# National Height Modernization Regional Meeting {#national-height-modernization-regional-meeting .Masthead}

# January 24-25, 2008 {#january-24-25-2008 .Masthead}

# North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources {#north-carolina-department-of-environment-and-natural-resources .Masthead}

# Western Regional Office {#western-regional-office .Masthead}

# 2090 US Highway 70 {#us-highway-70 .Masthead}

# Swannanoa, NC {#swannanoa-nc .Masthead}

**[Agenda:]{.underline}**

-   Height Modernization

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-   Status at NGS

-   Status report from each state

-   Joint state projects

-   Grant opportunities

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-   Geoid06 and the NGS Gravity Survey Plan

-   Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS)

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-   Leveling to CORS

-   New OPUS products

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-   OPUS-Mapper

-   OPUS-DB

-   OPUS-Projects

**[Attendees:]{.underline}**

+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
| **Affiliation**                            | **Name**                |
|                                            |                         |
| **(State/National Geodetic Survey)**       |                         |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
| Kentucky                                   | Buchanan, Danielle      |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
|                                            | Rinehart, Ed            |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
|                                            | Semones, Perry          |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
|                                            |                         |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
| North Carolina                             | Gay, James              |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
|                                            | Thompson, Gary          |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
|                                            |                         |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
| National Geodetic Survey                   | Harrington, Jim         |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
|                                            | Lokken, Scott           |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
|                                            | Mackay, Ross            |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
|                                            | Mitchell, Gilbert       |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
|                                            | Shields, Renee          |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
|                                            | Taylor, Ronnie L.       |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
|                                            | Tiwari, Sonita          |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
|                                            |                         |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
| South Carolina                             | Lapine, Lew             |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
|                                            |                         |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
| Tennessee                                  | Gallagher, Bill         |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
|                                            | Henshaw, Kelly          |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
|                                            | Waters, Jim             |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
|                                            |                         |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+
| Virginia                                   | Aaron, John             |
+--------------------------------------------+-------------------------+

**[Introduction]{.underline}**

Gary Thompson, Director of the North Carolina Geodetic Survey (NCGS),
welcomed everyone to the first regional Height Modernization (Height
Mod) meeting for the southeastern U.S. (e.g. Georgia, Kentucky, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia).

**[Status at NGS]{.underline}**

Gilbert Mitchell, Geodetic Services Division Chief at the National
Geodetic Survey (NGS), provided an overview of Height Mod activities at
NGS.

**[Status report from each state]{.underline}**

Prior to the meeting, the Height Mod representatives from each state in
the southeast region were asked to prepare a brief report on the Height
Mod activities in their state.

**South Carolina: Lew Lapine**

Provided an update on the status of Height Mod projects in South
Carolina. As of January 2008, the South Carolina Geodetic Survey (SCGS)
has established 2,192 Height Mod geodetic monuments. Provided an update
on the status of the statewide orthophotography and statewide LIDAR
elevation projects. SCGS has established a Global Navigation Satellite
System (GNSS) Virtual Reference System (VRS) network as shown below:

![](media/image1.jpeg){width="6.506944444444445in"
height="5.126388888888889in"}

**Virginia: John Aaron**

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) operates five (5) of
the seventeen (17) CORS sites in Virginia. We are currently putting
together a Request for Proposal (RFP) to seek vendors to partner with us
in order to expand our CORS network and provide statewide Real-time
Kinematic (RTK) coverage.

Within the next year, we hope to begin a leveling program with our top
priority to level through existing HARN stations that lack good
elevations. We have recently purchased two (2) digital levels, which
gives us a total of three (3) digital levels statewide.

Funding for our projects is a top priority. Any assistance and/or
guidance with this issue would be appreciated.

**Tennessee: Jim Waters**

**CORS:** NGS has accepted twenty-two (22) Tennessee Department of
Transportation (TDOT) submitted GNSS reference stations, which each
consist of a Topcon Net-G3 GNSS receiver and a Topcon TPSG3-A1 GNSS
antenna, into the National CORS network. Once we receive final positions
from NGS, we will test the RTK network with other vendors and local
government agencies to make sure that there are no compatibility issues.
After this testing has been performed and any issues have been resolved,
TDOT will open up the correction and network access to the public. We
are still working on an RTK user agreement and fee structure.

In addition, we have also submitted two (2) additional GNSS stations to
NGS for review and inclusion into the National CORS network. These two
stations have basically the same set up as the previous 22 stations that
were approved by NGS.

Also, we are looking to fill in the gaps across Tennessee, but are
having difficulty finding TDOT facilities that meet our requirements.
Consequently, we are exploring alternative mounting solutions at these
facilities.

