Updated: 02-06-2003

Geodetic Data Products

Geodesy is a dynamic application of scientific methods in support of many professional, economic and scientific activities and functions, ranging from land titling to mineral exploration; from navigation, mapping and surveying to the use of remote sensing data for resource management; and from the construction of dams and drains to the interpretation of seismic disturbances.

Geoscience Australia is the Commonwealth focal point for coordination of geodetic information and data and is working with State agencies, the Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying & Mapping (ICSM) and industry groups towards the provision of the best possible data.

The Geoscience Australia Geodesy Program monitors the horizontal and vertical motion of the Australian landmass and contributes data to the global scientific effort to monitor the Earth's changing shape and motion. This data provides a uniform, accurate basis for all spatial data in Australia and its offshore territories.

Geoscience Australia operates satellite laser ranging stations at Mt Stromlo in the Australian Capital Territory and Yarragadee in Western Australia. Ranked amongst the best in the world, these stations measure precise distances to satellites by timing the reflected flight of laser beam pulses. These precise measurements allow Geoscience Australia to calculate precise orbits for artificial satellites, monitor the Earth's gravity field, and measure the oscillation of the Earth about its axis.

Geoscience Australia offers geodetic products and services for a range of professional and personal uses. One of the most popular services is the online astronomical information, such as the sun and moon rising and setting times and the Astronomic Certificate. This is a legal document used for certifying the time of an astronomic event, such as a court seeking a ruling on whether the sun was in a driver's eyes in the late afternoon.

Although much of the other geodetic data is of immediate interest to a specialist technical audience, it is fundamental to Australia's geographic coordinate systems and the spatial industry.