Foreword

The first edition of Lost Without It, this important text on satellite positioning, is being published in 2023, which also marks the 50th anniversary of the approval of the Global Positioning System (GPS) program by the U.S. Department of Defense. I have the great honour of serving on the U.S. Advisory Board for Space-Based Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT), with Dr. Bradford Parkinson, who was the Chief Architect for GPS. In the 50 years since Brad and his team designed and built that amazing system, GPS has become an indispensable part of modern life. So much so, that there are now 3 other Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), like GPS and 2 regional systems, along with various augmentation systems around the world.

While the impact of GNSS is truly pervasive, there are few professionals whose daily work has been influenced more than those in Surveying and the Spatial Sciences. GNSS has revolutionised both the efficiency and effectiveness of so many processes in the measurement, capture and management of spatial data.

I have known the author, Chris McAlister, for many years, having had the pleasure of working closely in Queensland Government with her partner Darren, another formidable member of the Surveying Profession. I was, therefore, very pleased to accept Chris’ invitation to write this foreword for Lost Without It. Plus, I worked out years ago, that it is easier to say yes to Chris than summon the courage and energy to try to do the opposite.

Chris has drawn on her extensive experience in both the field and the lecture room to develop this excellent text. While GPS has now been around for 50 years, the field of Positioning, Navigation and Timing is hardly showing its age and is characterized by ongoing and extensive change. It is therefore great to see that this text has been published on a digital platform that enables ongoing refinement and improvement to adapt and reflect the myriad of changes that we are likely to continue to see in the next 50 years. The digital platform also allows the reader to easily access the many informative GNSS/PNT resources available on the Internet, now and into the future.

I hope you enjoy this wonderful new resource and soon come to the realisation, like the title says, that you would be Lost Without It.

Matt Higgins PSM

President IGNSS Association
Member of the U.S. Space-based Positioning, Navigation, and Timing Advisory Board
Honorary Member of the International Federation of Surveyors
Honorary Fellow of the Geospatial Council of Australia