Precise positioning data is significantly enhancing location accuracy across Australia through several advanced technologies and infrastructure initiatives:

• Centimetre-Level Accuracy Nationwide: The Positioning Australia program delivers sub-meter to centimetre-level positioning accuracy across the Australian continent and offshore areas. This is achieved despite the continent’s rapid tectonic movement, by maintaining a precise geospatial reference system that enables true position determination and integration of datasets over time12.
• Multi-Constellation GNSS Access: Australia benefits from high visibility to multiple global and regional navigation satellite systems, including GPS (USA), GLONASS (Russia), Galileo (EU), BeiDou (China), QZSS (Japan), and IRNSS (India). Devices can access multiple satellite constellations simultaneously, improving reliability and precision of location data even in challenging environments14.
• Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) – SouthPAN: The Southern Positioning Augmentation Network (SouthPAN) is a key infrastructure providing corrections to GNSS signals, improving positioning accuracy to 3-5 centimetres in mobile coverage areas and down to 10 centimetres across all of Australia, including remote and maritime zones. SouthPAN uses a network of ground reference stations to monitor and correct satellite signals, delivering reliable and consistent positioning data236.
• Economic and Safety Benefits: Precise positioning supports a wide range of industries such as construction, agriculture, mining, transport, and maritime. For example, construction benefits from more accurate site surveying and machine guidance, reducing costs and improving efficiency. In transport, it enables cooperative intelligent transport systems and supports autonomous vehicle navigation. In maritime and aviation, it enhances navigation safety, reducing accidents and environmental risks678.
• National Positioning Infrastructure Capability (NPIC): This infrastructure underpins the delivery of continuous, reliable, and precise positioning information to all Australians. It supports real-time positioning with accuracies down to a few centimetres, enabling innovative applications and boosting the national economy by billions of dollars78.
• Government Investment: The Australian Government has committed $225 million to upgrade the Australian Geospatial Reference System to provide 10 cm (or better) positioning accuracy anywhere, anytime, ensuring data is findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR)5.

In summary, precise positioning data in Australia is enhanced through multi-constellation GNSS access, advanced augmentation systems like SouthPAN, and robust national infrastructure, delivering centimetre-level accuracy that drives economic growth, improves safety, and enables innovative location-based applications across the country