This paper evaluates the accuracy of mobile GNSS-based applications for cadastral area measurements, compared to professional GNSS RTK determinations using a Trimble R10 receiver with ROMPOS corrections. Three Android applications – GPS Fields Area Measure, Maps Area and Distance Calculator, and Mapulator – were tested on a Motorola Edge 40 Neo smartphone under typical field conditions. The study aimed to assess whether such mobile solutions can provide sufficiently reliable results for practical surveying tasks. Comparison with RTK reference measurements revealed deviations between -0.2% and +2.4%, with the most accurate results obtained using Maps Area and Distance Calculator due to its digitization workflow based on an orthophoto map. The applications relying solely on the internal GNSS chip showed slightly larger fluctuations, reflecting the influence of satellite geometry, signal quality, and device positioning. From a geodetic perspective, mobile applications are suitable for preliminary survey stages, quick estimates, land parcel approximations, and general field orientation. However, they cannot replace classical cadastral or engineering methods because of inherent limitations such as the lack of differential corrections, sensitivity to multipath effects, satellite coverage dependency, and operator-related errors during digitization. Mobile GNSS apps offer practical and accessible solutions for non-specialists, yet their use in technical, professional, or legal contexts requires caution and proper validation. Future research could focus on testing performance in dense urban environments, agricultural parcels with irregular shapes, and exploring possibilities for integrating mobile measurements with professional GIS and cloud-based mapping platforms to enhance data consistency and usability.

cadastral surveying, mobile GNSS applications, positioning accuracy

geodesy engineering

Presentation: poster