TerraStar-C PRO: limitless precision to transform agriculture

The impact of a 24/7 positioning solution on a major sugar-energy company

What impact would a positioning solution operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week have on the operation of a large sugar-energy company? This is the very question that large farming operations receive the answer to during peaks of ionospheric scintillation, especially at the end of the day, when the effect reaches its peak.

In the dynamic world of agribusiness, where every minute counts and precision is essential, the correct choice of positioning system can mean the difference between success and stagnation. The sector operates nonstop, and reliability in GPS/GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) is crucial to maintaining maximum efficiency and productivity.

Natural events, such as ionospheric scintillation, affect global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and others) signals. While the effects of scintillation can sometimes be seen globally, it is particularly noticeable around the geomagnetic Equator after sunset. When satellite signals pass through areas during peak scintillation activity, they can be delayed or degraded, causing significant satellite positioning errors   and reducing the precision of navigation devices. In precision agriculture, where obtaining an accurate position is crucial to continue operating, these errors can cause delays in operations and even leave machines idle in the field for hours.

One of Brazil's largest sugar and ethanol operations 

Brazil is known for the high quality of its sugar, which is exported to various markets around the world, often ranking as the world's largest sugarcane producer. Ethanol production plays a crucial role in Brazil's energy sector, as sugarcane biofuel is widely used in vehicles in the country. Brazil has one of the most developed biofuel industries globally, with sugarcane ethanol being a key component of the country's renewable energy strategy.

One of the largest sugar and ethanol producers in Brazil and Hexagon’s customer has been suffering from the effects of ionospheric scintillation, with machines being idle in the field for up to five hours a day. Due to the high production needs, their operation is complex, and it is expected that during harvest, the supply of cane to the mill will be uninterrupted, so machine downtime due to scintillation is not an option.

The impact of downtime on operations

In large farming operations, as Hexagon’s customer mentioned, precise positioning reliability and availability are essential. Until 2022, the company used only locally installed RTK correction systems to ensure the availability and high accuracy of their GPS/GNSS corrections. However, with scintillation effects worsening, and downtime growing, they needed a better alternative.

At the time, internal analyses found that machines were idle in the field for up to five hours daily due to the instability of their RTK network during periods of high scintillation, directly affecting operations. Consequently, in early 2023, our customer began using our TerraStar-C PRO Correction Service to keep their operations running during periods of high ionospheric scintillation, reducing their dependency on RTK.

Unwavering reliability, 24/7

TerraStar is a satellite-based GNSS signal correction service from NovAtel, a Hexagon brand, with high reliability and availability. TerraStar delivers real-time correction data with minimal latency directly to NovAtel supported receivers via satellite link or internet connection, providing a robust positioning solution regardless of the operation's location.

It is in adverse conditions, such as periods of ionospheric scintillation, that TerraStar-C PRO excels. Its PPP (Precise Point Positioning) technology, which georeferences coordinates collected in the field through advanced GNSS signal processing, combined with robust and reliable GNSS corrections data processing and data delivery, surpasses more traditional correction sources like RTK. With TerraStar corrections, there is no need for additional infrastructure, like base stations, eliminating single points of failure. This means agribusiness operations continue without unwanted interruptions, ensuring high efficiency—24 hours a day, seven days a week. TerraStar-C PRO has three geographically separated network control centres, ensuring over 99.999% uptime.

While RTK can be susceptible to interruptions due to power outages, battery problems, or hardware failures at its local infrastructure, TerraStar-C PRO is an independent solution.  RTK accuracy is limited within a radius around the station, often up to 25 km around the operational area, with position precision degradation if this distance is increased. By opting for TerraStar-C PRO, farmers and large agribusiness companies eliminate the need to build infrastructure for RTK base stations or deal with continuous radio maintenance in each machine. This is an economical and easily to implement solution, ensuring resources are directed where they truly matter: growth and efficiency in agribusiness.

Continuous field operations

TerraStar-C PRO has proven to be an efficient and immediate-return solution for our sugar customer’s operations. Currently, about 30% of its tractor fleet uses TerraStar-C PRO, and machine downtime has decreased by 80% during scintillation periods compared to the machines still using RTK.

Before TerraStar-C PRO, these machines recorded up to five hours of downtime at the end of the day, a time of strong scintillation. Now, the fleet using TerraStar records a maximum of one hour of downtime at the end of the day. This increase in productive time in operations yields immediate results, as operating machines directly translates to higher productivity, less wear on equipment and better-quality raw materials, generating profits and reducing lost time.

Year-round work precision

Repeatability is a measure of position accuracy over time, considering the reference points in use. All TerraStar Correction Services offer year-over-year repeatability within each service's position accuracy specification, ensuring a position computed today at a point on the ground will be the same one, five, or even ten years from now.

Safety and repeatability are crucial in the sugar-energy industry. TerraStar-C PRO ensures year-over-year position accuracy, guaranteeing planting line marking to avoid waste in agrochemical applications and more efficient harvesting. As a satellite-provided solution, TerraStar-C PRO accounts even for tectonic plate movements, making it truly unlimited and ensuring repeatability over the years.

In agribusiness, success depends on maximising efficiency, productivity and precision. With TerraStar-C PRO, farmers and large agribusiness companies can achieve new levels of performance, leveraging a limitless precision solution. Whether operating under challenging conditions or expanding into new areas, TerraStar-C PRO is ready to lead the way, enabling the sector to reap the rewards of success.