A low Cost GNSS Surveying System for Water Distribution System Modelling

The most time consuming part of modelling a water distribution system is the collection and digitizing of data, especially when pipe network data is not available. This is often the case, for example, in developing countries. This paper describes a surveying system which combines an easily applicable positioning technology and a mobile end device with software for automated data processing and network model graph generation. This results in time savings and a minimization of data handling errors. Only low cost GNSS receivers and open source software were considered to provide a solution at reasonable cost for broad application. The system design and implementation are presented as well as test applications which showed that the positioning accuracy of the tool is better than those of handheld GNSS receivers commonly applied. The achieved accuracy meets the accuracy required for water distribution network modelling.