Case Study: Cape Survey achieves 20 mm accuracy and cuts field time by two-thirds with Trimble CenterPoint RTX and R2

Trimble RTX technology brings accuracy and productivity to a wind farm in South Africa

Cape Survey Ltd., a Cape Town surveying firm, was tasked with establishing control points and verifying as-built locations for the 61-turbine Khobab Wind Farm in the remote Northern Cape, South Africa. The site demanded 10 cm accuracy but had no cellular coverage and the nearest reference station was over 100 km away; conventional RTK workflows were limited by terrain, radio range and frequent base-station moves, slowing progress and increasing cost.

The team deployed a Trimble R2 receiver with a CenterPoint RTX subscription, gaining satellite-delivered real-time positioning without RTK bases or internet. RTX initialized in 15–20 minutes and delivered ~20 mm accuracy, allowing Cape Survey to collect all required points in one day instead of three, cut field time and crew size, eliminate much RTK equipment, and recover the subscription cost on a single job.

Cape Survey

Ian Thomson

Professional Surveyor