Previous Stories

A 2009 independent study shows the benefits to the U.S. economy from NOAA's positioning products and services are in the billions of dollars...

Click here for a one page overview of the study
Click here for a copy of the full report

02/01/2013 - NGS Announces Release of Geodetic Data from Geoid Slope Validation Survey 2011 (GSVS11)

01/31/2013 - NGS Releases Updated Ten-Year Strategic Plan 2013-2023

As NGS approached the halfway point with our existing Ten-Year Plan (2008-2018), NGS leadership decided it was time to reevaluate priorities. Upon reviewing current business practices...more

01/24/2013 - Research Aims to Improve Airborne Positioning Accuracy (NGS)

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) recently performed a research experiment to calibrate the GPS antenna on top of an aircraft used in the Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) Project. Antenna calibration for ground-based geodetic GPS antennas greatly reduces positioning errors...more

01/24/2013 - NGS Releases Updated Ten-Year Strategic Plan 2013-2023

01/18/2013 - NGS Announces Joint Beta Release of GEOCON and GEOCON11

01/17/2013 - NGS Director, Juliana Blackwell, Presents Annual Update to Transportation Research Board

On Jan. 15, National Geodetic Survey Director, Juliana Blackwell, presented an annual update at the Transportation Research Board's (TRB) 92nd Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. A division of the National Research Council, the TRB conducts research...more

01/10/2013 - Online Map of Corbin's New LiDAR Evaluation Site Available

In December, a permanent airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) test and evaluation site was installed at the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) Instrumentation & Methodologies Branch facility located in Corbin, Virginia. The site was created in collaboration with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), and...more

01/03/2013 - NOAA's NGS and OCRM Collaborate to Build Sentinel Site Infrastructure at Cape Cod

In December, National Geodetic Survey staff and the Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WB NERR) completed the first year of a study monitoring the stability of different types of wetland-based local geodetic control networks set in the deep wetland peats found at Cape Cod...more

12/13/2012 - NGS Heritage Assets Requested by the Smithsonian Institution for New Exhibit on Time and Navigation

The Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum has contacted the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) regarding the loan of an early model GPS system for inclusion in a new Smithsonian Timing and Navigation exhibit...more

12/06/2012 - NGS Updates Coordinates on More Than 5,000 Survey Marks

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) has updated the three-dimensional coordinates of more than 5,000 Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-derived, high-accuracy survey marks published through its Online Positioning User Service Database (OPUS-DB), making them consistent with the latest definition of the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS)...more

11/29/2012 - International Antenna Calibration Experts Convene at NGS' Corbin Training Center

This week, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) hosted researchers from the Royal Observatory of Belgium and Geoscience Australia at the NGS Corbin Training Center in Corbin, Virginia, to observe and discuss NGS's absolute antenna calibration program...more

11/27/2012 - NGS Releases Draft National Height Modernization Program Strategic Plan

The National Geodetic Survey's National Height Modernization Program has developed a strategic plan to help achieve the program's goals and priorities. This plan is closely aligned with the updated NGS Ten-Year Plan, to be formally released in January 2013. We welcome you to review this draft plan and send any comments to Renee Shields and Christine Gallagher. Comments will be accepted thru December 14, 2012.

11/15/2012 - NGS Provides Training in Celestial Navigation Using Astronomic Azimuths

This week, the National Geodetic Survey's Corbin Training Center held an Astronomic Azimuth Workshop. At the event, surveyors and subject matter experts from around the nation received hands-on instruction. Azimuth determination is a critical element of every survey...more

11/14/2012 - NGS Provides Well-documented View of the Devastation Caused by Hurricane Sandy

In coordination with federal, state, and local officials, NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) began conducting remote sensing operations in response to Hurricane Sandy on October 31st, just hours after Hurricane Sandy made landfall. NGS worked with partners including officials from the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and North Carolina, as well as with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Coast Guard, the Civil Air Patrol, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency...more

11/02/2012 - NGS Responds to Hurricane Sandy

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) has been coordinating with federal, state, and local officials and conducting remote sensing efforts in response to Hurricane Sandy. Requests came in from the U.S. Coast Guard District in New York for imagery collection of waterways supporting the ports of New York and New Jersey to verify the location of navigational aids and storm debris...more

11/02/2012 - NOAA's National Geodetic Survey Releases Kindle-friendly Document of its Popular Bench Mark Reset Procedures

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) has converted one of its most popular publications, Bench Mark Reset Procedures, into an EPUB format for use with popular electronic devices, such as the Kindle and iPad!...more

10/25/2012 - NOAA Releases NGS Data Explorer Application

This week, NOAA released a new web application to allow users to view National Geodetic Survey (NGS) geodetic control across the United States and its territories using Google Maps...more

10/18/2012 - Enabling Historical "T-Sheets" to be Accurately and Efficiently Geo-referenced

Historical Topographic Sheets ("T-Sheets") produced by the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey are referenced to various horizontal datums in use over the two hundred years since the first Survey of the Coast in 1816. To use these maps to document coastal change, a conversion has to be made from the horizontal datum used at the time the map was published to the datum in which modern data are expressed. Upon successful completion of rigorous testing now underway, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) will soon provide a free...more

10/18/2012 - NGS Reaches Out to Educate and Inform Budding Scientists on Coast-Related Programs

This week, NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) and Office of Coast Survey (OCS) participated in Know the Coast Day, an educational open house for K-12 students and the general public at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) Joint Hydrographic Center Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping...more

10/11/2012 - Representing the United States at International Symposium on Gravity and Height Systems

NGS is representing the United States at the International Symposium on Gravity, Geoid, and Height Systems in Venice, Italy on Oct. 9–12. The symposium will address the creation and maintenance of global vertical height systems, which are critical for many surveying, engineering, and scientific activities...more

09/27/2012 - Geodetic Advisor Aids U.S. Coast Guard

This week, the National Geodetic Survey's (NGS) Geodetic State Advisor for Florida is installing a survey marker at the U.S Coast Guard (USCG) station in Jacksonville, Florida. The marker will allow the Coast Guard to calibrate GPS systems used on their ships...more

09/20/2012 - GRAV-D Begins Collaborative Survey with the Alaska Fire Service (NGS)

The Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) Project is about to begin an airborne gravity survey aboard an aircraft owned by the Bureau of Land Management's Alaska Fire Service. The Pilatus PC-12 aircraft allocated for the survey is primarily tasked with fire spotting in Alaska and the lower 48 states...more

09/13/2012 - New Model Released for Horizontal Crustal Motion (NGS)

NOAA recently released version 3.2 of the Horizontal Time-Dependent Positioning (HTDP) utility, allowing users to better estimate how points on the Earth's surface move due to plate tectonics and earthquakes...more

