Queensland, Australia, covers an area of 1.7 m sq km, ranging from densely populated, well-serviced cities to sparsely populated rural areas with densities below one person per sq km. Consequently, Queensland provides opportunities for the development of GNSS applications for both remote areas and cities. GNSS technology is being used in an increasing number of sectors, including industries that underpin Queensland’s strong economy. GNSS-related businesses in Queensland currently generate an estimated AUD 350 m annually in goods and services, and employ 750 people, of which 250 are in research and development. Queensland boasts 40 GNSS related businesses, with global significance in GNSS technology for the accurate guidance of machinery used in key industries such as mining, agriculture and infrastructure development, and national significance in vehicle based GNSS, for example intelligent transport systems.
www.qld.gov.au

The IGNSS Society is a market driven not for profit association providing services such as workshops, conferences, trade exhibitions and awards for excellence programmes. Areas of specific interest include space, air, land and marine applications. The IGNSS Society is incorporated in Queensland, Australia – a region boasting enormous growth in the quality and quantity of GNSS products and applications in the last decade. Queensland currently has: 40 GNSS related businesses, with global significance in GNSS technology for the accurate guidance of machinery used in key industries such as mining, agriculture and infrastructure development, and national significance in vehicle-based GNSS, for example intelligent transport systems. The Australian Challenge brings a new perspective to the competition through its emphasis on GNSS solutions to deal with specific Australian concerns, such as sparsely populated areas, large scale surface mining operations, and precision agriculture requirements.
www.ignss.org