British company working with GL&SC to develop Guyana’s GPS measurements

In collaboration with the Ordnance Survey, the British High Commission of Guyana on Tuesday hosted a stakeholder engagement in honour of the partnership between the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, and Ordnance Survey, to enhance the country’s Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements.
The Ordnance Survey is a British Government Company currently working with the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission. This project is funded by the UN FAO as part of a wider programme, and aims to update, maintain, and provide training to support the CORS network – a network of base stations that continuously broadcast location data, enabling surveyors to differentially correct Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements.

CORS is designed to support the broad spectrum of GPS tools, and provide the control needed for a wide variety of applications.
This is just one geospatial tool to support the development of Guyana.
At the event, British High Commissioner Jane Miller said it is important that everyone understands the importance of geo data.
“I do see this as a very important milestone in Guyana’s development because the importance of Geo data is utterly critical in the development of Guyana”, she said.
Meanwhile, Commissioner and CEO (ag) of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission, Enrique Monize, spoke about the nature of the initiative.
“This will enable the Commission, as well as all surveyors, to satisfy the survey and mapping needs of a growing economy…needed hardware was procured, and a dedicated CORS Unit has been established at GLSA,” Monize said.
“I am happy to say that we do have a functioning network of about four stations, with another seven to be set up. We are currently awaiting permission from a few agencies to locate the antennas and the hardware…”, he said.
As such, Monize proposes to have a Guyana-centric reference frame to replace the current PSAD 56 (provisional South American data) which was adapted in the 1960s.
“For those of us who are familiar with the GPS, if you try using it in certain parts of Guyana, you will understand that under PSAD we have two zones… if you decide to work somewhere in the Cuyuni River and you transition from one zone to the other, you will very well become confused”, he said.
Monize further explained that Guyanese are now living in a new era, and a major upgrade is needed, which is the new worldwide WGS 1984 data. He said it is important for Guyana to move in this direction, because of its ongoing developments. (G9)