09/06/2012 - NGS Responds to Hurricane Isaac with "Round-the-Clock" Attention

Within 24 hours of Hurricane Isaac departing the Gulf Coast region, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) immediately began emergency response aerial surveys with two NOAA aircraft to ensure vital waterways, ports, and coastal infrastructure were safe for maritime commerce...more

08/30/2012 - NOAA Returns to Yellowstone National Park for Collaborative International Project (NGS)

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) will return to Yellowstone National Park for the fourth consecutive year to perform GPS and absolute gravity measurements in support of a research study conducted in collaboration with the University of Colorado, Boulder, and the University of Luxembourg...more

08/23/2012 - NGS Collects Emergency Remote Sensing Imagery in Louisiana

Drought conditions have lowered water levels on the Mississippi River and are causing hazards to navigation. By request of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development through NOAA's Gulf Coast regional navigation manager, staff from the National Geodetic Survey recently collected imagery from aboard NOAA's King Air aircraft...more

08/17/2012 - GEOID12 Error Analysis Complete and GEOID12A Model Developed

The National Geodetic Survey has determined that the GEOID12 model was developed using erroneous input control points, primarily in the Gulf Coast region. Click here for more information. NGS immediately corrected these errors and developed the GEOID12A replacement model. GEOID12A is now available for public analysis and comment on the NGS Beta website for GEOID12A and will soon be released for production...more

08/17/2012 - Revision of GPS Project Adjustment and Submission Process

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is revising the adjustment and submission process (i.e., "Bluebooking") for GPS projects. NGS asks users to wait until the revision is complete before submitting new projects using the NAD 83(2011/PA11/MA11) epoch 2010.00 realization and geoid model GEOID12A. We estimate the revision will be finalized by September 30, 2012. Please check the NGS website for updates and additional information.

08/09/2012 - NGS Hosts Visiting Scientist from Korea

As part of a long-term cooperative agreement between NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) and Sejong University, Korea, NGS is hosting Dr. Tae-Suk Bae from August 6 to 20...more

08/02/2012 - NGS Helps Improve Performance of NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) completed a component spatial relationship survey aboard the NOAA Ship Henry B. Bigelow while it was in dry dock in Charleston, South Carolina, the week of July 23...more

07/26/2012 - NGS Showcases Products and Services at International GNSS Service Workshop

From July 23-27, National Geodetic Survey (NGS) staff presented at the International GNSS Service (IGS) Workshop, held in Olsztyn, Poland. The IGS sets world standards for high-accuracy use of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) data and products...more

07/26/2012 - New E-Learning Teaches Managers GIS Methods for Defining Shorelines and Assessing Shoreline Change

Since the early 1800s, geographers have wrestled with various methods of mapping the U.S. shoreline. As technology has changed, new approaches have emerged. Today, extracting a shoreline from Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) data...more

07/19/2012 - NOAA Collaborates with USGS, NPS to Evaluate New LIDAR Technology

This week, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) began a project with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the National Park Service to evaluate the capabilities of a next generation USGS topographic-bathymetric Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) system...more

07/12/2012 - NGS Releases New Geoid Model to Serve Surveying, Engineering, and Scientific Communities

In the last week, the National Geodetic Survey has released a new height transformation model for surveyors, engineers, and the scientific community involved in water flow and the determination of heights with respect to mean sea level...more

07/12/2012 - The National Geodetic Survey Improves the National Spatial Reference System with Simultaneous Major Product Releases

In the first week of July, NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) released the results of three major improvements to the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS). The NSRS is the consistent coordinate system that defines latitude, longitude, height, scale, gravity, and orientation throughout the United States and its territories...more

06/28/2012 - NGS Assists in Groundwater Studies in Desert Southwest

This week, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is assisting the University of Arizona and the U.S. Geological Survey with a study that seeks to calibrate gravity changes to changes in water table levels...more

06/21/2012 - NGS Participates in Airborne Coastal Mapping and Charting Workshop

Representatives from the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) participated in the 13th Annual Joint Airborne LIDAR Bathymetry Technical Center of Expertise (JALBTCX) Airborne Coastal Mapping and Charting Workshop held June 20-22 in Chicago...more

06/21/2012 - NGS Realtime GNSS Symposium Postponement

The National Geodetic Survey's (NGS) Real-time GNSS Symposium scheduled for July 2012 has unfortunately been postponed. NGS hopes to reschedule the program for the near future....more

06/14/2012 - NGS' Leveling Online Computations User Service (LOCUS) Software Released for Production

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) recently released a new Web utility titled "Leveling Online Computations User Service" (LOCUS). LOCUS performs a preliminary adjustment of geodetic leveling...more

06/07/2012 - NOAA Assists Pohnpei with Height Modernization Survey and Training

Beginning in May, and continuing through July 7, 2012, the National Geodetic Survey's (NGS) Pacific region geodetic advisor is in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, to assist the region with creating a height modernization survey...more

05/31/2012 - National Geodetic Survey Provides Updates at Canadian Geodetic Survey Meetings

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) contributed to Canada's Geodetic Survey meetings this week in support of harmonious standards for mapping across North America...more

05/21/2012 - NGS Receives Website Rating Among the Highest of All Government Sites

ForeSee Results of Ann Arbor, Michigan, formally recognized the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) for exceptional website customer satisfaction results. ForeSee Results uses the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) methodology to measure customer satisfaction...more

05/17/2012 - NGS Releases New Version of One of its Most Popular Products

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) recently released the most extensive redesign of its geodetic control datasheet in the past decade. Several new data elements have been added to the datasheet...more

05/10/2012 - NGS Presents at International Federation of Surveyors Working Week 2012 Conference

From May 6-10, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) represented the United States at the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) Working Week 2012 conference in Rome...more

05/01/2012 - Notice: The updates to NGS Datasheet Format are now in effect

In response to stakeholder and NGS staff concerns, NGS has developed several modifications to the format of the NGS datasheet—the primary method for accessing the passive control network of the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS)...more

04/19/2012 - NGS Provides Training to NERR Staff on Accurate Positioning Methods

This week the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is providing training to staff from six National Estuarine Research Reserves (NERR) from across the country at the NGS training facility in Corbin, Virginia...more

04/12/2012 - U.S. and Canada Agree to Joint North American Height Datum

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey and Natural Resources Canada have agreed, in writing, to develop a common vertical reference system in North America that establishes a common definition of "zero height."...more

04/05/2012 - NGS Representative Co-presents at Homeland Infrastructure Foundation-level Data Working Group

Alongside the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, a representative from NOAA's National Geodetic Survey co-presented a session...more

