[csrcexec-1067] NOAA's CORS GRAV-D Congressional Hearing Revised ( Kilometer)

[John Canas]

Yehuda, I attended the NOAA's CORS and GRAV D Congressional Briefing on June
15th at the US Capital Visitors Center.  The meeting was preceded by an
informal gathering of attendees including legislative staff and speakers.
The American Surveyor Magazine participated as a host. Although Senators
Mark Begich (D-AK) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA) were invited to speak, they did
not and were represented by staff.

 

Juliana Blackwell, NGS Director, opened the meeting and reviewed the history
of the National Geodetic Survey which was founded over 200 years ago.  Her
remarks focused on the evolution of surveying measurements both in accuracy
and technology.  She emphasized that the 1,500,000 passive geodetic marks
were disappearing at the rate of 200 per day.  The cost of geodetic leveling
at $3,000 to $6000 per Kilometer  make maintenance and replacement
prohibitive,  She also went on to state that the present NAVD 88 Datum has
inaccuracies that make it's replacement necessary with the Redefinition of
the North American Datum, GRAV- D.  She went on to state that this was
necessary to take advantage of CORS for Height Modernization.  She described
the Social Economic Benefits to CORS and GRAV-D.

 

Wendell Curolle, Manager, South Lafourche Levee District, Galliano,
Louisiana followed with a presentation for the need of accurate heights for
rebuilding and maintaining levees in Louisiana after Katrina.

 

Roy Dokka, Director of the Louisiana Spatial reference center, followed with
a presentation that reinforced the need for CORS and GRAV D to support
accurate Heights for Flood Plain Mapping, safe evacuation routes, community
hazards resilience and public works infrastructure.

 

Nick Masrtodicasa, Project manager, Alaska Aviation Safety Project,
Statewide Digital Mapping Initiative made a presentation on the need for
accurate Heights in Alaska for Aviation Navigation.  Alaska has very heavy
accident and death toll due to aviation accidents related to inaccurate
heights.

 

Gary Thompson, Director, North Carolina geodetic survey, gave a presentation
on flood plain mapping and the need for accurate heights.

 

Irv Leveson, expert in Economic and Strategic Analysis, Leveson Consulting
and author of the attached" Socio Economic Benefits Study: Scoping the
Values of CORS and GRAV-D", Final Report revised January 2009 described his
report methodology, recommendations, and strategy.  Page 2 reinforces the
increasing demand for Real Time CORS Data.  In summary it is a very
important cost benefit study prepared for the NGS that is of very
significant importance to the geo spatial community.

 

 

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