Australian Issues in GNSS Application: Operations of the Australian GNSS Coordination Committee (AGCC)

Don Sinnott

Abstract:	In Australia the application of GNSS has proceeded in a free-market way, with little coordination between users. While this may be of little consequence to users of basic positioning services for non-critical applications it can lead to inefficiency, unnecessary cost, sub-optimal system design and lost opportunities in applying augmentation services. Further, heightened national awareness of the benefits accessible through GNSS application, and of vulnerabilities to which users could be exposed, is best promoted through a coordinated national-level approach. Australia’s Minister for Transport and Regional Services has established the Australian GNSS Coordination Committee (AGCC) to address these issues. The announcement of the formation of the AGCC, on 26 May 2000, followed an intensive consultative effort by an interim committee that developed a business case for the AGCC. The author of this paper was appointed as the AGCC’s inaugural Chairman. The impetus for the AGCC comes from recognition of the growing importance of GNSS to our national life. Many forms of navigation, position fixing and timing now have significant reliance on GNSS. The benefits as well as the dependencies are growing at a remarkable rate. The essentially free-market way GNSS is penetrating our national life in business and recreation has delivered great benefits at modest cost but there are important underpinning national issues to be addressed. These include the following. • Can Australia enhance its national benefit by capitalising on GNSS opportunities in a more coordinated way? • Are our international relationships with GNSS providers serving the nation to best effect? • Are GNSS vulnerabilities, dependencies and legal implications appreciated and understood? • Are there national regulatory and legal issues, including spectrum management, to be addressed arising from the pervasive application of GNSS? • Is the evolving national balance between governmentprovided and market-driven GNSS augmentation services appropriate? This paper will address these questions from the perspective of Australia but its implications will clearly have relevance to GNSS application by many other countries.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 14th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 2001) September 11 - 14, 2001 Salt Palace Convention Center Salt Lake City, UT
Pages:	51 - 56
Cite this article:	Sinnott, Don, "Australian Issues in GNSS Application: Operations of the Australian GNSS Coordination Committee (AGCC)," Proceedings of the 14th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 2001), Salt Lake City, UT, September 2001, pp. 51-56.
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