GeoGov 2024 Summit addresses benefits, challenges and opportunities of new, modernized NSRS

On Sept. 10, the GeoGov 2024 Summit hosted a panel discussion between NGS and other federal and industry leaders on the modernized National Spatial Reference System (NSRS). High-level management and leadership officials attended the conference, which was a great place to network and collaborate with federal agencies.

As you can see from the announcement, the panel members represented a wide range of users of the NSRS.  They were asked to address the following four topics based on their perspective of the rollout of the new, modernized National Spatial Reference System:

1. Benefits of Modernization
2. Challenges of Modernization
3. Opportunities Provided by Modernization
4. Next Steps in Collaboration

As one would expect, there was a wide range of responses based on the individual panel’s perspective of what the new, modernized NSRS means to their products, services and constituents. Even though there were many responses based on the individual panel’s perspective, there were many common ideas. This newsletter will highlight some of the bullet points presented by the panel members during their presentations. I attempted to combine similar statements for every topic under a common theme.

Summary of Benefits of Modernization

• A unified four-dimensional system will finally provide a sustainable spatial reference frame for managing the state’s geospatial resources.
  • Combining of horizontal and vertical datums in one system
  • Improved spatial data quality – both horizontal and vertical
  • Simplification in which vertical reference frame and GEOID to use in local areas with the new NAPGD2022
  • Improved accuracy of the horizontal and vertical coordinates
  • A common “language” or framework for spatial data
  • Greater consistency in non-CONUS areas like AK, Hawaii, PR, and USVI
• We can write NSRS requirements into any task order for acquisition
  • Additional uniformity for surveying practitioners
  • Better spatial data sustainability
• The unification of marine and terrestrial geoids is important for managing our valuable coastal resources (all heights should be geoid based)
  • Closer integration with tidal datum information
  • Improved height information will enable us to provide the most accurate data possible
• Direct relationship to ITRF2020 offers the ability to deliver the intra-frame deformation model through real-time networks
  • The introduction of reference epochs on NGS geodetic survey benchmarks and the time-dependency of the datums
  • The ability to more easily link the data to ITRF
• Expansion of low distortion projection (LDP) systems
• Lack of metadata within historical information to adapt to the new datum
  • Ensuring data fidelity, now and always! (METADATA)
• People and processes; not technology
  • Users with lack of understanding of a time-dependent datum
  • Surveyor making time to learn about new datum
  • Understanding the impact of the new system to your products and services
• How do we convince them to effectively transition all their historic data to the latest reference system?
  • Confusion among end users in understanding geodetic terminology and time-dependent way of perceiving coordinates
  • Adequate understanding by all stakeholders
• Degrading coordinates and heights can impact reliability over project lifespans (NGS may not be able to respond to natural changes and emergencies)
  • Maintaining an accurate deformation model for use by many geospatial users in their specific workflows
• Updating specifications on ground surveys for lidar and ortho projects that are processed through OPUS (How do we better educate our team and partners on what can be considered accurate for those observations)
  • Updating of existing surveying equipment to include new datum
  • Potential confusion in reported accuracy as it relates to changes in epoch vs. actual error of the equipment (ground-based or aerial/satellite) and the approach used to measure the feature
• Transformations to new datums may incur costs if partners do not want to “modernize” data (Potential of needing two copies of data delivered)
  • Will need to develop policy deciding if we “modernize” all our older/existing data, or just start with the new NSRS at a certain point in time
  • Need operational software that reprojects/transforms data – especially large, bulk features (e.g., lidar point clouds)
• Combining legacy data with modern data can lead to loss of data fidelity and often difficult to recognize changes to the data

Many challenges were mentioned, but I found it interesting that panel members highlighted issues with the user’s lack of understanding of the new system’s impact on their products and services.  It is about people, not the processes or new technology.  This was not surprising to me because this was an issue when NGS implemented the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88).  I know this firsthand because I was the NAVD 88 Program Manager while working for NGS.  Surveyors and mappers are used to dealing with new technology and datum changes. Still, management and leadership have different issues that need to be addressed for new technology and datum changes.  Hopefully, the management and leadership that attended the GeoGov 2024 Summit will start identifying how their products and services will be affected by the new NSRS and developing implementation plans.

Summary of Opportunities Provided by Modernization

• Increased collaboration between private entitles and public agencies
  • Providing better service
  • Reducing cost
  • Improving safety and welfare
  • Expanding innovation
  • More reliable data for monitoring trends in infrastructure
  • Providing efficient and cost-effective tools and processes for users to update their mapping products to the new reference system
• More accurate data collection/dissemination to benefit the public
  • More uniformity of data collection between surveyors
  • Improved reliability of advanced positioning built on the new NSRS
  • Improved heights for flood mapping products for forecasting, infrastructure planning and design, and accessibility using GNSS
  • Facilitates integration of tidal datum, critical to coastal science and industry
  • Allows for unification with SAR imagery and satellite altimetry, improving earth observations and mapping products
• Improved Change Detection estimations
  • Better metadata descriptions for understanding times of collections
  • Increased vertical data for monitoring existing conditions
  • More accurate representation of the Earth’s surface over time as it lates to coastal change (sea level rise, flood modeling, coastal erosion, etc.)
• Compensating for workforce attrition

As in any new paradigm, there are opportunities for increased collaboration between users and the development of new products and services. The panel members highlighted opportunities to provide better service to customers, develop more efficient and cost-effective tools for users and improve coastal change detection models. 

Next Steps in Collaboration

• Cross promotion of new datums within likeminded professions
  • Recruitment into geospatial professions
  • Increased awareness of the importance of the geospatial professions
  • New or expanded collaborations across professions
  • Leveraging non-federal resources and their active user communities spanning surveying, geophysical science, regional governmental agencies, industry, and academics
  • Working together to convince state/local agencies to adopt the new datums
• Working with geospatial societies (NSPS, AAGS, ASPRS, URISA,etc.) for impact awareness
  • Working together to identify the new NSRS impact on your products and services
  • Guidance from professional organizations and societies
• Implementation of tools and processes for datum conversion for large remotely-sense datasets for more effective data analysis for reporting climate change

Under the next steps in the collaboration section, promoting the new reference frames with other geospatial professionals was mentioned as an opportunity to leverage resources and expand the understanding of the new NSRS’s effect on users’ products and services. That is, increasing the number and types of stakeholders and constituents affected by the new reference frames will increase awareness of the new NSRS.

Joint Actions to Promote a Smooth Transition

• