The National Geodetic Survey (NGS), an office of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is hosting a 2015 Geospatial Summit on April 13 and 14 to share updates on the planned 2022 release of new geodetic datums being developed to replace the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83) and the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). The summit will provide the opportunity for NGS to outline its road map for retiring NAD 83 and NAVD 88 and apprise participants of the tools available to ease the transition to the new, more accurate datums.
Huge benefits are associated with the adoption of the new datums. The new vertical reference system alone is estimated to produce $522 million in annual economic benefits to the nation, with approximately $240 million saved from improved floodplain management.
At the summit NGS will share strategies to better enable the mapping and surveying communities and other constituents to prepare for the new datums well in advance of the 2022 release. Surveyors; GIS professionals; federal, state, and local government agencies; university students and educators; and other interested parties will participate and share their comments, questions, and concerns regarding the effect the new datums will have on their work.
The event will be held at the Crystal City Hilton in Arlington, Virginia, and it is the first summit held since 2010 when NGS hosted a similar event geared towards preparing federal agencies for the release of the new datums. The NGS 2015 Geospatial Summit will also be available via remote access for participants unable to attend in person.
For more information about the new datums and related NGS projects and programs, visit: http://geodesy.noaa.gov/datums/newdatums/NewDatums.shtml
For more information about the NGS 2015 Geospatial Summit, visit: http://www.geodesy.noaa.gov/2015GeospatialSummit/
If you have additional questions about this NGS event, please contact us at: NGS.GeospatialSummit@noaa.gov