Thursday, February 21, 2013
NGS Collaborates with NASA, the University of Texas-Austin, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory to Conduct Survey
This month, a National Geodetic Survey (NGS) team collaborated with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the University of Texas-Austin, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory to conduct a site survey near Fort Davis, Texas. The NGS field campaign, completed during the last week of February, ties together results from three space-based precise positioning instruments used to determine the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF)—the global coordinate system. This will be only the second such site in the United States and will better tie the U.S. reference frame into the global system for more precise positional accuracy. The ITRF is important in monitoring plate tectonics, measuring regional subsidence or uplift, providing consistency between navigation systems, and determining the rate of sea level rise, among other critical applications. For more information, contact Kendall Fancher.