03/29/2012 - Big Benefits from NGS' Coastal Mapping Program

The National Geodetic Survey's (NGS) Coastal Mapping Program, which surveys the nation's 95,000-mile coastline, provided an estimated $241 million in total benefits to the nation in 2011, according to an independent socioeconomic study...more

03/29/2012 - Surveying on the National Mall

The 2011 earthquake near Washington, D.C., shook the nation's capital with enough force to damage the Washington Monument. But not all effects of the earthquake are visible to the naked eye. Experts from the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) are...more

03/23/2012 - National Geodetic Survey Receives Awards Honoring Scientific Paper

On March 21, two National Geodetic Survey (NGS) staff, Dr. Chris Parrish and Dr. Inseong Jeong, received awards at the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Conference in Sacramento, California...more

03/15/2012 - National Geodetic Survey Conducts High-accuracy Vertical Control of Washington Monument and Areas Around the National Mall

As part of an on-going cooperative relationship with the National Park Service, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) conducted a high-accuracy vertical control (leveling) campaign this week on the National Mall in Washington DC...more

03/08/2012 - NGS Director Presents Keynote at Hawaii Pacific GIS Conference 2012

From March 5-9, National Geodetic Survey (NGS) staff attended the Hawaii Pacific Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Conference 2012 held in Honolulu, HI. NGS Director, Juliana Blackwell, presented the keynote, "Positioning for the Pacific," highlighting NGS' and NOAA's geospatial activities in the Pacific region...more

03/01/2012 - NOAA to Conduct Geodetic Observations of the Washington Monument

Beginning around March 1, weather and other conditions permitting, the National Geodetic Survey will aid the National Park Service by conducting geodetic leveling observations of the Washington Monument. The survey effort will help evaluate whether any displacement resulted from the August 23, 2011, earthquake...more

02/16/2012 - NGS Presents at Geodesy Meeting in Austria

The National Geodetic Survey recently represented the United States at the joint meeting of two International Association of Geodesy working groups in Vienna, Austria. The meeting focused on how absolute gravimeter comparisons are conducted...more

02/09/2012 - National Geodetic Survey Releases New GPS/GNSS Bibliography for 2011

The National Geodetic Survey recently released the GPS/GNSS Bibliography for 2011 as part of its Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) Web portal. The bibliography is a compilation of peer-reviewed articles published in...more

02/02/2012 - Joint Hydrographic Center at University of New Hampshire Hosts NOAA Leadership

Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Environmental Observation and Prediction, toured the Joint Hydrographic Center at the University of New Hampshire (UNH) this week to discuss future hydrographic needs and research, including the Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping (IOCM) program...more

01/26/2012 - CORS Provides More than $1 Billion in Direct Benefits in FY2011

The National Geodetic Survey's Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) program provided more than $1 billion in direct benefits in FY2011. These benefits represent a 29 percent increase over those for FY2010...more

01/19/2012 - NGS developing GIS Tools and Datasets for Display and Analysis of Survey Data

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is in the process of developing new Geographic Information System (GIS) software tools for display and analysis of NGS survey data. The tools convert the output from NGS GPS processing, survey control network adjustment, and geodetic leveling adjustment software...more

01/12/2012 - Federal Geodetic Control Subcommittee Meeting Updates Users on NGS Products and Services

The Federal Geodetic Control Subcommittee (FGCS) conducted its semi-annual meeting on January 10 at NOAA Headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland. FGCS is chaired by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS)...more

01/05/2012 - NGS Continues Lead Role in International Effort to Pinpoint Position of Satellites

For a second four-year term beginning on Jan. 1, NGS is leading an international effort to produce extremely accurate orbits for all satellites in the Global Positioning System (GPS). This vital endeavor ensures worldwide users can achieve accurate positions...more

12/22/2011 - NGS Releases Beta LOCUS for Testing

NGS has released a Beta version of the Leveling Online Computations User Service, LOCUS, for a 90-day comment period. Through the end of March 2012, NGS is requesting our stakeholders and constituents to test their leveling projects with LOCUS and provide feedback to us at...more

12/21/2011 - Public Release of Emergency Response Imagery Mobile Website

NGS has released a new mobile Web application that makes it possible for emergency responders to access emergency response imagery in the field...more

12/15/2011 - National Geodetic Survey Releases Initial Gravimetric Geoid Validation Results (NGS)

In partnership with international colleagues and state, local, and university partners, NOAA validated an important component of the latest gravity surface model (the "geoid") in 2011 and presented initial survey results...more

12/08/2011 - NGS and Partners Study Bench Mark Stability in Massachusetts Coastal Marshes

From December 5-9, the National Geodetic Survey will lead an investigation at Waquoit Bay, Massachusetts into optimal installation techniques for deep rod type bench marks set in wetland sediments, as well as...more

12/01/2011 - U.S. Geological Survey Uses NOAA-collected 3-D LiDAR Data for Study in Outer Banks

The U.S. Geological Survey made use of NOAA's Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data for an ongoing sediment transport study of the Outer Banks...more

11/17/2011 - NGS Releases Final Report for Floodplain Mapping Pilot Project

As NGS moves closer to 2022 and replacing the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83) and the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88), NGS is interacting closely with agencies that use the datums to assist in the transition...more

11/10/2011 - NGS Represents U.S. at International Comparison of Absolute Gravimeters (NGS)

From November 7-11, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) represented the United States at an international assembly for the Ninth European Comparison of Absolute Gravimeters, held at the University of Luxembourg...more

11/08/2011 - Visit NEW National Adjustment of 2011 Website!

The National Geodetic Survey's (NGS) National Adjustment of 2011 (NA2011) Project now has a dedicated NA2011 section on the NGS website, including an updated list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)...more

11/03/2011 - Hydrographic Services Review Panel Sets Path Forward

NOAA's Hydrographic Services Review Panel (HSRP) met last week in Norfolk, Virginia, and set their sights on a path forward for the coming years...more

10/27/2011 - NOAA Assists NIST with Net-zero Energy Home

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) recently requested assistance from the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) in their construction of a full-scale net-zero energy home...more

10/20/2011 - NGS Educates Partners at Great Lakes Height Modernization Consortium

National Geodetic Survey's (NGS) Height Modernization Program educated partners at this fall's Great Lakes Region Height Modernization Consortium Meeting, October 13-14, in Columbus, Ohio...more

10/13/2011 - NOAA's National Ocean Service (NOS) Website Features Podcast Interview with NGS' Chief Geodesist

