GNSSpalvelut

GNSSpalvelut, or GNSS services, are the provision of satellite-based positioning, navigation and timing information derived from global navigation satellite systems. They rely on a network of satellites, ground control centers and augmentation facilities to deliver continuous, global coverage for users with GNSS receivers. The main constellations in operation include GPS (USA), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo (EU), BeiDou (China), with regional systems such as Japan's QZSS and India's NavIC. In addition to basic positioning signals, augmentation networks improve accuracy and reliability.

GNSS services are delivered in several forms. Open Service (OS) provides free, standard positioning signals to everyone. Safety-of-Life (SoL) services offer higher integrity for safety-critical applications, notably aviation. Commercial services and precise positioning capabilities—such as Precise Point Positioning (PPP) and real-time network RTK—provide higher accuracy, often at centimeter to decimeter level, using corrections from ground stations or satellites.

Applications span surveying, mapping and construction, agriculture, transport and logistics, aviation and maritime, and time synchronization for telecommunications and finance. Consumer devices usually achieve meter-level accuracy; with multi-constellation receivers and augmentation, accuracy improves to sub-meter or centimeter scales in favorable conditions. Limitations include signal obstruction in urban or indoor environments, atmospheric delays, multipath effects, and potential vulnerability to interference, jamming or spoofing. Ongoing GNSS modernization expands signal sets, improves integrity and allows higher-precision positioning for a growing range of users.