The GPS and DGPS are the satellite-based navigation systems.

The basic difference between

GPS and DGPS lies on their accuracy, DGPS is more accurate than GPS. DGPS was
intentionally designed to reduce the signal degradation. GPS provides the accuracy about 10
meters, but DGPS can provide accuracy around 1 meter, even beyond that 10 cm.

Global Positioning System (GPS) provides the accurate position of an object to the earth. It
uses timely signals generated by satellites revolving around the earth. GPS includes a
constellation of 24 satellites and extra for backup purpose. Four satellites are used for getting
the precise position, this process is known as trilateration.

GPS technology uses standalone receivers, where the location is directly calculated. This
technique is prone to errors such as uncorrected satellite clock errors, orbital parameter satellite
error, ionospheric and tropospheric delays, multipath errors, geometric errors and datum
selection errors. To reduce these errors new technologies are evolved. GPS can gain nominal
accuracy of 10-15 meters.

Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) is an improvement to GPS. DGPS technology

can achieve accuracy up to 10 cm. It reduces or eliminates the signal degradation, resulting in
improving the accuracy. The goal of differential GPS is not to go directly for the location; rather it
finds the location relative to a fixed reference point. DGPS relies on two receivers rover and
reference receiver, rover is the user, and reference receiver is also known as the stationary
receiver.

A stationary receiver is fixed, and its position is known to the system. The satellite information is
continuously beamed towards the rover and the base station tower. Base station tower uses its
known position to calculate the accurate timing. The stationary receiver sends the information to
the rover receiver to rectify the measurements with the help of stationary receiver’s relative
position.

In GPS, there is a standalone receiver which receives signals from the satellite whereas in
DGPS there are two receivers, reference receiver, and rover (user) where rover receives a
calibrated signal from the reference receiver (fixed base station).

The accuracy of GPS system is around 15 meters. On the other hand, DGPS is more accurate
and can achieve accuracy up to 10 cm.
The Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) is more accurate technology than its
antecedent Global Positioning system (GPS). The accuracy in DGPS is improved by using two
receivers instead of using one, which finds the precise location using relative positions.