Check out the new NOS "Making Waves" audio podcast which including an interview with NGS' Chief Geodesist, and find out more about what the geoid is and how NGS staff is working to make this gravity-based global model of mean sea level a better tool to help us measure heights.
For an introduction to the podcast: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast.html
Direct link to the audio file: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/podcast/oct11/mw101311.mp3

10/13/2011 - NOAA Co-Hosts GeoTech Conference with the Potomac Region of ASPRS

October 12-13, NOAA co-hosted GeoTech, the Premiere Mid-Atlantic Imagery and Geospatial Conference, with the theme of emergency preparedness and response...more

10/06/2011 - NGS Provides Assistance to Chilean Visiting Scientists

This week the National Geodetic Survey hosted the director of Chile's Military Geographic Institute and Chile's chief geodesist as part of an effort to modernize the South American nation's geodetic infrastructure...more

09/29/2011 - NGS Director Dedicates Commemorative Positioning Monument

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) staff recently traveled to Puerto Rico to participate in the Centennial Celebration of the University of Puerto Rico...more

09/22/2011 - Wired Magazine Publishes Article Describing NOAA's Aerial imagery of Hurricane Irene Destruction

Wired Magazine took note of aerial imagery collected by the NGS in the wake of Hurricane Irene. In an online article http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/08/irene-outer-banks/ ...more

09/09/2011 - NGS Collaborates with USGS in Hurricane Irene Damage Assessment Surveys (NGS)

NGS, working with NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations, collaborated with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in collecting Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data over the Outer Banks, North Carolina for Hurricane Irene damage assessment surveys...more

09/06/2011 - Notice: Planned Updates to NGS Datasheet Format

09/05/2011 - NGS's Gravity Survey Data Released to the Public

The week of September 5, NGS announced the first public release of airborne gravity data as part of its Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) Project. The released data block contains airborne gravity lines collected during...more

09/01/2011 - NGS Releases Mobile Web Application for Public Review

NGS has released for public review a prototype mobile web application (viewable only from iOS or Android mobile devices or with the latest version of Google Chrome on your desktop PC) that makes it possible for emergency responders to access emergency response imagery in the field...more

08/31/2011 - NOAA Collects Disaster Response Imagery and LiDAR Data in the Wake of Hurricane Irene

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey and Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) have been using the NOAA King Air aircraft for collecting damage assessment imagery, following the destruction caused by Hurricane Irene along the east coast of the United States...more

08/25/2011 - NGS Provides Precise Positioning Support for Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia

NOAA's State Geodetic Advisor to Hawaii, Ed Carlson, is currently in Pohnpei, the largest island within the Federated States of Micronesia (Pacific Islands Region), providing accurate elevations and training to support a high-accuracy geodetic control network...more

08/18/2011 - NGS Hosts Height Modernization Program Training for State and University Partners

On August 18, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) hosted a workshop, primarily for state and university partners of NGS' National Height Modernization Program (Height Mod) on the importance of tying Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data to geodetic control...more

08/11/2011 - NOAA Gravity Survey to Begin in the Great Lakes

The National Geodetic Survey's Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) Project is working with Fugro Airborne Surveys to begin an airborne gravity survey in the eastern Great Lakes...more

08/04/2011 - NGS Conducts Geodetic Techniques Site Survey

The National Geodetic Survey, in support of the International Earth Rotation & Reference Systems Service (IERS), is finalizing a geodetic site survey this week at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Brewster, Washington...more

07/21/2011 - NOAA to Test Wave of the Future: Validation of Gravimetric Geoid

On July 19, working with international colleagues and state, local, and university partners, NOAA began the process of validating an important component of the latest gravity surface model (the "geoid"). Tests performed over an approximate eight-week summer schedule will involve...more

07/14/2011 - NOAA's Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) Save Users $100M in FY11

Recent usage analysis reveals that the products and services of NOAA's Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) program have experienced more than 20 percent growth in FY11...more

07/14/2011 - NGS Plays Major Role in Conferences in San Diego

This week, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) promoted technologies shaping the future of geospatial data management and analysis at the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping, ESRI Survey and Engineering GIS Summit, and ESRI User Conference in San Diego, California...more

06/30/2011 - NGS Rolls Out the Latest Work to International Community (NGS)

This week, National Geodetic Service (NGS) representatives rolled out the latest work on the GRAV-D Project to the international community at the 25th General Assembly of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) quadrennial meeting...more

06/23/2011 - NGS Presents at 12th Annual Coastal Mapping and Charting Technical Workshop

From June 21-22, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) presented at the 12th Annual Coastal Mapping and Charting Technical Workshop in Baltimore, MD. NGS provided a NOAA Program Status Report, as well as a technical talk on new developments in...more

06/16/2011 - NOAA Collaborates with the Smithsonian Institution to Study Sea-level Change History in Belize

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is currently installing precise positioning infrastructure and conducting fieldwork off the coast of Belize in Central America to assist the Smithsonian Institution in reconstructing sea-level change history since the last ice age. NGS will use this opportunity to...more

06/09/2011 - National Geodetic Survey Collaborates with American Society of Civil Engineers in Book on New Global Positioning Technologies

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) recently announced the publication of a new book, CORS and OPUS for Engineers: Tools for Surveying and Mapping Applications, sponsored by the Geomatics Division of ASCE and the National Geodetic Survey (NGS)...more

06/02/2011 - NOAA Collects Disaster Response Imagery in Tornado-stricken Joplin

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey and Office of Marine and Aviation Operations deployed the week of May 23 to Joplin, Missouri to collect disaster response imagery resulting from the recent catastrophic tornado that struck the area. At the request of the Federal Emergency Management (FEMA) Agency, NOAA's King Air aircraft collected imagery...more

05/27/2011 - National Geodetic Survey Announces National Adjustment of 2011 Project

As part of the National Geodetic Survey's (NGS) continuing efforts to improve the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS), we are pleased to announce the National Adjustment of 2011 (NA2011) project...more

05/26/2011 - NGS GRAV-D Airborne Survey Concludes in Alaska

National Geodetic Survey's Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) airborne survey has wrapped up operations out of Fairbanks, Alaska. The survey was conducted aboard a NOAA WP-3 Hurricane Hunter. More than 150 hours were flown...more

05/12/2011 - National Center of Population Geodetic Survey Disk Revealed in Plato, Missouri

On May 9, amidst townspeople, elected representatives, government officials, and hundreds of students, National Geodetic Survey (NGS) Director, Juliana Blackwell, and U.S. Census Bureau Director, Dr. Robert Groves, revealed the geodetic survey disc commemorating the national center of population and celebrating Plato, Missouri, as the 2010 Census U.S. center of population...more

