Height Modernization

2014 Height Modernization Partner Meeting

 

NGS organized a National Height Modernization Partner meeting that provided an invaluable opportunity for state and university partners to exchange best practices, leverage resources, and receive updated information about NGS products and services. The final agenda and report are available online:

The meeting was organized as a series of sessions over the course of one and a half days. States provided updates on the progress and challenges implementing their local programs, and NGS provided updates regarding its planned transition to new geometric and geopotential datums in 2022. Other complementary sessions focused on socio-economic studies, the role of heights in emergency response, and programmatic updates from other federal agencies. The presentations from these sessions are also available online and organized by session.

Session 1 | Session 2 | Session 3 | Session 4 | Session 5 | Session 6 | Session 7 | Session 8



Session 1: Height Mod state and regional activities, Part 1

Great Lakes Region Height Modernization
Diane Arendt, Geodesist, Wisconsin Department of Transportation
presentation

Illinois Height Modernization
Sheena Beaverson, Program Manager, Illinois State Geological Survey
presentation

Minnesota Height Modernization [remote]
Rick Morey, Minnesota Department of Transportation
presentation

Michigan Height Modernization
Shawn Roy, Michigan Department of Transportation
presentation

Wisconsin Height Modernization
Diane Arendt, Geodesist, Wisconsin Department of Transportation
presentation



Session 2: Height Mod state and regional activities, Part 2

Delaware Height Modernization [remote]
Drexel Siok, Environmental Scientist, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control
presentation

Connecticut Height Modernization [remote]
Dr. Thomas Meyer, Associate Professor, University of Connecticut
presentation

South Carolina Height Modernization
Matt Wellslager, Chief, South Carolina Geodetic Survey
presentation

North Carolina Height Modernization
Gary Thompson, Chief, North Carolina Geodetic Survey
presentation

Florida Height Modernization
Scott Harper, Survey and Mapping Specialist, Florida Department of Transportation
presentation

Western Region Height Modernization
Val Schultz, Reviewer/Surveyor, Weber County, Utah
presentation



Session 3: Heights in emergency response and disaster preparedness

Remote Sensing and emergency response [remote]
Mike Aslaksen, Remote Sensing Division Chief, NGS
presentation

Advances in GPS and Imagery Differencing for Observing Vertical Changes and for Restoration of Geodetic Infrastructure After Major Earthquakes [remote]
Dr. Kenneth Hudnut, Geophysicist, U.S. Geological Survey Earthquake Science Center
presentation



Session 4: Leveraging Height Modernization activities and benefits

Socio-economic studies [remote]
Brett Howe, Geodetic Services Division Chief, NGS
presentation



Session 5: Height Mod state and regional activities, Part 3

Colorado Height Modernization
Jonathan Kobylarz, Height Team Chairman, Colorado Department of Transportation
presentation

Mississippi Height Modernization
David Mooneyhan, Director, Mississippi Spatial Reference Center
presentation

Texas Height Modernization
Dr. Gary Jeffress, Professor, Texas A&M University Corpus Christi
presentation

Louisiana Height Modernization
Dr. Joshua Kent, GIS Manager, Louisiana State University Center for GeoInformatics
presentation



Session 6: Planning for new datums

New geometric datum
Joe Evjen, Geometric Datum Project Manager, NGS
presentation

New geopotential datum
Mark Eckl, Geopotential Datum Project Manager, NGS
presentation

Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) [remote]
Dr. Vicki Childers, GRAV-D Project Manager, NGS
presentation



Session 7: Height Modernization activities

Recent and Upcoming Height Modernization activities
Christine Gallagher, Height Moderization Coordinator, NGS
presentation



Session 8: Related Federal efforts

USACE Comprehensive Evaluation of Project Datums (CEPD)
David Robar, Geomatics Chief, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
presentation

FEMA Map Modernization and Flood Insurance Program [remote]
Paul Rooney, Mapping Technology Specialist, Federal Emergency Management Agency
presentation