Quantification of the Accuracy of Low Priced GPS Receivers for Crash Location

Abstract

Global positioning system (GPS) has been identified as a potential tool for capturing crash location data. This study quantifies factors that could affect the accuracy of GPS receivers. The results showed that GPS receiver orientation, site obstructions, and weather have significant effects on the accuracy of GPS receivers. Time of day and number of satellites were not found to significantly affect the accuracy of GPS receivers. HDOP values of 1.2 or less were found to be adequate for crash location purposes. An accuracy improvement of 20.7% was realized by filtering GPS data based on HDOP values.