Geospatial solutions provider Position Partners is focussed on research and development in 2018, and will be concentrating on the Satellite Based Augmentation System (SBAS) for Construction project and the Satellite Management Assisting Rail Transport (SMART) Rail project.
Position Partners has partnered with the CRCSI and UNSW for the SBAS for Construction project. This project will test and validate two new satellite positioning technologies over L5 correction signals in real-world applications within the construction and utilities industries – specifically for precision guidance, tracking, remotely piloted aircraft and safety systems.
These new satellite positioning technologies are:
- Dual Frequency, Multi-Constellation Satellite Based Augmentation System (DFMC SBAS), and;
- Precise Point Positioning (PPP).
The SBAS for Construction project will also test SBAS over L1 correction signals. While this is not a new satellite positioning technology, it is new for the Australasian region.
Results of this project will help to verify the economic benefits of SBAS and inform future government policy. The demonstrated benefits will inform Australian and New Zealand industry and government on the potential to enhance both nation’s critical infrastructure with space based technology.
This project could have a significant impact on safety and productivity by reducing downtime caused by accidents and inefficient use of plant equipment.
Position Partners has partnered with the CRCSI, TasRail and the Institute of Rail Technology at Monash University for the SMART Rail project. This project aims to uncover potential improvements for rail transport and train systems using SBAS.
The SMART Rail project will be testing two satellite positioning technologies:
- DFMC SBAS, and;
- L1 SBAS.
The SMART Rail project will demonstrate potential improvements of SBAS in ‘virtual tunnels’ caused by steep embankments that obstruct standard GPS signals.
Anticipated benefits resulting from this project include:
- Reduction of ‘ghosting’ and ‘false alarms’ generated from standard GPS positioning;
- Improvement of efficiency of train control and management systems;
- Productivity benefits in track health systems providing predictive track maintenance and more targeted maintenance scheduling, and;
- Improved safety for various aspects of rail operations and maintenance, including rail and road vehicle interactions at level crossings and lone maintenance workers.
“Position Partners is Australia’s largest company focussed entirely on high accuracy positioning services and as such, we are in a unique position to get involved in these industry changing projects,” said Martin Nix CEO, Position Partners and Co-chair of the Attorney General’s Space Community of Interest.
“The results from the SBAS for Construction and SMART Rail projects will show the potential for significant improvements in safety, efficiency and productivity in their respective industries.
“The improvement of safety, efficiency and productivity are critical aims of all project managers and Position Partners is proud to be working on projects to help achieve benefits for Australia and New Zealand.”
Geoscience Australia is collaborating with Land Information New Zealand (LINZ) on a project to improve the positioning capability of both countries. The New Zealand Government has contributed an additional $2 million to the initial $12 million in funding from the Australian Government.
The 30 testbed demonstrator projects are being trialled across Australasia in 10 industry sectors. The Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRCSI) is managing the projects and is overseeing the evaluation of the effectiveness of an SBAS for the region, and building expertise within government and industry on its transformative benefits.
To find out more about Position Partners and what they’re working on, visit https://www.positionpartners.com.au/news/.
