**Report on the Great Lakes Regional Forum on the**

**Height Modernization Program (HMP)**

**September 24-25, 2008**

**D. David Moyer**

**DD Moyer & Associates**

Madison Wisconsin was recently the site of the first Great Lakes
Regional Height Modernization Forum. Hosted by the Wisconsin Department
of Transportation (WisDOT), in conjunction with the NOAA's National
Geodetic Survey (NGS), the Great Lakes Forum brought together federal,
state, local, and private sector representatives to discuss the NGS
program to improve elevation data throughout the region.

**Background**

In 1998, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
through it's National Geodetic Survey (NGS), completed a study in which
savings and economic efficiencies from implementation of a Height
Modernization Program (HMP) nationwide were estimated to be in the
billions of dollars (National Height Modernization Study, Report to
Congress, U.S. Department of Commerce, June, 1998). Since 1999 the NGS
has been exploring ways to improve the elevation data in the U.S. and
thus help assure these benefits accrue to federal, state, and local
governments, as well as the private sector.

The HMP is being implemented to address the needs for increased accuracy
of elevation data required for a variety of applications ranging from
floodplain mapping and emergency preparedness to precision agriculture.
Based on pilot efforts with a number of state partners over the past
several years, NGS is now proposing to make the HMP a national program
by taking it to every state in the nation. At the direction of NOAA and
in order to make the HMP as efficient as possible, a regional
implementation model is being proposed, taking advantage of the
geophysical and geopolitical similarities of groups of states.

Height Modernization is an effort, led by NOAA and working in
cooperation with state and local governments, as well as the private
sector, to enhance the vertical aspect of the National Spatial Reference
System (NSRS), NGS's geodetic database that serves the Nation's
geospatial positioning needs. Over the years, NGS has developed and
supported a geodetic vertical reference network (providing elevation
information on hundreds of thousands of geodetic monuments) using
traditional, ground-based survey technology and techniques. In the last
20 years, both the needs for more accurate elevation data, and the
technology for acquiring such data have increased dramatically, Most
recently, through the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology
and related surveying and remote sensing tools, the ability to obtain
accurate height data has become faster and less expensive. Through the
Height Modernization Program, NOAA has been working with states in pilot
efforts to develop and test more effective ways to use this technology
to improve elevation data. The benefit is an increase in the
accessibility of accurate and consistent height data, the vertical
component of the NSRS.

**NOAA's Height Modernization Regions**

In order to complete the Height Modernization task in the most efficient
manner, and to allocate resources in the most equitable fashion, support
of the Height Modernization Program needs to be a shared federal and
state government effort in concert with local institutions. The success
of this program depends on the technical capabilities of the state
governments, local partners, the private sector, and other federal
agencies, so NGS collaborates with primary agencies within each state
(e.g., the state Departments of Transportation, Natural Resources, etc.)
to develop an active outreach and technology transfer effort. Today
height modernization programs are underway or being developed in 17
states, including: Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho,
Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New
Mexico, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Washington, and
Wisconsin. The regional approach for the HMP is designed to make the
most effective use of evolving technology and the expertise that has
been developed by NOAA and its state and local partners.

Lead agencies have been identified for several of the eight NOAA
regions. This includes selection of Wisconsin as the leader for the
six-state Great Lakes NOAA region. (Wisconsin has been selected because
of the partnership the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT)
has developed with NGS over the years, their strong technical competence
in geodetic surveying, and the numerous geodetic surveying projects they
have carried out in the past.) The possibility of adding several
additional states to the initial Great Lakes group is being discussed.
Possible additions include Iowa, New York, and Pennsylvania, based on
Great Lakes proximity and the commonality of both height modernization
issues and possible technological solutions.

Because of this regional thrust being encouraged by NOAA and NGS, WisDOT
included the holding of one or more regional HMP as part of their
(WI-HMP) grant application for Federal FY08. The grant was approved,
with the result being hosting by WisDOT of the first Great Lakes
Regional HMP in Madison, Wisconsin in September of 2008.

NGS supports the HMP through a program of competitive grants, technical
support, education, and technology transfer. In an effort to improve the
efficiency of the program, and to help share information about common
challenges and solutions for improving elevation information, NOAA's NGS
is organizing the states by regions. The states of Ohio, Indiana,
Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota are currently part of the
Great Lakes HMP Region, with discussions about adding New York,
Pennsylvania, and Iowa now on-going.

