LINZ is offering a no-cost way for businesses and organisations to field trial SouthPAN-capable equipment.
New Zealand organisations that rely on GPS positioning can test whether improved satellite positioning could enhance their field operations before investing in new equipment or changing workflows.
Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) is encouraging organisations to take part in its free SouthPAN trial opportunity. Participants can borrow SouthPAN-capable GPS equipment for an initial four-week period and test the service in their own working environments.
The trial is aimed at organisations that use location data in day-to-day operations, such as field data capture, asset management, mapping, inspections, compliance, site observations, geospatial workflows and other location-based activities.
Improving positioning accuracy
SouthPAN is a free, satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) being delivered by the New Zealand and Australian governments. LINZ is the agency leading the development, deployment and operation of SouthPAN for New Zealand.
The system improves the accuracy and reliability of GPS positioning across both countries from 5 to 10 metres down to less than a metre.
For some users, SouthPAN may provide a useful option where basic GPS accuracy is not enough, but where high precision methods, such as RTK, are not required or practical.
The SouthPAN trial opportunity has been running since March 2025 and remains open to new participants, subject to equipment availability and a discussion with the SouthPAN team about the proposed use case.
Testing SouthPAN where it matters
For many organisations, the value of improved positioning is difficult to assess from equipment’s technical information alone. Performance can vary depending on the equipment used, how it is configured, the operating environment, signal conditions, antenna setup and the task being undertaken.
Michael Appleyard, Head of Location Information and SouthPAN Programme Director at LINZ, said the trial provides a practical way for organisations to assess the service.
“The best way for many organisations to understand the value of SouthPAN is to test it in the environments where they actually work,” he said.
“This opportunity gives organisations a practical way to explore where improved real-time positioning could enhance their operations, and what they may need to consider before adopting it.
“This is not about testing SouthPAN in perfect conditions. It is about helping organisations understand how it performs in the places and workflows where they actually need reliable location data.”
Participant experience in real workflows
Around 20 organisations have taken part since March last year, including organisations from central and local government, agriculture, utilities, surveying, engineering, geotechnical services, and drone and UAV operations.
Participants have explored SouthPAN in workflows such as asset management, mapping, insurance assessments, geotechnical assessments, construction observations, drone operations, geospatial workflows and survey-related data capture.
Environmental and engineering consultancy Tonkin + Taylor trialled SouthPAN across field based geotechnical and environment workflows, including insurance damage assessments and construction observations.
The trial tested whether SouthPAN could support simpler, more reliable point capture in operational settings where mobile connectivity, manual methods or survey resource availability can be limiting.
Miles Buob, Geotechnical Engineer at Tonkin + Taylor, said the SouthPAN trial provided a simple way to assess performance in real conditions.
“For field teams, the value is in understanding how this improved positioning performs in real conditions,” he said.
“The LINZ trial gave us a useful way to test SouthPAN alongside the tools and processes we already use.”
Buob said the value was not just improved accuracy, but how easily that improvement could be applied across field workflows.
“It’s about making better positioning more usable at scale across the business, rather than relying on more complex or specialised methods,” he said.
How the SouthPAN trial works
Early participant experience shows the trial is not only about testing positioning accuracy.
Organisations feedback indicates organisations are also looking at assessing whether improved positioning can reduce manual recording, improve data consistency, support digital processes, reduce rework, and enable non-specialist staff to capture better location information.
Participants receive access to SouthPAN-capable GPS equipment for an initial four-week trial, along with a simple user guide and support from the SouthPAN team.
Available equipment includes handheld and survey grade devices that support SouthPAN’s L1 SBAS service for real-time positioning improvement.
Participants can also discuss with LINZ whether their existing hardware may be able to use SouthPAN and what is required to enable it.
Before the equipment is sent, LINZ discusses the participant’s motivation, intended use cases and suitability. This conversation also covers practical considerations such as setup, configuration, operating environment, signal availability, and how the organisation plans to assess performance.
The SouthPAN team is also available to answer questions or provide support if issues arise during the trial.
Works with existing field apps
SouthPAN is not tied to a specific data capture application.
Where compatible GPS equipment is used and configured correctly, it can be used with a range of field data capture apps and workflows.
For many organisations, this means SouthPAN can be tested alongside tools they already use, such as ArcGIS Field Maps, Survey123, SW Maps or QField.
App integration depends on the device, receiver, operating system and app configuration, which can be discussed with LINZ before the trial.
LINZ points out that SouthPAN is intended to improve positioning services across New Zealand and Australia, but it is not a replacement for every positioning method.
Organisations interested in taking part can contact the LINZ SouthPAN team at southpan@linz.govt.nz.
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