steady the rover pole before the reading was stored. It also guaranteed survey efficiency with its live database platform and real-time blunder detection.

In addition to these SOKKIA products, SOKKIA Support and Service technicians provided researchers with exceptional customer service, overcoming any issues that arose during the progress of the research.

Results

Providing rugged GNSS equipment and superior customer service, SOKKIA assisted in KOPRI research successfully completing their mission to track and monitor the effects of environmental warming in Antarctica. SOKKIA’s GSR2700 ISX also gave researchers the opportunities to complete additional projects, including:

  • Establishing the first fully-operation Antarctic control point and leveling bench mark
  • Creating the first topographical map of the research base
  • Studying the ionosphere, the upper most level of the atmosphere, by calculating and measuring the ionospheric delay of GNSS signals

“Measuring and tracking environmental changes is a difficult survey and not just for any GNSS equipment could meet our expectations,” said Pyo Ki Won, Paichai University graduate student working with researchers. “The GSR2700 ISX exceeds all of our expectations, especially when tracking the melting ice.”

KOPRI now completes even the most extreme and challenging survey with the GSR2700 ISX receiver and SDR+ Professional data collection software while contributing valuable research data to the international scientific community.