Western Region
The Western Region includes seven core states (AZ, CA, ID, NV, OR, UT and WA), as well as four states that overlap the Central Region (CO, MT, NM and WY). The region encompasses nearly 1 million square miles of complex terrain including the highest elevation in the contiguous U.S. (Mount Whitney at 14,494 feet) and the lowest elevation in the U.S. (Death Valley at 282 feet below sea level). Determining accurate elevation in mountainous areas can be very challenging, and crustal motion in the region means that accurate positions cannot be held statically.
In addition to the traditional applications of accurate heights (transportation systems, airplane runways, and water delivery systems), Western coastal communities are vulnerable to risks related to climate change due to coastal storm surge, flooding, sea level rise, salt water intrusion, changes to temperature and precipitation extremes. Height Modernization will support emergency management planning, coastal land use planning and management, and monitoring of elevation changes in these areas.
