The Global Network of Satellite Systems (GNSS), better known as GPS, was the greatest technology leap for mankind since the steam engine and the motor car. Take a quick look at GLOBALCORS is an International GNSS Correction initiative developed in Australia.

Everything we do or say today is related to a position on the earth’s surface. In fact the technology has become so widely used it is seen as an invasion of our privacy. Mobile phones were feared as potentially taking away our freedom, taking away our free time and making us more accessible, we coped then and we will cope with spatial technology too.

As a society we adapt quickly to change, however the limitation we suffer in the development and commercialisation of technology is poor education. Education cannot keep up with the changes in technology. 2% of people expect 98% of the population to adopt a new technologies without providing the training and education to use products and services we make available. As a result, the uptake of products and services is very slow, making them very expensive.

How can we or should we engage people in the spatial world? It’s not as easy as it sounds but I think schools and universities should be making greater effort to build spatial challenges for students. Mobile phone technology is helping with more and more apps using spatial utilities; where is the restaurant, where are my friends, which way home…understanding the technology and the relevance of this information is lost on 90% of society, even though it is more and more controlling their lives.