New Zealand, Australia satellite technology to reduce flight cancellations

WELLINGTON, July 30 (Xinhua) — New Zealand’s Land Information Minister Chris Penk switched on two 11-meter satellite dishes on Tuesday, a milestone of the new satellite technology that significantly improves GPS accuracy.
The project, known as the Southern Positioning Augmentation Network (SouthPAN), improves GPS accuracy from five to 10 meters, down to less than a meter, and in some cases to as little as 10 cm.
SouthPAN services will aid flight navigation, making it safer for planes to land when visibility is poor, Penk said, adding that the project will help with a significant reduction in weather-related flight cancellations and delays.
Improved GPS accuracy has far-reaching benefits in agriculture, aviation, forestry, and construction, he said.
Through productivity-enhancing and labor-saving applications, such as better resource management, more accurate maritime activities and real-time livestock monitoring, SouthPAN will contribute 864 million NZ dollars (507.51 million U.S. dollars) to New Zealand’s economy over 20 years, said the minister citing an independent report.
A joint project between the governments of New Zealand and Australia, SouthPAN has centers in New Zealand’s Southland and New South Wales’ Uralla in Australia. ■