The federal government has announced that it will invest AU$12 million to boost the future of Australian positioning technologies.
In a joint statement, Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester and Minister for Resources and Northern Australia Matthew Canavan said the funding will be used to test instant, accurate, and reliable positioning technology.
Australia currently relies on international technology for positioning, identified as a concern by the Space Policy Unit in 2011.
Acting chief executive of Geoscience Australia, James Johnson, said the current positioning systems provide a typical accuracy of between five to ten meters. The aim of the newly-funded project is to improve positioning accuracy within Australia to less than five centimeters, Johnson said.
The two-year project, led by Geoscience Australia will include testing of a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) and precise point positioning (PPP) for instant, accurate, and reliable positioning technology that could provide future safety, productivity, efficiency, and environmental benefits across many industries in Australia, including transport, agriculture, construction, and resources.
SBAS utilizes space-based and ground-based infrastructure to improve and augment the accuracy, integrity and availability of basic Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals, such as those currently provided by the USA Global Positioning System (GPS).
Chester said.
The future use of SBbe used in a range of other transport applications including maritime navigation, automated train management systems, and in the future, driverless and connected cars.
Early in 2017, Geoscience Australia, along with the Cooperative Research Center for Spatial Information (CRCSI) will call for organizations from a number of industries, including agriculture, aviation, construction, mining, maritime, rail, road, spatial, and utilities to participate in the test-bed.
Over the two year life of the project, Geoscience Australia will be collaborating with a number of different industries to identify and capitalize on the benefits that improved positioning technology offers in terms of productivity, innovation, and expertise.