05/09/2011 - Tornado Damage Assessment Imagery Available to the Public

On April 29, May 2, and May 4, NOAA's National Geodetic Survey and Office of Marine and Aviation Operations deployed to the Birmingham and Tuscaloosa areas of Alabama for aerial mapping of the long string of catastrophic tornado damage in the Southeast. The imagery data was processed immediately following flights and is publicly accessible here...more

04/21/2011 - NGS Presents Widely-Attended Webinar

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) recently presented a free webinar--to be repeated May 26--with over 100 registrants from across the country entitled "Modernization of the National Spatial Reference System."...more

04/20/2011 - NGS Launches Public News Subscription Service

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) now has a subscription news service to keep the public informed of NGS activities. Subscribing (and unsubscribing) is easy!...more

04/13/2011 - Aircraft Deployed to North Dakota for Emergency Response Image Collection

On April 7, staff from the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) and Office of Marine and Aviation Operations were deployed to collect data in areas of heavy flooding on the Red River in North Dakota. Data were collected with NOAA's newest King Air aircraft...more

04/07/2011 - NGS' GRAV-D Airborne Survey to Resume in Alaska Aboard a NOAA Hurricane Hunter

The National Geodetic Survey's (NGS) Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) airborne survey resumed this week aboard one of the two NOAA Hurricane Hunter WP-3D Orion aircraft...more

03/31/2011 - NGS Launches Presentations Library

The National Geodetic Survey has developed a library archive of slide programs, posters, and other outreach materials publicly presented by NGS since January 2009. The archived presentation files are located here ...more

03/30/2011 - NGS Positions Sensor Systems on Survey Vessel Ferdinand Hassler

Personnel from NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) conducted U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and American Bureau of Shipping certifications the week of March 28...more

03/24/2011 - With the Push of a Button, Users Enjoy Easy Access to Positioning Information

Trimble, a world-wide manufacturer of GPS products, is now featuring push-button access to accurate positions through its user interface to NOAA's precise positioning processing software...more

03/24/2011 - New Member Orientation for Hydrographic Services Review Panel

Newly appointed members of the Hydrographic Services Review Panel (HSRP) will participate in a two-day NOAA orientation and training on March 24-25. The Panel is composed of a diverse field of experts in hydrographic surveying, vessel pilotage, port administration, tides and currents, coastal zone management, geodesy, recreational boating, marine transportation, and academia...more

03/17/2011 - NGS Tests New Gravity Meter as Part of Its Campaign to Redefine the American Vertical Datum

The National Geodetic Survey recently acquired a new absolute gravity meter and tested the equipment in the Gulf of Mexico. The new meter design is optimal for rugged, quick, outdoor occupations, compared with the capabilities of predecessor instruments designed for laboratory-like indoor observations...more

03/10/2011 - NGS to Update the North American Datum of 1983

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) has completely reprocessed Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data collected at stations in the global network of the International GNSS Service (IGS) and in the regional network of the U.S. Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS)...more

03/09/2011 - Improved HTDP Utility Available for Transforming Coordinates

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey recently released version 3.1 of its Horizontal Time-Dependent Positioning (HTDP) utility for transforming coordinates across time and between spatial reference frames. HTDP 3.1 introduces improved crustal velocity models for both the contiguous United States and Alaska and...more

03/08/2011 - NGS Releases Draft Real Time GNSS Network Guidelines Document for Public Comment

In its February 2011 meeting, the National Geodetic Survey Products and Services Committee unanimously voted to release the draft "NGS Guidelines for Real Time GNSS Networks" document for public comment. The work of more than 60 individuals, the goal of the RTN guidelines document is not to set standards or specifications, but rather to offer important considerations for RTN administrators, planners, and users for optimum real time GNSS positioning results...more

03/03/2011 - NGS GPS Data-Sharing Solution Hits 3,000 Mark and Counting

The National Geodetic Survey has made sharing GPS survey positions easier, thanks to an upgrade to the Online Positioning User Service (OPUS) called OPUS-Data Base (OPUS-DB), which recently hit the milestone of 3,000 marks submitted for database inclusion...more

02/25/2011 - NGS Scientists Educate Partners in Alaska

National Geodetic Survey (NGS) scientists provided educational presentations on products and services, including Height Modernization, Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D), Vertical Datum Transformation Tool (VDatum), Horizontal Time-Dependent Positioning (HTDP), crustal motion modeling, and Global Positioning System (GPS) surveying at the recent 2011 Alaska Surveying and Mapping Conference in Anchorage...more

02/17/2011 -National Geodetic Survey Acquires New Remote Sensing Capability

On The National Geodetic Survey completed test flights of the new RIEGL USA CP680i-D Airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and LiDAR-Acquisition System...more

02/10/2011 - Community Surveyors Experience Significance of GRAV-D Airborne Operation

On February 5, the National Geodetic Survey's (NGS) California State Geodetic Advisor gathered 22 surveyors from the local community to view NGS' Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) airborne operation...more

02/03/2011 - National Geodetic Survey Acquires New Absolute Gravity Meter

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) recently acquired a new A10 absolute gravity meter for terrestrial survey work to be used to establish gravity ties for airborne gravity surveys. NGS took possession of the meter at the end of January and is receiving training in its operation...more

01/27/2011 - Mongolian Scientists Visit NOAA for Training

From January 24-28, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is hosting and training two visiting scientists from the Geodesy and Cartography Division of the Administration of Land Affairs, Construction, Geodesy, and Cartography in Mongolia. The visit follows the 2009 trip of two NGS staff to Mongolia in support of the Property Rights Project of the Millennium Challenge Account...more

01/20/2011 - NOAA Leads Meetings of Federal Geodetic Control Subcommittee

On January 11, the Federal Geodetic Control Subcommittee, led by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS), updated its parent committee, the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), on its accomplishments, activities, and plans. The FGDC is an interagency committee that promotes the coordinated development, use, sharing, and dissemination of geospatial data on a national basis...more

01/14/2011 - Cartographers Perform Airport Obstruction Survey at Miami International Airport

In early January, two cartographers from the National Geodetic Survey's (NGS) Field Operations Branch in Norfolk, VA, conducted an airport obstruction survey at the Miami International Airport for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The survey-the first following a 12-month lapse in field survey operations-is being performed by NGS in an effort to maintain the ability to conduct aeronautical surveys...more

01/11/2011 - New Policy: Traditional Horizontal Survey Projects Performed with Terrestrial Survey Techniques Will No Longer Be Accepted for Processing or Loading into NGS Databases

Beginning January 1, 2011, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) will cease accepting all orders and classes of data from triangulation and traverse geodetic surveys, as described in the Federal Geodetic Control Committee September 1984 "Standards and Specifications for Geodetic Control Networks," for inclusion into the NGS Integrated Data Base (NGSIDB)....more

