GDA2020

The Geocentric Datum of Australia 2020 (GDA2020) is Australia’s new national datum which replaces GDA94. GDA2020 is of higher-accuracy than GDA94, aligns more closely with GPS and GNSS positioning services and supports nationally consistent datasets, free of the known distortions of GDA94. GDA2020 coordinates are approximately 1.8 metres to the north east of GDA94 coordinates, which represents the tectonic motion of the Australian plate between 1994 and 2020.

Read more about GDA2020 adoption in NSW:

More information is available from the Intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping (ICSM) websites on GDA2020 and upgrades to the Australian Geospatial Reference System. Resources include the GDA2020 Technical Manual, FAQs, Fact Sheets and a GDA2020 Forum.

Note: There is potential for metre-level data misalignment when using GDA data transformed to WGS 84 / Web Mercator. Read more at our GIS & web mapping page. 

Australian Geospatial Reference System (AGRS), including ATRF and AVWS

The intergovernmental Committee on Surveying and Mapping (ICSM) will continue to expand the definition and capabilities of the Australian Geospatial Reference System (AGRS). The time-dependent Australian Terrestrial Reference Frame (ATRF) and the Australian Vertical Working Surface (AVWS) will be made available through ICSM for use from 01 January 2020.

In general, GDA2020 and AHD71 will remain fit for purpose for most users in NSW. Until relevant standards and software provide wide-spread support for ATRF and AVWS, DCS Spatial Services will not advocate or legislate their adoption. However, where significant benefits can be realised, ad hoc support for all AGRS capabilities will be considered.

Adoption of GDA2020 in the near-term is consistent with future use of the time-dependent capabilities of ATRF, which will future-proof centimetre-level positioning capabilities against metre-level tectonic movements.