The Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping (ISCM) has released information to aid in the uptake of the Geocentric Datum of Australia 2020 (GDA2020). It also aims to provide time for software developers to update and test their software before GDA2020 is officially released later this month.

The Geocentric Datum of Australia 2020 Interim Release Note includes technical data the parameters to transform between Australia’s existing GDA94 datum and the new GDA2020 datum, as well as between reference frame ITRF2014 and GDA2020.

The GDA2020 Interim Release Note precedes the GDA2020 Technical Manual.

In releasing the report, ICSM has also revealed the shift of the national datum from GDA94 to GDA2020 will now occur in late March. This means the update to the Recognized-value standard of measurement of position (RVS), and hence the national datum from GDA94 to GDA2020 remains to be completed until the end of the month. This was originally expected to occur in January 2017. Until the update to RVS is realised, GDA94 will remain the current national datum.

The Permanent Committee on Geodesy (PCG) said the GDA2020 Interim Release Note will provide spatial software developers the information needed to test their products for GDA2020 applications. The information can also be used by all surveying and spatial scientists to begin their preparatory work to transition from the Geocentric Datum of Australia 1994 (GDA94) to GDA2020.

When the Recognized–value standard of measurement of position is changed to match GDA2020 in the late March, the gazettal will appear in a more extensive document, the GDA Technical Manual.

The GDA Technical Manual will include recommendations on how to transform between historical Australian geodetic datums such as AGD66 and AGD84 and the new GDA2020. It will also contain information on coordinate transformations and conversions, and the Australian Height Datum and geoid model.