Virtual RINEX: Science or fiction?

Most high-precision Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) users regularly employ and enjoy Network Real Time Kinematic (NRTK) for a wide variety of applications. However, many users often forget that it is also possible to benefit from network-based GNSS corrections for old-fashioned post-processing applications. This is achieved through the use of Virtual RINEX data. Simply put, Virtual RINEX is a method of archiving NRTK data to a file for post-processing instead of broadcasting the data in real time. In this article we present an initial investigation into the quality of Virtual RINEX data using some classical baseline processing techniques. Our two study areas incorporate a small and a large NRTK cell that are often encountered in urban and rural Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) networks, respectively.