Farmers will learn how a planned network of satellite navigation systems will benefit Tasmania’s cropping industry through a series of public meetings starting this week.
The Minister for Primary Industries and Water Bryan Green said the technology would enable farmers to use satellite navigation to control their machinery and manage all farm inputs.
“It will help farmers improve efficiency, productivity and profit,” he said.
The $2m project is an initiative under Tasmania’s Innovation Strategy.
Base stations will be constructed around the state, providing a network of Global Navigation Satellite Systems receivers known as Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS).
The network will improve the accuracy of GPS satellite signals so that farm machinery can be located in real time with an accuracy of around 2cm.
“Farmers will be able to accurately direct farm machinery when planting, spraying, fertilising and harvesting by restricting movement to permanent wheel tracks,” said Green.
“Remote sensing data from satellites, combined with the precise positioning offered by the CORS network, will help farmers make informed decisions about sowing densities, more accurately predict crop yields and determine fertilizer and pesticide needs.”
Construction of the network is expected to start early next year and is scheduled to be fully operational by mid 2013.
Green said the establishment of a CORS network also had the potential to benefit many other sectors of the Tasmanian community, such as civil construction, mining, utilities management, land surveying, construction and emergency response.