Portable global positioning system receivers: Static validity and environmental conditions

Abstract

Background: GPS receivers are becoming increasingly common as an objective measure of spatiotemporal movement in free-living populations; however, research into the effects of the surrounding physical environment on the accuracy of off-the-shelf GPS receivers is limited. Purpose: The goal of the current study was to (1) determine the static validity of seven portable GPS receiver models under diverse environmental conditions and (2) compare the battery life and signal acquisition times among the models. Methods: Seven GPS models (three units of each) were placed on six geodetic sites subject to a variety of environmental conditions (e.g., open sky, high-rise buildings) on three separate occa..