Plain English Meaning

DGPS is regular GPS made more accurate by using ground stations that already know exactly where they are. Those stations measure how wrong the satellite signal is at that moment and send a correction to your receiver, so your position shows up much closer to the truth.

Full Definition

An enhancement to standard GPS that improves position accuracy by using a network of fixed ground-based reference stations at precisely known locations. Each reference station compares its known position to the position calculated from GPS satellite signals, then broadcasts the difference (the error correction) to nearby GPS receivers. The receiver applies these corrections in real time, reducing typical GPS positional error from several meters to roughly one meter or better.

Context Anchor

Seen in instrument discussions where GPS accuracy, position correction, and are being explained.