01/07/2011 - LiDAR Equipment to Enhance Production of Shoreline Charting and IOCM Products

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) recently accepted delivery of a RIEGL USA CP680i-D Airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and LiDAR-Acquisition System. The new system will allow NGS' Remote Sensing Division to extract shoreline for Nautical Charting more quickly and accurately...more

01/05/2011 - NGS Height Modernization Web Pages Boast Updated Content and Design

NGS has updated its Height Modernization program website...more

12/23/2010 - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Seeking to Expand Development and Use of High-accuracy Geodetic Control Network

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) recently turned to the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) for assistance in the application of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology to obtain high-accuracy positions and elevations across its northeast coastal refuge system...more

12/16/2010 - Surveys Gather Feedback from More than 1,000 County Geospatial Representatives

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is wrapping up a series of online surveys to obtain feedback on its geospatial positioning products and services from core users...more

12/07/2010 - NGS Coordinates with Canada on Cross-border Geodetic Collaborations

On December 7, National Geodetic Survey (NGS) Acting Director, Ronnie Taylor; NOS Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator, Juliana Blackwell; and other NGS representatives met with the Director of the Geodetic Survey Division (GSD), of Natural Resources Canada...more

12/06/2010 - NOAA's Navigation Services Engage Coastal Community at Bays and Bayous Symposium

At last week's Bays and Bayous Symposium in Mobile, Alabama, coastal planners, researchers, and policy makers attended an NOAA National Ocean Service (NOS) session dedicated to sharing ideas on coastal applications for modeling and data gathered by NOS navigation services offices (Office of Coast Survey, National Geodetic Survey, and Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services)...more

12/02/2010 - Floating Real-Time Global Navigation Satellite Systems to Validate Mobile Bay Circulation Model

This week the NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS), Office of Coast Survey (OCS), and Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) began a 90-day deployment of seven Real-Time Global Navigation Satellite System (RT GNSS) "floats" at strategic locations around Mobile Bay, Alabama...more

11/24/2010 - NGS Participates in Cooperative Effort with USGS and Harris-Galveston Subsidence District

On November 18, the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District in Friendswood, TX, began collecting data at a new Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) located at the Clear Lake Borehole Extensometer near the Johnson Space Center. Borehole extensometers are deeply anchored benchmarks. The Clear Lake Extensometer is the deepest in the Houston region at 3,072 feet...more

11/18/2010 - NGS Pilot Project Will Assist FEMA with Floodplain Mapping

As the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) moves closer to replacing the North American Datum of 1983 and the North American Vertical Datum of 1988, it will interact closely with agencies that use the datums to assist them with the transition...more

11/12/2010 - GRAV-D Alaska Survey Operations to Conclude for the Season in Alaska

The National Geodetic Survey's (NGS) Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) airborne team transitioned from Fairbanks to Anchorage, Alaska for its final week of operations for the 2010 calendar year...more

11/05/2010 - NGS Helps Improve Precise Positioning Framework for Puerto Rico

Representatives from NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) traveled to Puerto Rico on November 1 to assist with ongoing activities to improve the geodetic framework on the island. NGS participants met with leveling contractors, visited leveling lines, and provided software-training seminars to surveyors...more

10/26/2010 - Height Modernization Benchmarks Published for Poplar Island

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS), in collaboration with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NOAA's Office of Coast Survey, and NOAA's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services, recently published high-accuracy positions for project bench marks at the Poplar Island restoration project in the Chesapeake Bay...more

10/22/2010 - NOAA Gets Positive Recommendation from National Research Council Report

A recently released report from the National Academies of Sciences, National Research Council (NRC) titled Precise Geodetic Infrastructure: National Requirements for a Shared Resource recommends renewed investment in the geodetic infrastructure that NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) provides...more

10/18/2010 - NGS Hosts North American Comparison of Absolute Gravimeters

During the week of October 18, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) hosted the North American Comparison of Absolute Gravimeters at the NGS Table Mountain Geophysical Observatory (TMGO) in Longmont, Colorado. Other U.S. federal agencies, as well as government agencies from Canada participated...more

10/12/2010 - NGS Participates in Hydrographic Services Review Panel Public Meeting

The Hydrographic Services Review Panel, a Federal Advisory Committee that advises the NOAA Administrator, convened a public meeting in Vancouver, Washington, October 12-13. The Panel deliberated on NOAA's hydrographic services and matters that affect marine transportation, safe navigation, commercial shipping, ocean and coastal stewardship, coastal and marine spatial planning, recreational boating, and ocean policy...more

10/12/2010 - NGS Represents NOAA's National Ocean Service at Living Shoreline Monitoring Project

Over the past year, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) has worked closely with the NOAA Restoration Center in designing and implementing a study to monitor the evolution of a large living shoreline project along the shores of the Potomac River at Piscataway Park, about ten nautical miles south of Washington DC...more

10/08/2010 - GRAV-D Project Progresses in Alaska

NGS' Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) Project began airborne survey work aboard the Department of the Interior's Bureau of Land Management's Pilatus PC-12 aircraft on September 16...more

09/20/2010 - Tenth Annual CORS User Forum

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS)-in cooperation with the U.S. Coast Guard hosted the 10th annual Continuously Operating Reference Station User's Forum on September 20 in Portland, Oregon...more

09/15/2010 - NGS Participates in 'NOAA Day' at Mobile Bay, Alabama

On September 15, the Port of Mobile, Alabama and NOS representatives hosted a 'NOAA Day' to inform members of the local Mobile maritime community of various NOAA activities in the region...more

09/03/2010 - NGS Collects Airborne Imagery in Response to Hurricane Earl

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey collected airborne imagery on September 3 in response to Hurricane Earl hitting the North Carolina coast...more

09/09/2010 - NGS Participates in GPS Power-flex Testing for Simulation of Potential Interference and Signal Jamming

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is participating in tests of civilian Global Positioning System (GPS) satellite receivers September 7-11 in a simulation of a response to potential signal interference or jamming...more

09/07/2010 - NGS to Host Kinematic GPS Challenge

NGS scientists are hosting a "Kinematic GPS Challenge" to seek community input on the best practices for processing its large GRAV-D positioning data volume. For the exercise, research institutions and companies can compute position solutions using actual data...more

08/27/2010 - NGS' OPUS Database Service Reaches Milestone

The National Geodetic Survey's (NGS) latest enhancement to its Online Positioning User Service (OPUS) has recently crossed the $1 million mark for estimated savings realized by the user community...more

08/19/2010 - Missouri Statewide Height Modernization Survey Launched (NGS)

