Stage 1: (Download Brochure Here) Every landfill manager understands the importance of grade control in maintaining proper storm water control around the working face, facilitating site drainage and preserving functional roadways. Grade control is equally critical when working on outside slopes: Under-filling slopes results in a loss of airspace while over-filling may result in a notice violation for exceeding permit boundaries. Correcting slope filling errors can be costly, requiring the placement of thin waste-lifts of just a few feet of waste or relocating waste overfills. Stage 1 GPS technology helps landfill managers meet their surveying needs, which many sites currently meet through the use of costly third party surveyors. Stage 1 GPS technology allows for one-person surveying, construction staking, cut/fill marking and attribute locating. The equipment used includes a small GPS unit or “rover” (hand-held or attached to a surveying rod for greater accuracy) and a base station.

The rover orients itself using the same satellites used by automotive and hiking GPS units. But to achieve survey-grade accuracy, it needs the base station as an additional point of reference. The base station utilizes real-time kinematic (RTK) calculations to further refine the satellite GPS signal, transmitting survey-grade coordinates back to the rover. In some locations, RTK networks are operated and maintained by the state department of transportation or private entities, eliminating the need for a site-specific base station. Stage 1 GPS technology offers landfill managers a timely and cost-effective way to become self-sufficient for most surveying needs.