The Brumby Labor Government has completed a $7 million investment in the Vicmap Position-GPSnet™ network, providing access to the latest satellite positioning technology to assist farmers and major construction projects across Victoria.
Farmers, engineers, surveyors and others who need to establish positions accurately can now do so to an accuracy of plus or minus 2 centimetres rather than the 20 metre resolution of some stand alone GPS units.
Agriculture Minister Joe Helper said the reference stations across Victoria has been completed five months ahead of schedule, providing access to the latest Global Navigation Satellite Systems for our farmers and construction firms.
“The network gives vital Victorian industries access to high accuracy positioning through Vicmap Position-GPSnetTM, providing economic and environmental benefits and savings, particularly for precision farming in Victoria’s cropping districts,” Mr Helper said.
“Using the high accuracy positioning services provided by Vicmap Position-GPSnet™ could result in savings to the Victorian agricultural sector of more than $400 million over the next 20 years and could increase crop productivity and sustainability dramatically.”
“The civil engineering and construction sectors stand to benefit from lower costs and time savings as a result of the greater accuracy provided by precise positioning.
“Stand-alone positioning systems can have inaccuracies of up to 20 metres but the networked service provided by Vicmap Position-GPSnet’s™ of more than 100 Reference Stations allows farmers and engineers to guide precision farming and earth moving equipment to an accuracy of ±2 centimetres.”
Mr Helper said that for farmers this improved the accuracy of the dispersal of seed, fertiliser, herbicide and other chemicals, as well as saving time and reducing fuel costs. It has the potential to cut input costs by up to 50 per cent.
“Through Vicmap Position-GPSnet™, we’re also supporting sustainable farming practices. The wider availability of the technology will help farmers to reduce soil erosion and carbon emissions,” he said.
“Vicmap Position-GPSnet™ will also be used by the mining sector and for machine guidance, surveying, and mapping purposes. Future applications include logistics and precise navigation.”
Customers wanting to use Vicmap Position-GPSnet™ data services can do so using low cost mobile internet solutions arranged through Value Added Resellers (VARs), which are licensed by the Department of Sustainability and Environment to provide positioning services.
For more information or to locate VARs, visit www.dse.vic.gov.au/GPSnet or call 136 186.