![](media/image2.jpeg){width="6.506944444444445in"
height="3.672222222222222in"}

**Photogrammetry**: TDOT has entered into an agreement with the State of
Tennessee, Department of Finance & Administration, Office of Information
Resources, GIS Services for the maintenance of the State Base Mapping
project. TDOT is responsible for the acquisition, aerial triangulation,
and orthophotography production of the State Base Map. Acquisition will
occur in one (1) of TDOT\'s four (4) regions each year, so that at worst
case, the oldest imagery will be no older than four (4) years old. TDOT
is using existing photogrammetry two-year term contracts for the
acquisition and aerial triangulation portion of this first year\'s data.

As a part of this agreement, TDOT will obtain a digital Photogrammetry
camera. Starting with next year\'s data, TDOT will perform the
acquisition, aerial triangulation, and ortho production with TDOT staff
and equipment. Currently, TDOT is receiving software updates and
necessary training required to perform the orthophotography workflow.

TDOT also performs photogrammetry work on highway design corridors.

**Kentucky: Danielle Buchanan**

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has installed fifteen (15)
CORS stations throughout the state. Twelve (12) of these CORS are
located at KYTC District offices. The remaining three (3) CORS were
installed at Kentucky State Resort Parks. As for how these CORS were
monumented, fourteen CORS (14) are roof type installations and one (1)
CORS is a ground based concrete monument. The network also includes four
(4) existing National CORS sites installed by Morehead State University
(MSU). The National CORS site LOU5 is the new CORS that replaced the
Army Corps of Engineers site LOU1.

KYTC is currently running Trimble GPSNet software to manage the KYTC
installed CORS. These stations can be accessed using NTrip protocol at
the following URL:

> [http://159.19.10.28:2101](http://159.19.10.28:2101/)

Each of the MSU installed CORS is on a different LAN. Those CORS will be
available as the network and firewall access is negotiated.

KYTC is currently beginning the process of obtaining levels for the KYTC
and MSU installed CORS (19 total). GRW, Inc. staff are attending the
level training course in Corbin, Virginia this week.

The statewide coverage for Kentucky is shown below.

![](media/image3.jpeg){width="6.506944444444445in"
height="3.6631944444444446in"}

**North Carolina: Gary Thompson**

Height Mod surveys are being performed in numerous counties. This work
is being done to support the North Carolina Floodplain Mapping Program
(NCFMP). At the present time, sixty (60) counties have received new
Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRMs). As for the remaining forty
(40) counties, NCFMP plans to release those DFIRMs by late 2009. NCFMP
has begun the map maintenance phase of the mapping program in eastern
North Carolina and considers Height Mod as a key element of its program.

NCGS has established sixty-three (63) CORS (see map below) with
forty-five (45) of these stations in the National CORS network and the
remaining eighteen (18) stations under NGS review for inclusion into the
National CORS network.

![](media/image4.png){width="6.5in" height="2.7543307086614175in"}

Geodetic leveling is performed at each CORS and the field observations
are submitted to NGS as part of a Height Mod project. Two CORS sites in
North Carolina were in the top fifteen (15) most downloaded sites in the
US via User Friendly CORS (UFCORS).

NCGS is performing a geodetic leveling project between Raleigh and New
Bern. The purpose of this project is to determine if subsidence has
occurred in the eastern part of the state. This work will also support
the flood warning system being developed in North Carolina.

NCGS continues to connect tide gages to the vertical datum (NAVD88) and
the horizontal control network.

A key element of the Height Mod effort in North Carolina is the
educational outreach. In 2006-2007, NCGS provided seventeen (17)
workshops that varied from full-day seminars to one-hour presentations.

**[Joint State Projects]{.underline}**

The attendees discussed possible joint projects, which included

-   Gravity data collection

-   Geodetic leveling projects at state boundaries

-   Sharing CORS data

**[Grant Opportunities]{.underline}**

Renee Shields, National Height Modernization Project Manager at NGS, and
Sonita Tiwari, Management Analyst, provided an update on the competitive
grant opportunities available in 2008.

**[Leveling to CORS]{.underline}**

Scott Lokken provided an overview of the research project involving
trigonometric leveling, geodetic leveling, and GPS Height Mod surveys to
a CORS ARP. The field observations will be completed in late February at
a CORS site in Creswell, NC. The results of the project will be shared
with NGS and other states.

**[OPUS]{.underline}**

An update on the status of OPUS-DB (Data Base) and OPUS Projects was
provided.

NGS estimates that OPUS-DB will be available to the public by the end of
2008. An OPUS-DB data sheet example was shown to the attendees.

As for OPUS Projects, NGS does not yet have a target date for releasing
this product to the public.