Height Modernization
The National Height Modernization Program enables access to accurate, reliable, and consistent heights. Elevation information contributes to informed decision making and impacts a wide range of important activities including mapping and charting, flood risk determination, transportation, land use and ecosystem management. Visit our Web pages to learn more about the Program.
Notices
New Release: Beta Version of NGS Datasheet Shape File Format,
04.10.2013NGS Announces Release of Geodetic Data from Geoid Slope Validation Survey 2011 (GSVS11),
02.01.2013NGS updates "Bluebooking" process for GPS projects,
11.27.2012GEOID12A Model Released,
9.11.2012In The News
5/3/2013 - NGS attends 2013 Height Modernization Partner Meeting
On April 30 and May 1, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet hosted the 2013 Partner Meeting. Over 40 individuals attended the meeting either in-person or via webinar. Many states presented information about their local Height Modernization activities, accomplishments and lessons learned; and NGS shared updates about its new strategic plan, products, and tools. Regular Height Modernization Partner meetings facilitate the exchange of ideas and best practices, and more information, including presentations, will be added to the meeting's webpage.
03/18/2013 - 2010 South Louisiana GNSS Network Results Webinar
On March 15, NGS hosted an on-line webinar to discuss recently updated orthometric heights for southern Louisiana relative to the September 2010 GNSS Height Modernization project. Subsidence in southern Louisiana can make the local vertical reference system "unreliable," but these recently published orthometric heights represent the most up-to-date heights available for the region. Over 40 people attended the webinar, and you can visit the Corbin Training Center for more information.
2/28/2013 - Update on GRAV-D and GSVS surveys
The National Geodetic Survey hosted a webinar to provide an update on the path to the New Vertical Datum. Presentations provided a status update of the Gravity for Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) project, a recap of the Geoid Slope Validation Survey of 2011 (GSVS11) and a status update on the Geoid Slope Validation Survey of 2014 (GSVS14). Nearly 200 people attended the live webcast, and you can visit the Corbin Training Center for more information about past and upcoming webinars.
1/2/2013 - Height Modernization Program Manager Retires from NGS
Renee Shields, the National Height Modernization Program (NHMP) Manager, retired on Jan. 2, 2013 after 33 years of federal service. Since joining NGS in 1979, Ms. Shields has experienced major involvement in the geodetic adjustments for the North American Datum of 1983, and integration of new Global Positioning System (GPS) projects into the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS). She has extensive experience in GPS and Geoid Height analysis, and has successfully used this experience to develop and conduct workshops around the country on incorporation of data into the NSRS. Her leadership, coordination, and management of the NHMP has been invaluable as NGS moves toward the implementation of a new vertical datum in the next decade.
12/21/12 - Height Modernization Program National 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. Accurate heights are essential for a wide range of economic activities, including construction and infrastructure projects; emergency planning and storm evacuation routes; flood-plain mapping to help determine flood insurance rates; control of specialized equipment for road construction, snow removal, and agriculture; sea-level monitoring; and ecosystem restoration. To learn more, read the entire plan online.
11/2/12 - Great Lakes Region Continues Height Modernization Leadership
The Michigan Department of Transportation recently hosted the Great Lakes Region Height Modernization Consortium semi-annual meeting. NGS staff participated via teleconference presenting information on recent projects and products along with general programmatic updates. Partner organizations in the Great Lakes, who all face similar challenges maintaining vertical control, continue meeting regularly and sharing best practices. Find additional information on our Events page.
10/25/2012 - NGS Presents at California Spatial Reference Center
NGS attended the California Spatial Reference Center (CSRC) Coordinating Council's semi-annual meeting and provided updates on NGS activities including the Height Modernziation program. In partnership with NGS, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and other participants, CSRC has successfully established and maintained a state-of-the-art network of GPS control stations necessary for a reliable spatial reference system in California.
8/23/12 - NGS Leads Gulf Coast Workshops on Vertical Control
NGS staff and geodetic advisors participated in workshops for the surveying communities in Mississippi and Alabama. Much of the work recently completed by the Departments of Transportation in both states has contributed to improving the vertical control network and geoid model in the Gulf Coast region. The workshops discussed the local impacts of recent NGS projects as well as the release of updated models and tools. Find additional information on our Events page.
07/03/2012 - NGS Expands Region in Gulf Coast states where NAVD 88 heights are restricted
Since 2004, NGS has restricted publication of NAVD 88 orthometric heights in a region of southern Louisiana where subsidence has made geodetic control obsolete. In recent years, orthometric heights for some bench marks in the region were re-computed using leveling and GPS Height Modernization survey observations. The re-computed orthometric heights superseded existing vertical geodetic control. For those marks whose elevations were not updated in these adjustments, NGS restricted publication, cautioning users against combining outdated and updated vertical geodetic control.
Similar efforts to supersede obsolete vertical geodetic control using new leveling observations have been completed in other Gulf Coast states, and the restricted area has been expanded. More detailed information will be available soon for each state affected. For additional inquiries, email the Height Modernization Manager.
We welcome your feedback and comments.
Regional/State Information
