George Musser, an editor with Scientific American, spent weeks researching why GPS systems and maps are sometimes off by several metres. In other words: All maps of Australia are 1.524 metres off at the moment. It’s a problem that has created headaches for developers and scientists alike, with navigation systems telling drivers to go through walls or onto sidewalks. But there is one major problem: Tectonic movements have pushed the continent 1.524 metres away from where it used to be, and where GPS systems assume it is still located. “I discovered a sizable infrastructure of geographers, geologists and geodesists dedicated to ensuring that maps are accurate,” Musser wrote in Scientific American.

Source: National Post August 03, 2016 00:33 UTC