On August 12, private surveyors joined their State and Federal colleagues to begin a statewide height modernization survey of Missouri. Surveyors in all 114 Missouri counties activated their geodetic-grade GPS receivers at the same time...more

08/13/2010 - NGS Contributes to International Collaborative Effort in the Unification of Height Systems

During the week of August 8 to 13, staff from the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) participated in the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Meeting of the Americas, in Iguacu Falls, Brazil...more

08/13/2010 - NGS Presents at Gulf of Mexico Alliance Conference

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) met with a range of partners and stakeholders at the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA) Implementation and Integration Workshop in Biloxi, Mississippi, on August 4 and 5...more

08/06/2010 - NGS Highlights Height Modernization at Transportation Research Board Meeting

On July 27, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) presented a session at a Geospatial Data Acquisition Technologies in Design and Construction Committee meeting of the Transportation Research Board in Huntsville, Alabama. NGS discussed its Height Modernization Program and...more

07/26/2010 - NOAA Makes Its Mark at the 2010 ESRI International User Conference

From July 10-16, staff from NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) participated in the 30th Annual ESRI International User Conference in San Diego, CA, the world's largest conference devoted to geographic information systems (GIS)...more

07/26/2010 - NGS Welcomes Visiting Scientists from Turkey and Taiwan

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) welcomed a scientist for a two-week visit from Turkey to learn about NGS's Height Modernization and Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum programs...more

07/06/2010 - NGS Plays Active Role at International GNSS Service Workshop

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) played an active role at the International GNSS Service (IGS) 2010 Workshop in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, from June 28 to July 2. The last day of the workshop featured...more

06/22/2010 - NGS Sponsors Three Activities for the 2010 NOAA Restoration Day in Oxford, Maryland

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) showcased both traditional and non-traditional applications of its products and services in contribution to the 2010 NOAA Restoration Day held at the Cooperative Oxford Laboratory in Oxford Maryland on June 15...more

06/22/2010 - NGS Releases New Version of Software

The June 15 release of a newly updated version of NGS' PAGE-NT Global Positioning System (GPS) software will allow NGS state geodetic advisors, contractors, and state geodetic agencies to achieve better height accuracy (and horizontal accuracy) when positioning sites near the coast...more

06/09/2010 - Successful Summit Begins Dialog with Federal Mapping Agencies

On May 11 and 12, 2010, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) hosted a successful summit with more than 35 federal mapping agencies, state agencies, academia, and others to discuss upcoming improvements to the National Spatial Reference System...more

06/08/2010 - NOAA Chairs Federal Geodetic Control Subcommittee Meeting (NGS)

On May 13, NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) presided at the Federal Geodetic Control Subcommittee (FGCS) of the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) meeting at NOAA in Silver Spring. As the chair, NGS Director Juliana Blackwell provided the opening remarks, as well as a wrap-up of the meeting and the closing statements...more

06/07/2010 - NOAA Hosts Stakeholder Forum on Geodetic Models and Tools (NGS)

An interactive review of NOAA's National Geodetic Survey's (NGS) products and services took place May 19 and 20 during a two-day stakeholder forum in Silver Spring. The focus was the future of NGS geodetic models and tools and incorporation of user feedback...more

06/04/2010 - NOAA Developing Unified North American Geoid with International Partners (NGS)

From May 31 to June 4, scientists from the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) met with international colleagues from Canada and Mexico at the Joint Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society to continue the coordinated shift to a vertical reference system based on a scientific model of Earth's gravity field (geoid)...more

05/24/2010 - NGS Chief Geodesist Inteviewed on Federal News Radio May 21

National Geodetic Survey (NGS) Chief Geodesist, Dr. Dru Smith, was interviewed on Federal News Radio 1500AM on Friday, May 21, 2010 following a press release...more

05/17/2010 - Training Held for Surveyors at American Congress of Surveying and Mapping Conference

From April 24-28, NGS trained surveyors at the American Congress of Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) conference in Phoenix, AZ, by presenting technical workshops and performing outreach on a wide variety of geospatial topics...more

04/28/2010 - NGS' Gilbert Mitchell Honored for Exemplary Service

Gilbert Mitchell of the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) was honored by NOAA on April 27 with a 2009 Distinguished Career Award--one of the highest honors granted by Under Secretary for Oceans and Atmosphere...more

04/14/2010 - NOAA's National Geodetic Survey Assists with Sanctuary Vessel Survey

During the week of April 5, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) assisted NOAA's Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary by conducting a vessel survey of the newly acquired 50-foot research vessel Storm...more

04/07/2010 - NOAA Releases Real-Time Guidelines

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) recently announced the approval and release of a document titled "National Geodetic Survey User Guidelines for Single Base Real-Time GNSS Positioning." The guidelines provide definitive criteria to achieve various specific tiers of precision, with high confidence, using global navigation satellite systems (GNSS)....more

04/07/2010 - National Geodetic Survey Provides Access to New Redefined Geoid Via OPUS

Two new features on the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) Web site allow the public to preview proposed changes to the U.S. vertical datum—the system used to define the heights of geographical information, such as mountains, lakes, floodplains, and chart depths. The U.S. Geoid 2009 Web site now features an interactive lookup for comparing new and old geoid heights...more

03/31/2010 - NGS Improves Infrastructure for Precise Positioning in Alaska

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) recently added seven Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) to improve the infrastructure for precise positioning in Alaska, for a total of 24 stations added in Alaska in the past month, allowing faster and more accurate surveying and mapping...more

03/22/2010 - NGS and CO-OPS Provide Training on Datums

On March 2-3 and 9, the NOAA's Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) and National Geodetic Survey (NGS) partnered to deliver a Web-based training called "Introduction to Geodetic and Tidal Vertical Datums."...more

03/16/2010 - NGS Goes Green with More Fuel-efficient Vehicles

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is adding to its fleet of fuel-efficient vehicles with an additional six new cost-effective SUVs and minivans, thereby helping to lower NOAA's carbon footprint...more

03/10/2010 - NOAA Presents Research Design for Collaborative Global Climate Change Project

On March 3, representatives from NOAA's National Geodetic Survey and Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services met with the U.S. Geological Survey to discuss research design for a collaborative U.S. Department of the Interior-funded global climate change project...more

03/01/2010 - NGS Plays Major Role at 44th Annual Alaska Surveying and Mapping Conference

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) provided significant content at the recent 2010 Alaska Surveying and Mapping Conference held in Anchorage, Alaska...more

02/17/2010 - NGS Showcases Non-traditional Applications of LiDAR Technology at 2010 NOAA Heritage Week and on Fox 5 News

On February 5, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) showcased its terrestrial Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) scanner at the NOAA Science Center to NOAA staff and FOX 5 News during the sneak preview of the 2010 NOAA Heritage Week...more

01/29/2010 - Scientists Discuss Technology Upgrades with Draper Labs

On January 28, National Geodetic Survey (NGS) scientists spent a day with engineers at Draper Laboratory, a non-profit research and development laboratory associated with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology....more

01/25/2010 - NGS Supports Relief Efforts in Haiti

On January 16, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Response Coordination Center requested NOAA's assistance in acquiring high-resolution aerial imagery of portions of Haiti impacted by the recent devastating earthquake.more...