**Initial Great Lakes Forum Discussions**

About 70 persons from the six Great Lake states gathered in Madison,
Wisconsin on September 24 and 25 to be briefed on the current status of
NGS plans for the HMP, hear from other NOAA regions about their progress
and plans, and hear from representatives of each Great Lake state about
the status of efforts in their respective states to adopt height
modernization principles and improve the accuracy of elevations.

Because of WisDOT's past leadership in improving both the horizontal and
vertical geodetic networks in the state, Wisconsin has been designated
by NGS to provide leadership for the Great Lakes region. The Forum held
in Madison in late September is one of the major steps WisDOT is taking
to provide this leadership and assist other states in the Great Lakes
region as these states move to become full partners with NGS in the HMP.

The first day of the Forum in Madison had an educational theme, devoted
to presentations on:

-   **The National HMP** -- how NGS, at the direction of Congress, is
    developing ways to cost effectively improve elevation information
    across the country, the history and evolution of the HMP, and the
    state and regional partnerships that are now being put in place
    between NGS and states.

-   **The GRAV-D Program** -- because gravity is a key component in the
    determination of accurate elevations, NGS has developed a plan to
    improve both the quality and quantity of gravity data through a
    program called GRAV-D. The discussion outlined the plan for GRAV-D,
    described the goals, expectations, and costs of the program, and
    discussed how it will benefit, compliment, and strengthen other
    components of the HMP.

-   **The International Great Lakes Datum (IGLD)** -- NOAA staff
    reported on the 54 active lake level stations that provide
    information critical to nautical charts, shipping, values of lake
    front property, and power generation, and how more accurate
    elevation information will benefit the IGLD program.

-   **State Benefits from Improved Elevations** -- North Carolina
    reported on the applications and benefits they have realized as a
    result of their participation in the HMP over the past 10 years,
    including availability of statewide LiDAR data, improved floodplain
    information rate maps (FIRMs), more accurate property assessment,
    support for their dam safety program, and a modern flood warning
    system. The state program that has cost \$100 million is providing
    on-going benefits of at least \$55 million annually.

-   **Regional HMP Plan** -- The NOAA/NGS plan for the HMP on a regional
    basis was described and discussed, including objectives, structure,
    governance, membership and likely activities.

-   **Status of HMP in Other Regions** -- Given the strength of the
    regional approach, as well as to improve understanding of the
    significant differences among regions, NGS partners from the Gulf of
    Mexico region described progress, problems, and issues they have
    encountered in their regional HMP efforts along the Gulf coast.

-   **NOAA Grants for Support of the HMP** -- Several states have
    received HMP grants from NOAA over the past several years to support
    their work. One session at the forum was devoted to a discussion of
    the NOAA grants program, currently operating as a competitive
    process. Topics ranged from notice of availability in the Federal
    Register through the multi-step application process, negotiation,
    final award and subsequent reporting requirements.

**Individual State Activities** -- In the afternoon of day one,
representatives of the six Great Lakes states were given an opportunity
to share the status of activities in their state. States reported on
history and status of geodetic surveying in their state, plans for the
next five years, current support for the HMP in terms of staffing and
cost sharing, and reaction to the regional approach NOAA/NGS is
implementing to support the HMP. Among the items noted in these state
presentations:

-   Four states (Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin) are well
    along in developing statewide CORS (Continuously Operating Reference
    Station) networks

-   Some states charge user fees for access to their CORS network, in
    other states network sponsoring agencies provide this as a free
    service

-   Classical/conventional leveling is still a major requirement, and
    one of the most costly aspects of the HMP for states

-   Partnerships are a crucial component for success of the HMP in most
    states

-   NGS support is vital for continued progress of state HMP activities

-   States have relied on the 1998 NGS study for Congress to provide
    justification of need and value of HMP (e.g., use of more accurate
    elevations for floodplain mapping, precision agriculture and
    wetlands restoration)

-   A large proportion of state-funded leveling work is being done by
    contractors, due to reduction in technically trained staff numbers
    in responsible state agencies

**General Discussion** -- The remainder of the forum was devoted to
discussion, of both the content of individual presentations as well as
more general topics participants felt were important to the advancement
of height modernization in the Great Lakes region. Among the questions
and issues examined in these discussions were the following:

-   How can passive control network (survey monuments) be
    protected/maintained?

