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In 2017 Australia had to shift its map by 1.8 metres.

The Australian Plate creeps about 7 cm a year to the north-northeast. But the coordinate system GDA94 had been pinned to the continent in 1994 and drifted along with it, while GPS satellites reckon relative to the Earth as a whole. After 20-odd years the map sat roughly 1.8 m off reality, so from 2017 the country moved to GDA2020.

Useful: Centimetre-level tech like robot mowers or self-driving tractors needs maps that travel with the continent.

Source: en.wikipedia.org

AustralienGeografieGpsPlattentektonik

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Question on this card

Why did Australia's map coordinates no longer match GPS in 2017?

  1. GPS satellites had an orbital glitch
  2. The continent had moved about 1.8 m since 1994
  3. The prime meridian was relocated
  4. Australia changed time zones
Show the answer

Correct: The continent had moved about 1.8 m since 1994

At roughly 7 cm a year, plate drift adds up to about 1.8 metres in 20-odd years.

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