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NGS Releases New Geoid Model

January 29, 2021

NGS has released its annual experimental geoid model (xGEOID) , which is the foundation for determining precise heights in the modernized National Spatial Reference System (NSRS). A geoid model approximates mean sea level as determined by the Earth's gravity field. The xGEOIDs provide preliminary - but increasingly accurate - views of the changes expected from modernizing the NSRS and replacing the North American Vertical Datum of 1988. Experimental Geoid Model 2020 (xGEOID20) is the first joint experimental geoid model produced through international cooperation among the United States, Canada, and Mexico. It incorporates the latest satellite gravity model, all available airborne gravity data from the NGS Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum program, and an improved digital elevation model.

For more information, contact: Yan Wang