True north measurement: A comprehensive review of Carouseling and Maytagging methods of gyrocompassing

The orientation referencing of an object with respect to the Earth’s rotation frame has particular importance in various applications, including but not limited to drilling, autonomous vehicles, surveying, marine and robotics. A diverse range of advanced systems are available for True North determination, including Magnetic Compass, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and Inertial Sensor (Gyroscope) based systems. In this paper, we reviewed the performance capabilities, limitations and comparative analysis of various north-finding systems. Our review revealed that gyroscope-based systems have superiority due to their operational viability in both indoor and outdoor environments as well as their autonomy from satellite, weather and terrain dependencies. We thoroughly reviewed the Maytagging and the Carouseling methods of gyroscope-based systems and compared their contrasting characteristics. This review highlights research opportunities for performance enhancement using artificial intelligence, robust data purification techniques and active tilt compensation in gyroscope-based north finders.