Regulation 13 Certificates

Last updated:17 August 2023

Regulation 13 Certificates are a legal document which display a station coordinate and the uncertainty of that coordinate. The certificates are generally requested by Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) operators as a means of providing their users with an accurate connection to the Australian Datum - the Geocentric Datum of Australia 2020 (GDA2020). Geoscience Australia is appointed as a verifying authority under the National Measurement Act, 1960, to provide this legal chain of traceability.

Requesting Regulation 13 Certificates

Geoscience Australia provides a free service to obtain Regulation 13 Certificates on Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS).

For a CORS to be considered for Regulation 13 certification it must be accepted in the Asia Pacific Reference Frame (APREF) project. See the guidelines for becoming an APREF participant. Note that only the CORS site owner can submit the application for Regulation 13 Certification unless a signed consent letter is issued by the CORS owner for a secondary party to submit on their behalf.

What you need to provide us:

Cover letter (on letterhead) formally requesting a "Certificate of Verification of a Reference Standard of a Position-Measurement in Accordance with Regulation 13 of the National Measurement Regulations 1999" for your stations. The letter should include:

  • The number of stations that you require certificates for and their 4-character site name.
  • Clearly indicate who you are, including your address and contact details.
  • This letter should be addressed to:
    Laboratory contact
    Geodesy Section
    Geoscience Australia
    GPO Box 378
    Canberra, ACT, 2601
  • This letter can also be emailed to: geodesy@ga.gov.au

What we will provide you with after our analysis is:

  • A Certificate of Verification of a Reference Standard of a Position-Measurement in Accordance with Regulation 13 of the National Measurement Regulations 1999 for each station. The certificates will be valid for 5 years and will apply to the station mark, but only have validity if you continue to operate the station with the identical equipment. Critically, this means the same antenna as that on the certificate

Procedure for cessation of Regulation 13 Certificates

  • Regulation 13 Certificates are only valid for five years, unless the analysis shows that a site coordinate is no longer within the Positional Uncertainty (PU) values, at which point a site will be assessed for suitability of re-verification.
  • In accordance with Regulation 22 of the National Measurement Regulations 1999 the verification of a standard of measurement ceases to have effect at the end of the period stated in the certificate of verification.
  • When the cessation date is reached, Geoscience Australia advises that the Regulation 13 Certificate coordinates are no longer supplied to the public. Please note, this may include removing coordinate information from public access websites.
  • We advise that a new Regulation 13 Certificate is requested approximately six weeks prior to the current certificate expiry date.

Procedure for cancellation of 13 Certificates

  • In accordance with Regulation 23 of the National Measurement Regulations 1999, if the data in the Regulation 13 Certificate is found to be a) incorrect, or b) exceeding the maximum permissible variation for the standard, the Certificate must be cancelled.
    • Please note, this includes an antenna change.
  • Geoscience Australia advises that the Regulation 13 Certificate coordinates are no longer supplied to the public. Please note, this may include removing coordinate information from public access websites.
  • Geoscience Australia also requests that the Certificate is removed from public access.