User expectations of a national, high-accuracy GNSS positioning service for professional applications: an Australian context

Global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) are hidden utilities that are critical to the functioning of modern society. GNSS delivers positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services that benefit a wide range of users in the scientific, public and industrial sectors. The Positioning Australia programme aims to provide the infrastructure and capability required to deliver open, high-accuracy positioning services across Australia. Therefore, it is essential to study the requirements of users who will benefit from these services. In this context, this research aims to review the positioning needs of users in professional applications within Australia, in particular, civil construction, precision agriculture and rail transport.<br><br> The upcoming modernisation of GNSS and increasing demands of mass-market users will blur the lines between standalone, augmented, open and commercial PNT services. This research examines the current and future state of GNSS positioning techniques, infrastructure, and services. Government initiatives, such as the Australian Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS), will deliver open-access precise point positioning (PPP) and will coexist with a growing market of commercial service providers. The marketplace of GNSS services will need to adapt to this modernisation while still complying with the demanding PNT requirements of professional users.<br><br> This study presents a literature review of PNT requirements across industries. It proposes a requirements framework for three professional sectors that are being transformed by automation, connectivity and high-accuracy positioning. The PNT requirements of construction, agriculture and rail applications are reviewed and further validated by field trials. Some of the most demanding applications in construction and agriculture require positioning accuracies that can only be achieved by real-time kinematic (RTK) and complementary positioning technologies, such as inertial navigation system (INS) or optical tracking.<br><br> The research findings highlight that integrity, connectivity and latency are essential requirements for applications such as real-time tracking, robotic and safety-related applications. The rail industry, in particular, has demonstrated that GNSS can be applied to safety-related applications. However, further policy and regulatory work is required to implement its use across the sector. This research presents its findings and recommendations with the aim to inform the Positioning Australia programme.