Who operates it
- SmartNet in Canada is operated by Leica Geosystems, providing commercial GNSS correction services.
- TopNETlive is run by Topcon and offers subscription-based RTK services across North America, including Canada.
- Prairie Precision Network (PPN) is a regional Canadian service designed for agricultural and surveying applications, primarily in the prairie provinces.
Availability & access
- All three are subscription-based networks.
- Users subscribe monthly or annually and receive access to real-time NTRIP correction streams.
Coverage & scale
- SmartNet and TopNETlive provide nationwide coverage across Canada, supported by a dense network of reference stations.
- Prairie Precision Network focuses on Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, tailored to farming and engineering needs in the Canadian prairies.
- Together, these networks ensure comprehensive RTK access across urban centers and rural regions.
Typical use cases
- Cadastral and land surveying with centimeter precision.
- Infrastructure and civil engineering projects across Canada.
- Precision agriculture, especially in the prairie provinces, for planting, spraying, and harvesting.
- GIS applications and municipal mapping.
How it’s used in practice
- Surveyors, farmers, and contractors connect GNSS rovers or machine control systems to NTRIP casters.
- Corrections are applied in real time for RTK workflows or stored for later quality checks.
Notes
- Commercial CORS services complement free government initiatives, offering professional-grade accuracy and technical support.
- The Prairie Precision Network strengthens coverage in Canada’s agricultural heartland, where precision farming is a major driver of adoption.
Coverage map
