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Precision Agriculture Research and Application in Australasia

In 1997, the Australian Centre for Precision Agriculture began conducting a one-day Symposium on Precision Agriculture Research and Application in Australasia. The Symposium is always a relaxed and enjoyable means of discussing the progress and direction of Precision Agriculture in Australasia.

It is aimed at providing an insight into, and inspiration from, the work being undertaken to develop and apply PA in a wide range of agricultural industries. Research and government institutions along with farmers, commercial suppliers, advisors and anyone with an interest in the future of agriculture are welcome to participate.

This makes it a truly industry-wide forum for PA in Australasia.

As the interest in PA takes off nationally (and within the Australasian region) we are keen to capture the enthusiasm being generated in many new and established organisations, associations and groups.

This event is now conducted as a collaboration between the Precision Agriculture Laboratory and SPAA Precision Agriculture Australia.


Visit the archive page for a copy of the Proceedings from any of the past Symposia.

2012 PA Symposium

The 15th Symposium on PA in Australasia was held at the Mildura Grand Hotel on the 5th and 6th September 2012.

This is one of the longest running PA gatherings in the world, and at this year's event, SPAA launched ‘PA in Practice Vol 2’. It will be available for purchase from SPAA Precision Agriculture Australia as of October2012

The Symposium was another successful gathering of the PA industry from across the region.

What did we hear?

  • The PA industry is now thriving from a technology and a service perspective.
  • The great issue of measuring and mapping soil moisture is being tackled from many angles.
  • Quality was reaffirmed as an important production aspect and sensor development/refinement must continue.
  • The value of on-farm research was reaffirmed, but trials need to be designed to specific outcome and the right tools (sensors) need to be chosen fro the job.
  • Precision livestock management is bounding along with some fascinating implications for herd selection and in-field management.
  • Production risk assessment is being extended over space and time through the combination of crop growth simulators and in-field sensor data.
  • The analysis of, and storage/access to, data is successfully moving on-line and in-cloud.
  • The practical value of PA across many agricultural industries is becoming easier to see.