Better GPS Opens New Opportunities for Industry
October 24, 2018 | RMIT UniversityEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Leading geospatial scientists say Australian industries are yet to fully tap the potential of rapidly improving global positioning system (GPS) technology.
RMIT geospatial scientist Associate Professor Suelynn Choy said the Australian Government’s recent $224 million investment to improve GPS satellite signals across Australia will open a whole range of opportunities for industry.
“Thanks to the Commonwealth-funded satellite navigation and ground infrastructure projects that are now underway, we’ll soon have better GPS position information that is accurate to the centimetre and millimetre level,” Choy said.
“This opens the door for a whole new wave of applications in intelligent transport, utilities, smart cities, emergency services and construction, as well as for mining and agricultural surveying where it’s traditionally been used.”
Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), like GPS in Australia, currently provide positioning with around 5 to 10-metre accuracy due to in part atmospheric interference during the 20,000 km journey from the satellite to the ground.
On behalf of the Australian Government, Geoscience Australia is developing a world-leading positioning capability for Australia, which includes a new Australian Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) to boost GNSS signals across the country.
Choy said the 10th Multi-GNSS Asia Conference being hosted at RMIT from 23-25 October was a timely event to bring together local and international geospatial researchers, governments and industry partners to discuss opportunities for taking advantage of this new capability.
“RMIT has strong expertise in technology designed to deliver improved GPS positioning and navigation solutions to the end user across a variety of industry sectors. Many industry sectors are not yet fully aware of the real potential of improved GPS technology,” she said.
“This conference provides an opportunity to learn about the latest advancements in US GPS, Russian GLONASS, European Union Galileo, Chinese BeiDou, Japanese QZSS and Indian IRNSS/NAVIC satellite navigation technologies, connect with local and international businesses and explore how satellite positioning, timing and navigation information can catapult their commercial enterprise.”
Victoria’s Lead Scientist Dr Amanda Caples, Australian Space Agency Deputy Head Anthony Murfett and Dr John Dawson who leads the Positioning Section at Geoscience Australia will lead a high-profile panel of speakers along with local and international industry representatives.
RMIT’s DVC for Research & Innovation Professor Calum Drummond will open proceedings.
Story: Michael Quin
Testimonial
"Advertising in PCB007 Magazine has been a great way to showcase our bare board testers to the right audience. The I-Connect007 team makes the process smooth and professional. We’re proud to be featured in such a trusted publication."
Klaus Koziol - atgSuggested Items
Update: Technica USA Begins Exclusive U.S. Distributor for DCT Cleaning Products
11/03/2025 | Technica USATechnica USA is pleased to announce they have begun shipping product for DCT USA, LLC today. Technica recently announced a strategic partnership as the exclusive master distributor of DCT cleaning products in the United States, which became effective November 1, 2025.
I-Connect007 Editor’s Choice: Five Must-Reads for the Week
10/31/2025 | Nolan Johnson, I-Connect007Last week, the IMPACT conference took place in Taipei, bringing together advanced packaging experts from around the globe to share their knowledge. We’ll be bringing you post-conference coverage over the next few weeks, so look for that in our newsletters, and in the Advanced Electronic Packaging Digest. Other news seemed to have the U.S. at the center of the global discussions. My picks start in Phoenix, where TSMC, NVIDIA, and Amkor are all scrambling to establish new capabilities. There’s nothing like a strong demand signal to cause build-out, and AI chips are doing exactly that.
Real Time with... SMTAI 2025: Navigating Manufacturing Challenges with Akrometrix
11/03/2025 | Real Time with...SMTAIMarcy LaRont and Paul Handler of Aktrometrix share insights from the SMTAI show in Chicago. They address manufacturing challenges, particularly warpage issues, and discuss Akrometrix's solutions. Paul details three optical technologies for measuring warpage and thermal expansion, emphasizing the need for reliability and defect detection in production. The conversation also touches on new industry standards for board warpage, influenced by OEMs.
I-Connect007 Welcomes New Columnist: Leo Lambert, EPTAC
10/30/2025 | I-Connect007I-Connect007 is excited to announce a column by Leo Lambert, an industry veteran with 40 years of experience, an award winner, and technical director at EPTAC. This column, Learning With Leo, will explore the evolution and related challenges of electronics product assembly, especially as it relates to training.
Better Sustainability Policies for Electronics
10/29/2025 | Diana Radovan, Global Electronics AssociationI joined the Global Electronics Association in August 2025 as the director of sustainability policy. Since then, much has happened in terms of geopolitics and in the development and re-envisioning of sustainability policies in the industry. While the European Commission has released several legislative packages to simplify sustainability requirements (“omnibus”), these developments haven’t yet settled and are not in effect. Given the many recent and ongoing public consultations, with often conflicting input from a broad range of stakeholders, final negotiations remain rather polarized among policymakers.