The Federal Government and Geoscience Australia have just commissioned a new antenna calibration facility that will significantly improve the accuracy of satellite positioning technologies that underpin automated mining.
The state-of-the-art Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) robotic antenna calibration facility, which consists of two outdoor robots, is one of only three of its kind in the world and the only one in the Southern Hemisphere. It will increase satellite positioning precision to less than one millimetre.
Federal Minister for Resources and Energy, Gary Gray said the new facility would also enable Geoscience Australia and other organisations to more accurately measure the deformation of the Earth’s surface, particularly in relation to subsidence caused by activities such as groundwater and coal seam gas extraction.
“Precise monitoring will ensure that even the slightest impact from these extraction processes can be recognised,” Mr Gray said.
“This infrastructure will also underpin innovation and improved productivity across our economy, in areas as diverse as automatic mining operations, transport systems, precision agriculture, weather prediction, land survey activities, engineering and construction. In the longer term, it will also help to provide improved accuracy for hand-held devices and smart phones.”
The $1 million facility will be used to calibrate 200 GNSS antennae acquired as part of the AuScope Australian Geophysical Observing System (AGOS). AuScope is a collaboration that brings together the CSIRO, Geoscience Australia, state government agencies and 11 universities, to transform understanding of the structure and evolution of the Australian continent.
“As well as supporting development of the resources industry, this calibration facility will also help to address the increasing demand for greater positioning accuracy in scientific investigations such as earthquake hazard mapping, monitoring the effects of climate change and tracking environmental variations over time.”
A video of the facility in operation can be viewed on the Geoscience Australia website http://www.ga.gov.au/
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