March 23 & 24, 2010
West Lafayette, IN

The Indiana ISPLS and IGIC are hosting the March 2010 meeting of the Great Lakes Region Height Modernization Consortium (GLRHMC). In conjunction with the meeting is a one-day workshop on the future and benefits of the new control network.

HOTELS & DIRECTIONS
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March 23: GLRHMC Meeting

Doing More with Less: Funding Today’s Survey Activities

There is no charge for GLRHMC members or elected officials to attend the meeting. The non-member price is $30 which will be collected onsite. Attendance is limited to the first 50 registrants so REGISTER TODAY.

MEETING SCHEDULE - updated!

March 24: Height Modernization Workshop

What Will the Future Control Network Look Like?

Attendees will learn about past projects and approaches other states have used to implement Height Modernization; techniques on establishing accurate ellipsoidal and orthometric heights with the use of survey grade GPS; and progress on the INDOT RTN.

Cost for the workshop is $100. Cash, checks, purchase orders, and credit cards are accepted. Attendance is limited to the first 50 registrants so REGISTER TODAY.

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE - updated!

What is Height Modernization?

Height Modernization is a program in NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) that uses the Global Positioning System (GPS) and other new technologies to increase the accuracy of elevation measurements that comprise the vertical portion of the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS). This system provides the foundation for positioning and navigation activities in the United States. It is the reference base for latitude, longitude, height (elevation), and distance between points on the earth’s surface and defines the nation’s shoreline.

Why are accurate elevations and the Height Modernozation Program important to the nation?

For more than 125 years, NGS has set permanent survey marks throughout the United States. Each survey mark is referenced to an exact horizontal and vertical position, defined by latitude, longitude (horizontal), and height (vertical) coordinates. NGS connects these marks together in the NSRS. In the past, NGS employed traditional line-of-sight survey measurements to determine the position of these permanent marks. The process was labor-intensive, time-consuming, and expensive. With the advent of GPS in the 1980s, however, these methods drastically changed (hence the term “modernization”). Developed by the U.S. military, GPS is a constellation of 24 satellites that transmit signals to receivers all over the world. By using GPS, NOAA can determine accurate elevations quickly, inexpensively, and in places where traditional methods are impractical.

What benefits will the nation derive from Height Modernization?

Reliable elevation data is essential both for scientific inquiry and for safety and convenience. It allows people to measure, for example, how fast a piece of land is sinking (a process called subsidence). It improves aircraft navigational aids to make approach-and-landing procedures safer. Because it precisely pinpoints the rise and fall of land surfaces, it increases the efficiency of water delivery and drainage systems, and helps reduce urban and agricultural runoff and water pollution. It allows more precise modeling of storm-surge and pollution trajectories during extreme weather events.