01/21/2010 - NGS Discusses Use of CORS Network for Detecting GPS Jamming

From January 12-15, NGS met with representatives from the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Defense to explore how the NGS-managed CORS data may be used for detecting jamming interference to GPS...more

12/22/2009 - NGS Highlights GRAV-D at American Geophysical Union Meeting

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) presented several sessions at the American Geophysical Union's (AGU) Annual Fall Meeting in San Francisco, CA...more

11/16/2009 - NGS Responds to November 2009 Nor'easter with Airborne Imagery Data Collection

NGS' Remote Sensing Division acquired imagery following the Nor'easter that struck the Virginia and North Carolina coast the week of November 9th: http://ngs.woc.noaa.gov/nov09_ne/...more

11/16/2009 - NGS Partners with Illinois State Agencies to Provide Positioning Training

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) provided the core content of a recent four-day workshop in Rockford, Illinois the week of November 9. Held in partnership with the Illinois State Geological Survey and the Illinois Dept of Transportation, the first day of the workshop consisted of a briefing on NOAA's National Height Modernization Program, as well as...more

11/12/2009 - NGS Participates in Airport Survey Pilot Project

Representatives from NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) Field Operations Branch participated in two airfield surveys for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) the first week of November...more

11/02/2009 - NGS Hosts LiDAR Processing System Workshop

From October 27 to 30, The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) hosted 25 participants for Airborne Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) Processing System workshop...more

10/23/2009 - International Workshop Held on Monitoring North American Geoid Change (NGS)

From October 21-23, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) hosted the 2009 Workshop on Monitoring North American Geoid Change at NOAA's David Skaggs facility in Boulder, CO...more

10/20/2009 - National Geodetic Survey Hosts Webinar on GPS-Derived Heights (NGS)

The National Geodetic Survey recently hosted two successful Webinars on Global Positioning System-derived heights...more

10/13/2009 - NGS Co-Hosted GeoTech 2009 Conference to Explore Geospatial Infrastructure

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) co-hosted GeoTech, the Premiere Mid-Atlantic Imagery and Geospatial Conference, in conjunction with the Potomac Region of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing...more

09/28/2009 - NGS Participates in International Comparison of Absolute Gravimeters in France

During the week of September 20, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) participated in the Eighth International Comparison of Absolute Gravimeters (ICAG)...more

09/28/2009 - NGS Presents at Hydrographic Services Review Panel Meeting

On September 23, NOAA's National Geodetic Survey, Office of Coast Survey, and Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services, traveled to Duluth, MN, to provide presentations to Hydrographic Services Review Panel (HSRP) members...more

09/22/2009 - NGS announces the release of the 2009 geoid models, USGG2009 and GEOID09

NGS announces the release of the 2009 geoid models, USGG2009 and GEOID09...more

09/08/2009 - NOS Participates in International Geodesy Meeting in Argentina

From August 29 to September 5, NOAA's National Geodetic Survey (NGS) participated in the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) meeting... more.

08/24/2009 - Why is Yellowstone National Park 'On the Rise'?

Staff from the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) and colleagues from the University of Luxembourg and the University of Colorado take measurements of absolute gravity in Yellowstone National Park to better understand the source of the large volcanic uplift rates... more.

08/17/2009 - NOAA Scientists are returning to Alaska's Kachemak Bay for Hydropalooza

Teams will be working from ships, aircraft, and land, to bring Alaskans accurate data used to support safe maritime transportation, protect coastal communities, assess fisheries and critical marine habitats, and better understand the Bay. more

06/12/2009 - NGS Strategic Plan "Strategic Goals and Tactical Milestones Looking Forward 3 Years" approved

After an extensive period of internal and external review on the original draft, a final version was approved by the NGS Executive Steering Committee. It is available here.

05/15/2009 - Why the Four Corners Monument is in Exactly the Right Place

Recent media reports incorrectly stated that the Four Corners survey monument - marking the point where Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah intersect - is in the wrong place. In fact, the monument is in exactly the right place. more

04/20/2009 - NSRS 2007 Adjustment Report Released

A readjustment of all Global Positioning System (GPS) survey control in the United States was completed in 2007 by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS). more

2/2009 - Celebrating 15 Years of the CORS Program

This February, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) program. more

1/29/2009 - Guidelines Document Released: Connecting SET wetland bench marks to the NSRS

NGS has released for public comment a draft guidelines document detailing procedures for making precise and accurate connections between Surface Elevation Table (SET) wetland bench marks and the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) using survey-grade Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technology. more

1/15/2009 - NGS releases Beta Geoid Height Models

NGS has released Beta models for GEOID09 and USGG2009 for testing and evaluation . Final models will be released later this year after incorporating any changes to the control data. more

1/05/2009 - NOAA Names First Woman to Direct National Geodetic Survey

Juliana P. Blackwell has been named the new director of NOAA's Office of Na tional Geodetic Survey where she will oversee NOAA's responsibilities for the nation's spatial reference system. more

08/11/2008 - Draft NGS Five-Year Strategic Plan Available for Review

NGS invites you to review and comment on the Draft NGS Strategic Plan available here. As shown on the flyer, please email comments to ngs.feedback@noaa.gov, with reference to Strategic Plan by October 1st, 2008.

06/23/2008 - IGS Workshop presentations posted

NGS hosted the IGS Analysis Center Workshop 2008 in Miami Beach during 2-6 June 2008. All of the available presentations (oral and poster) have been posted here.

05/19/2008 - New Version of the Horizontal Time Dependent Positioning Tool

NOAA's National Geodetic Survey recently released version 3.0 of the HTDP software for transforming positional coordinates and/or geodetic observations across time and between spatial reference frames.... more

05/06/2008 - Real Time User Guidelines Draft Released

NGS has released for public comment the draft of single-base real-time positioning techniques, procedures and technical information to help users achieve accurate, consistent coordinates for their real-time applications. NGS is currently working on subsequent releases of additional guidelines for the users and administrators of real-time networks (RTN), especially in regard to the importance of keeping them aligned to the NSRS. more

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