NGS Height Modernization Conference

Session Results

July 17-18, 2007

Table of Contents

■ National Height Modernization – Vision

■ Height Modernization Group Session Notes

- Envisioning the Future

- Strengths and Weaknesses of Zonal Approach

- Strategic Focus Areas

- Breakout Groups – Strategic Focus Areas

o Regional/ Zone Approach

o Funding Strategy

o Business Case

o Outreach and Education

o Political Strategy

o Standards

o SOP’s

■ Regional Management Givens

■ Individual Input on Regional Approach

■ Session Evaluations

National Height Modernization – Vision

(Draft)

Where do we want to be in 10 years?

“We provide the accuracy you need in the time you need it.”

A highly effective national program

Working together, we will…

· Establish a nationwide, integrated real-time data acquisition network

· Define reliable, sustainable national standards that lead to a single, well defined vertical datum, with seamless measurements between states

· Achieve nationwide consistency and efficiency, balanced with the flexibility needed to address local issues

· Institute an effective national, regional and state-level management structure that accounts for both geopolitics and geophysics

· Create a state-of-the-art technology infrastructure, with 3-dimensional systems in place that support all geospatial activities

· Enable the conversion of existing data to new standards and levels of accuracy

· Lead the effort to coordinate federal and state agencies in adopting national standards and benefiting from the latest/best available data

Benefiting NOAA & the Nation

With such a program in place, we will be able to…

· Better meet the needs of critical applications including emergency preparation and response, floodplain management, and land management

· Demonstrate a measurement of change for NOAA and the nation

· Make reliable heights to national standards readily available to all sectors, public and private

· Integrate height modernization into other key programs and local systems

· Promote greater scientific collaboration for models and tools development

Building broad support

As partners in this shared interest, we will…

· Speak with one voice to clearly communicate the value of this program to policy makers, users and to the general public

· Ensure state partners understand the importance of non-federal funding

· Make a concerted, organized effort to build a broad constituent base, mobilizing local interest (buy in) in a national program

· Ensure stable funding support to maintain the base structure and support key initiatives

Strengthening Federal-states and states-to-states partnerships

To strengthen the foundation of this effort, we will…

· Continuously strengthen working relationships Cooperation/coordination between Federal government and state partners

· Share resources to realize shared benefits

· Coordinate our efforts to educate, train and transfer technology

Height Modernization

Group Session Notes

Task 1: Envisioning the Future

· Where do we want to be in 10 years?

· What could this Program look like if we pulled together on a national level?

· What could we achieve together?

· What would the benefit be to this nation as a whole?

Table One:

Where do we want to be in 10 years?

· National standards

· Consistency

· Modernization of national standards

· Currently takes too long

· Org structure to support

· Integration

· Modern IT infrastructure

· Modern programming language

· Consistent

What would a national program look like?

· Est. HT Mod standards for a consistent national program

· Est. infrastructure to support national HT Mod

· Setting standards

· Tech transfer

· Enabling others w/ tools

· State advisor – more coordinated less independent

What could we achieve together?

· Money $

· Consolidate voices

· Regional

· National

· Education

· Training

· Tech Transfer

· Shared resources for shared benefits

What would the benefit be to this nation as a whole?

· Reduced duplication

· Done right

· Disaster mitigation

· National framework to support multiple applications

· Shows a measurement of change

· NGS has a unique ability to measure change to NOAA and the Nation

Table Two:

Envisioning the future

· 2 cm Geoid (95%)

· 2 cm orthometric on every CORS

· Guidelines/standards/procedures for achieving 2 cm heights

· Examples memo 58 and 59

· Mechanism for dealing with change over time

· E.g. subsidence/relationship to sea levels

· Velocities on CORS

· Publish predictive models

· Concerted outreach to state legislators

· Understanding by policy makers of state partners of importance of funding non-federal share

· Benefit/cost analysis of HM program

· Role of NGS in assuming coordination of all federal agencies (to use latest/best available data)