-   What has NGS done since the 1998 Congressional Study to
    obtain/sustain funding levels for the HMP?

-   Isn't it better to have funds put in President's Budget, than depend
    on earmarks?

-   Ways need to be found to assure less variation in HMP funding levels
    from year-to-year

-   Better to focus not only on how to get more funding, but also on how
    to improve elevation data most efficiently (e.g., how to use gravity
    data collected by individual states to support the GRAV-D part of
    the HMP)

-   Suggested partners join "Friends of NOAA" as one way to support HMP
    funding

-   Since transportation is a key beneficiary of the HMP, why not target
    USDOT for budget support? (Federal Highway Administration budget
    currently contains geodetic program funding but states too often use
    these funds for transportation network construction, not geodetic
    networks)

-   How did Minnesota fund so much elevation information improvement
    without federal funding?

-   Since the GRAV-D program is currently an unfunded mission of NGS,
    will GRAV-D likely reduce funding available for other aspects of the
    national HMP?

-   Is overlap with foreign countries (such as Canada) planned as part
    of the GRAV-D program? (Yes, part of Homeland Security requirements)

**Regional Goals for next six months**

1.  Develop some sort of organizational structure

    a.  Determine membership of Core Group (member from each state)

        i.  WI -- WisDOT -- Paul Hartzheim

        ii. MI -- MDOT -- Andy Semenchuk

        iii. MN -- MNDOT -- John Barke, Richard Morey

        iv. IL -- Univ of IL -- Bev Herzog: ILDOT -- Amy Eller

        v.  IN -- ISPLS/IGIC -- Tom Mahon; Boudewijn Van Gelder

        vi. OH -- TBA (Dave Conner will identify a contact)

        vii. PA -- TBA (Ronnie Taylor will identify a contact, perhaps
             PennDOT or Penn State at Wilkes-Barre)

        viii. NY -- TBA (Ronnie Taylor will identify a contact)

    b.  Determine additional contacts/general members (such as other
        federal staff, local agencies, professional associations, local
        governments)

2.  Have follow-up conference call of core group in next four to six
    weeks

    a.  (WisDOT will organize -- Paul Hartzheim is lead person)

    b.  Agenda items to include:

        i.  Confirm membership

        ii. Discuss mode of operation

        iii. Identify mission/goals of group

3.  Hold the second regional meeting, about March of 2009 (Michigan DOT
    has agree to host -- Andy Semenchuk is lead person)

    a.  Hold individual state forums as appropriate

4.  Determine if someone is needed to serve as regional Spatial
    Reference Center (Universities have several advantages in serving
    this role)

5.  Identify and flesh out mechanisms for sharing information among
    regional members (suggestions offered included):

    a.  Identify locations to post HMP information (e.g., web sites such
        as NGS Height Mod, International Joint Commission (IJC), Great
        Lakes Commission, Great Lakes Coordinating Committee, USACE
        (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) Heather Stirratt will assist on
        this.

    b.  Contribute articles to newsletters

    c.  Obtain access to a protected web site, to share templates of
        documents (such as contracts, agreements, and MOUs),
        instructional/educational information (Renee Shields will
        determine if NGS is able to host something like this)

6.  Identify common interests (with other states in region, other users)

7.  Identify potential outreach targets (other new/non-traditional users
    and potential partners (e.g. State Geographic Information
    Coordination Councils)

8.  Develop HMP fact sheet for each state (Core member from each state
    responsible)

9.  Use state fact sheets to develop regional fact sheet (to include
    talking points for use in educating people about the HMP -- Bev
    Herzog lead person)

10. Prepare "white paper" on benefit-cost examples (Renee Shields will
    solicit examples from states -- David Moyer lead person to draft
    paper)

11. Discuss and develop program to increase interaction with other
    committee and groups who have interest in improvement in elevation
    data (One example ins the Sea Grant program, that could help with
    education and outreach)

12. Do an User Needs Assessment (the Coastal Service Center in
    Charleston has a 12-step process that could be used to do this)

Work by individual members on specific action items is currently
underway, with a second face-to-face forum planned for early next spring
in Michigan.

Details on presentations and items discussed at the forum will be posted
on the NGS HMP website (under "Past Events") by late October, at:

<http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/heightmod/>