Precision Rules! How to establish an AusCORS site

In 2004 the Australian government announced the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy, aimed at strengthening Australia's research capabilities. As part of this strategy, AuScope was formed in 2007 to facilitate, over five years, the implementation of a world class infrastructure for the earth and geospatial sciences. This includes a significant increase in the density of the national network of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Continually Operating Reference Stations (CORS). This network will be used to monitor slow and rapid movements of the Earth's crust, predict and monitor sea level change, update coordinate datums, and atmospheric modelling. Many state jurisdictions have committed additional funding to maximise the number of AusCORS stations to be constructed. About 100 stations will be established across the continent. Ten of these to be built in NSW by the Land and Property Management Authority (LPMA), formerly the Department of Lands, in partnership with Geoscience Australia. In August 2009, NSW's first AusCORS site was installed at West Wyalong. By the end of this financial year up to five more AusCORS sites will have been built in NSW. These will also contribute to the ongoing expansion of CORSnet-NSW, which currently consists of 28 stations. This number will climb to 70 CORS by the end of 2013, providing state-wide coverage. This article describes how the first site was constructed and surveyed to ensure the station will facilitate world class research.