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Australia Has Moved 1.5 Metres, So It's Updating Its Location For Self-Driving Cars (cnet.com)

Posted by msmash on from the changing-world dept.

An anonymous reader shares a CNET report: Australia is changing from "down under" to "down under and across a bit". The country is shifting its longitude and latitude to fix a discrepancy with global satellite navigation systems. Government body Geoscience Australia is updating the Geocentric Datum of Australia, the country's national coordinate system, to bring it in line with international data. The reason Australia is slightly out of whack with global systems is that the country moves about 7 centimetres (2.75 inches) per year due to the shifting of tectonic plates. Since 1994, when the data was last recorded, that's added up to a misalignment of about a metre and a half. While that might not seem like much, various new technology requires location data to be pinpoint accurate. Self-driving cars, for example, must have infinitesimally precise location data to avoid accidents. Drones used for package delivery and driverless farming vehicles also require spot-on information.ABC has more details.

7 of 134 comments (clear)

  1. Infinitesimally precise by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Self-driving cars, for example, must have infinitesimally precise location data to avoid accidents.

    Somehow I suspect it's a matter of centimeters rather than nanometers. Need less hyperbole and more accuracy!

    1. Re:Infinitesimally precise by Pseudonymous+Powers · · Score: 5, Funny

      Self-driving cars, for example, must have infinitesimally precise location data to avoid accidents.

      Somehow I suspect it's a matter of centimeters rather than nanometers. Need less hyperbole and more accuracy!

      Good collar, Pedant Police, but move over now. I'm with the Pedant FBI. I'm taking charge of this investigation.

      Nanometers may be small, but they're not infinitely small, which is what infinitesimal means. They're barely even any closer to infinitely small than centimeters. Also, we wanted to be more precise here, not less, so what you'd really want in this situation is infinite precision, not infinitesimal precision.

      Let's keep it pedantic out there, citizens.

    2. Re:Infinitesimally precise by Pseudonymous+Powers · · Score: 4, Funny

      Come to think about it, I first heard about planking videos as a fad in Australia. I wonder if they might get us started with Plancking videos next.

      If there is any such trend, it will likely be too small to measure.

    3. Re:Infinitesimally precise by tchdab1 · · Score: 3, Funny

      i will keep this in mind the next time I drive to Australia. I'd hate to miss it entirely.

  2. I always knew by OlRickDawson · · Score: 5, Funny

    I always knew they were a little off

    --
    Ol' Rick Dawson had a farm EIEIO
  3. Does this mean by npslider · · Score: 5, Funny

    Does this mean that Apple Maps is now correct? I'm tired of seeing so many Kangaroo's drive off into the Ocean because they relied too heavily on the Maps app.

  4. womp rats by kimvette · · Score: 4, Funny

    I used to bullseye womp rats in my T-16 back home. They're not much bigger than two meters. But, now I miss because GPS is off.

    --
    The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50