With the continuous cementing of our interconnected world, the availability of building materials and efficient labour makes every construction project viable and desirable. As a result, accuracy, speed, and ease of use all continue their upwards climb in terms of importance, especially in the surveying equipment industry. More than ever, construction contractors want to know every facet of their land for effective planning, scheduling and budgeting.
Therefore, choosing the right equipment and the right workers is vital. In the many discussions about how to improve processes, the question “what is better: GLONASS or Galileo” might get brought up. Luckily, today you can learn about the differences, and similarities, of these two satellite constellations and how to choose the right one for your next building project.
GNSS, or Global Navigation Satellite System, is the umbrella term for any satellite network that provides positioning, navigation and timing data to receivers on the ground. Generally, all major world powers control their own system of satellites. We refer to these as satellite constellations, and Europe, Russia, China and the US all have their own global set. There are several reasons to segregate the systems, such as the speed of calculations, sensitive data transmissions and more.
In the West, we generally assume that all satellites fall under the umbrella category of “GPS.” However, the reality is that each satellite constellation has its own name. Therefore, terms like GLONASS and Galileo are referring to individual satellite constellations. In this instance, the former is Russia’s Global NAvigation Satellite System, and the latter is Europe’s Galileo.
GLONASS is operated by Roscosmos, Russia’s federal space agency, while Galileo is run by the European Union through EUSPA and the European Space Agency. Each constellation was built independently so that no single nation’s infrastructure, military, or civilian users would depend on a satellite network controlled by another government. This is also why the orbital design of each system differs: GLONASS satellites sit lower and at a steeper inclination than Galileo’s, which changes how well each system performs at different latitudes.
For surveying, this independence is an advantage rather than a limitation. A receiver that can lock onto GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo satellites simultaneously has access to a far larger pool of satellites in the sky at any given moment, which directly improves positioning reliability, especially in terrain where trees, buildings, or hills block a clear view of the sky.
Now that you can appreciate the differences, you can hopefully appreciate the difficulty in assigning one “better” than the other. If you measure it solely by number of satellites, GLONASS will win by having 26 units compared to Galileo’s 22. However, if you were comparing the quality of the results you would achieve then Galileo would come out ahead with a 1m autonomous solution to GLONASS’s 2.8m.
Instead, it is better to consider all satellite constellations on a relatively equal footing based on jurisdiction. Additionally, they all perform accurate measurements for surveying equipment, navigation devices and military operations for their respective owners. However, there is one way to enhance their capabilities.
Beyond satellite count and raw accuracy, GLONASS and Galileo differ across several factors that matter for day-to-day surveying work. Here’s how the two constellations stack up side by side:
| Factor | GLONASS | Galileo |
| Operator | Roscosmos (Russia) | EUSPA / European Space Agency (EU) |
| Satellites (operational) | ~24, with 26 planned in the full constellation | ~24–27, with 30 planned in the full constellation |
| Coverage | Global | Global |
| Positioning accuracy | Roughly 2.8–7 metres for civilian use | Roughly 1 metre for open service; down to 20cm with high-accuracy service |
| Orbital inclination | 64.8°, giving strong visibility at high latitudes | 56°, giving strong visibility across mid-latitudes and urban areas |
| Civilian access | Free, open signal | Free, open signal, plus a high-accuracy paid tier |
| Signal compatibility | FDMA-based, historically harder to combine with GPS chipsets | CDMA-based, directly compatible with GPS and most modern receivers |
| Strengths | Reliable performance in northern latitudes and mountainous terrain | Higher baseline accuracy and better performance in urban canyons |
| Limitations | Lower civilian accuracy; FDMA signal adds receiver cost and complexity | Younger system with a constellation still being completed |
| Ideal surveying applications | Northern or high-latitude job sites, remote and mountainous surveys | Urban surveys, high-precision boundary and construction layout work |
Rather than choosing one constellation over the other, most modern GNSS receivers are built to track GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo at the same time. This multi-constellation approach solves a practical problem: no single system guarantees enough visible satellites in every environment, at every time of day.
With more constellations in view, a receiver has a larger pool of satellites to draw from, which improves several things at once:
This is why virtually all professional-grade surveying receivers sold today are multi-constellation by default, rather than locked to a single system.
Indeed, the best way to improve accuracy and precision is through combining the data of multiple systems. At this point, devices with combined functionality do exist and can achieve accuracy down to the millimetre.
That millimetre-level accuracy doesn’t come from raw satellite signals alone, it comes from RTK, or Real-Time Kinematic, corrections. RTK works by pairing a rover (the receiver in the field) with a fixed base station, or with a network RTK service that provides correction data over a cellular connection. The base station knows its own exact position, so it can calculate the small errors in the satellite signals and send corrections to the rover in real time.
Satellite geometry plays a role here too. Even with a strong signal, satellites clustered closely together in the sky produce weaker positioning results than satellites spread evenly across the horizon and overhead. Tracking multiple constellations improves this geometry by giving the receiver more satellites to choose from when building its solution.
Redundancy is the other piece of the puzzle. If a signal from one satellite is blocked or degraded, a multi-constellation receiver can substitute a satellite from another system without losing its fix. This is what allows modern equipment to maintain millimetre-level accuracy even on sites with partial sky obstruction.
In conclusion, like many of the best things in life, cooperation and teamwork make any equipment better and more capable.
GLONASS is Russia’s satellite navigation system, operated by Roscosmos, while Galileo is the European Union’s system, operated by EUSPA and ESA. They differ in satellite count, orbital design, and civilian accuracy, but both provide global coverage for positioning and surveying.
Generally, yes. Galileo’s open service typically delivers around 1 metre of accuracy, with its high-accuracy service reaching about 20cm, compared to GLONASS’s typical civilian accuracy of 2.8–7 metres.
Yes. GLONASS remains a standard part of multi-constellation GNSS receivers, and its higher orbital inclination makes it particularly useful for surveying work at high latitudes.
Yes. Most modern professional survey receivers track all three constellations simultaneously, along with other systems like BeiDou, to maximize satellite availability and positioning reliability.
GPS refers specifically to the United States’ satellite constellation. GNSS is the broader term covering all global satellite navigation systems, including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou.
Yes. More available satellites improve satellite geometry, speed up RTK initialization, and add redundancy, all of which contribute to a faster, more reliable, and more accurate fixed solution.
Bench Mark Equipment & Supplies is your team to trust with all your surveying equipment. We have been providing high-quality surveying equipment to land surveyors, engineers, construction, airborne and resource professionals since 2002. This helps establish ourselves as the go-to team in Calgary, Canada, and the USA. Plus, we provide a wide selection of equipment, including global navigation satellite systems, RTK GPS equipment, GNSS receivers, and more. We strive to provide the highest level of customer care and service for everyone. To speak to one of our team today, call us on 403-286-0333 or email us [email protected]
