HEIGHT MODERNIZATION COORDINATION MEETING

Meeting Notes

Tuesday, February 8, 2005

 

 

Purpose:  To exchange information and provide an update on Height Modernization activities, events, and issues

 

 

Update on past month’s activities/action items                                             Juliana Blackwell

1.       Add Grants link and/or info to Height Mod webpage (No action)

2.       Add Gravity/Geoid link and/or info to Height Mod webpage (In progress)

3.       Add Height Modernization Survey Station tag to datasheets (Done)

           [NGS Datasheet Retrieval program will allow for the selection of “GPS Height Mod Station” as well as “Wisconsin Height Mod Station” from the “Data Type Desired” pull-down menu.]

4.       Check on North Carolina tidal leveling status (No action) – Juliana will check on this by next week.

[*Post-meeting update: February 14 - NGS is working on the last NC tide level line.  All others have been processed.  Gary Thompson was notified.  Action item completed.]

 

Leveling software update                                                                                    Frank Mowry

• Texas A&M Corpus Christi is interested in working on leveling software.  Frank proposes that interested parties meet during the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) conference to discuss.
• At this point in time, all leveling data must be submitted to NGS for adjustment.
• Frank Mowry will look into the software development efforts for the USGS 3^rd order benchmark ties.

 

So you want to use Height Mod stations for vertical control?                        Dale Pursell

Pros?  Cons?  Needs?  Implementation?

• In response to emails requesting NGS allow GPS Height Modernization Survey Stations be used as vertical control, an informal in-house group was formed to discuss necessary software requirements and potential impact on the NGS database to support this proposal.   Consensus was that GPS Height Mod stations would be allowed, but clarification would be needed to show accuracy – 2 cm, 5 cm, 10 cm, etc., in the NGS database.   The group plans to present their findings to the Executive Steering Committee in March.
• Caution:  Be careful when coding the orthometric heights in the B-file (*86* record, column 24) for Height Mod projects submitted to NGS.  If the orthometric height code is a “K,” the new GPS-derived orthometric height will supersede previous heights established with leveling.  If the ortho height established through leveling is being used as control, the ortho code should be an “A” or “B.”
• If you are aware of Height Modernization Survey Stations with incorrect heights, please contact Maralyn Vorhauer (Maralyn.Vorhauer@noaa.gov).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             

 

Education and Outreach…What’s going on?                                                      All

• “Spatial Reference Centers, Implementing the National Spatial Reference System – A Panel Discussion” is scheduled for Monday, March 21 from 10:30 AM– 12:00 PM at the ACSM conference in Las Vegas.  Please contact Greg Helmer ( gahelmer@rbf.com ) if you are interested in participating.
• GPS Users group started in Colorado. (Pam Fromhertz)
• Real-Time Kinematic Symposium was held February 4 in Irvine, CA.  Eighty people attended.  CSRC is considering a National RTK Symposium for next year.
• The states of Missouri and New Jersey are interested in holding Height Mod forums/workshops to educate surveyors and managers about Height Modernization.  Missouri Society of Professional Surveyors annual meeting and Height Mod workshop will be held September 22-24. 
• General Height Modernization Overview PowerPoint presentation is nearly complete.  The goal is to have an up-to-date, consistent presentation (with notes) available for outreach efforts. (Juliana Blackwell)
• POSNAV LV equipment on “Gyro” truck in need of a firmware update. (Gary Thompson)
• North Carolina A&T State University interested in holding another Height Modernization Workshop.  The proposed curriculum consists of a basic Height Mod workshop and an advanced session to include GPS data processing with PAGE-NT.
• GPS data from coastal Louisiana project has been processed and adjusted by Kurt Shinkle.  Kurt is waiting for NGS HQ to review and respond.
• LSRC to host Geospatial Data Exchange Expo on May 10 - 11 for users of GIS data. (Dr. Roy Dokka) Dr. Dokka is working on transferring LIDAR data to SLOSH models.
• Week of May 16^th – Height Modernization Forum planned in Tampa, FL. (Ronnie Taylor)
• June 8 – 11 – North American Surveying and Mapping Educators Conference at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, TX. (Dr. Gary Jeffress)