Indeed. But this is an addressable problem. The new GPS satellites (GPS III) have just started launching (on a SpaceX rocket in December 2018), and they should

Indeed. But this is an addressable problem. The new GPS satellites (GPS III) have just started launching (on a SpaceX rocket in December 2018), and they should triple the accuracy: https://www.geospatialworld.net/blogs/what-is-gps-iii-and-how-will-it-stand-apart/ https://www.geospatialworld.net/blogs/what-is-gps-iii-and-ho... But even before that's complete: High precision GPS (i.e. with compensation for atmospheric effects) can get better than 10cm accuracy by tracking the carrier wave: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real-time_kinematic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real-time_kinematic Single-digit-centimeter-accuracy is possible near GPS signal compensating base stations (~20km). This level of precision is regularly used by surveyors. There are several options for improving geolocation beyond inside-out (i.e. vision or lidar) tracking.