Accelerating industry adoption of the Positioning Australia program by developing new ways of disseminating positioning data to mass markets, and ensuring that Geoscience Australia’s data, products and services are Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR).
The Challenge
Until recently, high-precision positioning technologies have only been available for professional applications using specialised equipment (e.g. surveying, machine guidance and control track farming). Through Positioning Australia, GNSS – paired with corrections delivered via the Internet or satellite communications – will permit national coverage of positioning services with an accuracy of several centimetres or better for all users. This will open a wide range of positioning applications for new industries (e.g. intelligent transport systems, location-based services, precision agriculture) and enable existing industries to improve productivity, efficiency, safety and knowledge. However, to support these new and existing users and maximise the data potential, it is essential that the positioning data, products and services are Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR). This project addressed key underlying research and innovation questions related to the FAIR-ness of the Positioning Australia program, intending to accelerate industry adoption.
Partners
Geoscience Australia is the primary partner for this project, with input from Curtin University and Positioning Insights. Components of Positioning Australia are being conducted in collaboration with Australian State jurisdictions and New Zealand.
The Solution
The key components of Geoscience Australia’s Positioning Australia program relevant to this project included:
- Upgrade and expansion of the national GNSS reference station network
- Establishment of a GNSS data analytics capability (Ginan) to verify and optimise positioning signals for users
This project addressed key underlying research and innovation questions through collaboration with Geoscience Australia. This included investigating alternative standards and formats for delivering positioning (including geodetic) data prototyping the integration of new technologies to determine optimal combinations and examining the feasibility of several innovative technical approaches through demonstrator projects. This was achieved through four research components, delivered through a series of Research Projects (RPs). The scope and focus of these RPs shifted during the project lifecycle, however, the overall topics remained similar to those outlined below:
1. Improving the value of Positioning Australia products by
- Developing and confirming GNSS value chains
- Identifying gaps in current standards
- Developing and distributing customised GNSS metadata profiles for industry
2. Investigating the feasibility of extensions of GeodesyML (a Geography Markup Language application schema defining an XML encoding for geodetic data)
3. Improving the reliability of streaming real-time GNSS data by
- Delivering GNSS data to the mass market using modern IoT protocols
- Investigating the delivery of GNSS data via Terrestrial Wireless Technologies
4. Improving the uptake of Ginan through Industry Engagement and development of user case studies via demonstrator projects
Impact
This project has produced a variety of public-facing outputs, stemming from significant user engagement and outreach activities between 2020 and 2021, including a PNT “State of the Market Report”.
FrontierSI has aided in the development, testing, and demonstration of Ginan, Geoscience Australia’s open-source positioning toolkit, which aims to bring centimetre-level positioning within reach for the benefit of all Australians. To achieve this FrontierSI collaborated with several government agencies to realise the first deployments of the technology, and produced a series of case studies that openly detail the entire process. These case studies are being published to provide innovators with a clear recipe to take open-source tools such as Ginan, integrate them for industrial applications, and assess their performance and suitability. Our work aids in breaking down barriers to entry, and contributes to the continued use of government services as a platform for innovation. This body of work produced novel deployments of “Ginan-in-a-box”, and culminated in the build and delivery of four “Ginan-in-a-box” kits for Geoscience Australia to deploy for future research activities. 3 Case studies were produced and published, along with accompanying video productions in both long and short forms for GA use and publication. For more information, please refer to AIMS, BOM, CSIRO, or reach out to Chris Marshall.
FrontierSI has engaged widely with both local and international GNSS user communities to review whether the geospatial and geodetic standards currently in use today can support FAIR principles, necessary to ensure that GNSS data and metadata are Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable. Through community engagement, we are helping to ensure that Australia’s positioning infrastructure can meet both the current and future demands of the user community. This work has produced several internal and external reports, including a notable publication via MIT, as part of a special edition on Data intelligence (Here), and also articles in Spatial Source.
An in-person handover took place at Geoscience Australia in mid-2024, including a presentation and in-depth technical workshop for the operation and analysis of Ginan-in-a-box. This program also led to a number of conference presentations over the project duration, including several technical and high-level information sessions at Locate and IGNSS, delivered by FrontierSI staff and subcontractors.
Contact
To learn more, contact FrontierSI at contact@frontiersi.com.au or connect directly with Senior Positioning Engineer and Project Manager, Christopher Marshall, at cmarshall@frontiersi.com.au.
