NRW EXPERTISE BOOSTS USE OF PRECISE POSITIONING TECHNOLOGY IN REMOTE QUEENSLAND

Queenslanders in regional and remote areas will find it easier to use precise positioning technology in industries such as agriculture, mining, utilities, tourism and construction under a high-tech research project supported by the Beattie Government.

Natural Resources and Water Minister Craig Wallace said the Department of Natural Resources and Water (NRW) was contributing $2 million in cash and staff expertise to the project.

“This project literally will help put regional and remote Queensland on the map,” Mr Wallace said.

“It is an example of SmartState technology improving the prosperity and quality of life for Queenslanders, especially people in remote areas,” he said.

“It will bring together global positioning services, spatial information, telecommunications and critical infrastructure to make it easier to use precise positioning technology,” Mr Wallace said.

“For example, in agriculture precise positioning is used in tractor-mounted GPS and automatic steering systems to control the vehicle’s route and deliver varying amounts of seed and fertiliser to suit the type of soil it is working over.”

The project will be undertaken by the new Cooperative Research Centre for Spatial Information (CRCSI).

In a first for Queensland, CRCSI recently opened a new research centre at the Queensland University of Technology, in Brisbane, with Commonwealth funding.

The CRCSI has 47 participants, from academia, government and industry.

An NRW staff member will co-ordinate the precise positioning project. NRW is one of Australia’s leading agencies when it comes to the use of GPS and spatial information.

Media inquiries: Paul Childs, Craig Wallace’s office, on 0407 131 654.