Abstract
Low-cost GPS (Global Positioning System) speed sensors have been available to quantify vehicle speed on different platforms including agricultural tractors in precision agriculture applications such as yield monitoring, variable rate fertilizer and pesticide applications. One of the advances in low-cost GPS receivers is the higher data update frequencies. However, we found no studies on the accuracy of low-cost GPS speed sensors with different update frequencies, especially under variable speed conditions. Thus, this work investigated the effect of the update frequency on the accuracy of low-cost GPS speed sensors under both constant and varying speed conditions. Three GPS speed sensors with update frequencies of 1 Hz, 5 Hz and 7 Hz (GPS1Hz, GPS5Hz and GPS7Hz) were simultaneously tested under the same conditions. A total of 144 tests were conducted on three different days and at three different times of each day with four speed levels and four repetitions. The percent errors were found to be up to 2.3%, 1.8% and 1.4% at constant speeds; up to −47%, −16% and −12% at the increasing speeds and 24%, 6% and 5% at the decreasing speeds, depending on the acceleration and deceleration levels, for GPS1Hz, GPS5Hz and GPS7Hz, respectively. The differences among the error values of the GPS speed sensors were found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). The GPS speed sensors with higher update frequencies (5 and 7 Hz) provided higher accuracy compared to the one with lower frequency (1 Hz), particularly in the case of higher acceleration conditions. In sum, low-cost GPS speed sensors with higher update frequencies should be used for better accuracy, especially in variable speed conditions.
Highlights
Speed can be defined as how fast an object is moving, while velocity combines the speed and direction in which an entity is moving relative to true north [1]
The GPS speed sensors with higher update frequencies (5 and 7 Hz) provided higher accuracy compared to the one with lower frequency (1 Hz), in the case of higher acceleration conditions
Low-cost GPS speed sensors with higher update frequencies should be used for better accuracy, especially in variable speed conditions
Summary
Speed can be defined as how fast an object is moving, while velocity combines the speed and direction in which an entity is moving relative to true north [1]. Ground speed data is essential to calculate, monitor and map crop yield in yield monitoring systems [3,4,5]. It is required to adjust the rate of agricultural inputs including seeds, fertilizers and pesticides in variable rate applications [1,6,7]. It is utilized in tractor auto steering systems [1], wheel slip and traction (draft) efficiency evaluation and the consumption of fuel and energy of tractors and self-propelled farm machinery [8,9,10]. Additional use of the speed data is in the calculation of field work
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