Exploring How Accurate Positioning Supports AI, Analytics and Real-World Field Data
4D Global is pleased to announce that Peter Terrett will attend State of GIS Tasmania 2026 as both a presenter and trade booth exhibitor.
This year’s event theme, ‘Island to Insight: AI, Analytics and the Digital Landscape,’ brings together the geospatial community to explore how emerging technologies are shaping the way spatial data is captured, analysed and applied.
Peter’s presentation will sit directly within this theme, focusing on a critical question for AI and machine learning in the field:
How useful is AI if the data it relies on is not accurately located?
The 1986 GPS survey project team, from left to right: Peter Terrett (the author), Bill Black, Peter Letherby (the Canadian contractor), John Collins, Tim Norton, Peter Griffioen (the RMIT surveying Masters student), Alan Rose, Mark Dore and Ray Owens.
AI Needs Ground Truth – Positional & Attribution Accuracy
Artificial intelligence has transformed our ability to classify, detect and predict. But when AI moves from controlled digital environments into the real world, accurate location becomes essential.
Without a reliable positional fix, AI can observe but not attribute. It can detect but not dispatch. It can classify but not act.
Peter’s presentation will explore accurate positioning as the spatial anchor that connects AI observation with real-world action. The session will examine how location accuracy supports field validation, training data collection, environmental monitoring, infrastructure maintenance and public safety.
The discussion will also examine how different levels of accuracy suit different applications, from sub-metre GNSS to centimetre-level RTK workflows. As Peter’s abstract notes, the required accuracy scales with the consequence of positional error.
Why SBAS & SouthPAN Matter for AI Remote Sensing
A key focus of the discussion will be the role of Satellite-Based Augmentation System corrections, including SouthPAN, in making accurate field capture more accessible.
Tasmania has been closely involved in SBAS testing and awareness, which makes this a particularly relevant topic for the State of GIS audience. In the lead-up to the event, Steve noted that Tasmania and UTAS have been part of the SBAS testbed journey and suggested that Peter focus on how SBAS can support AI ground truth and data capture for training.
That practical application matters.
For example, in forestry and environmental research, AI and machine learning models often need accurately located sample points to classify species, validate imagery and build reliable regions of interest. As Steve explained, 2 to 10 metre accuracy may not be enough to identify a specific tree or weed infestation in the imagery, while sub-metre or 30 cm accuracy can make field validation far more useful.
Peter’s session will explore how improved GNSS accuracy can help researchers and field teams collect better ground truth data, faster and with greater confidence.
From GPS History to the Future of AI-Ready Actionable Data
Peter’s presentation also connects to a much longer story of positioning innovation in Australia.
A recent Spatial Source article, Remembering Victoria’s first GPS-enabled survey, reflects on an important milestone in GPS history and links to a documentary about the weekend when GPS architecture was conceived.
For Peter, this history is personal. He has worked with GPS (now GNSS) for more than 40 years.
Beginning his career as a geodetic and topographic surveyor with the Victorian Government, Peter was among the earliest practitioners in Australia to work with GPS. In 1991, he founded his own business, building a reputation across GPS sales, technical support, training and consultancy that has continued for more than 30 years.
Today, Peter continues to help clients across forestry, utilities, asset management, engineering, cultural heritage, and critical infrastructure field operations understand and apply precise positioning solutions. His presentation draws on that practical experience, showing how accurate spatial data is now becoming the foundation for organisational AI adoption that can be trusted and acted on in the real world.
Visit 4D Global at State of GIS Tasmania 2026
Alongside Peter’s presentation, 4D Global will also be exhibiting at the event.
Attendees are invited to visit the 4D Global trade booth to discuss GNSS, SouthPAN-ready receivers, RTK workflows, field mapping, mobile data capture and practical ways to improve spatial data capture and positioning accuracy in real-world environments.
Whether you work in survey, planning, transport, forestry, research, utilities, local government, environmental management, infrastructure, archaeology, or cultural heritage, the 4D Global team will be available to discuss how accurate field data can support stronger decision-making, better AI training inputs, and more reliable spatial outcomes.
Event: State of GIS Tasmania 2026
Theme: Island to Insight: AI, Analytics and the Digital Landscape
Presenter: Peter Terrett, 4D Global
Registration: https://tasgeo.org/
Want to Learn More?
If your team relies on location data, now is the time to understand how GNSS, SouthPAN, and modern field-mapping tools can improve accuracy, reduce rework, and support better decision-making.
Read the Spatial Source article:
https://www.spatialsource.com.au/remembering-victorias-first-gps-enabled-survey/
Learn more about 4D Global:
https://www.4dglobal.com.au/
Contact the 4D Global team:
https://www.4dglobal.com.au/contact/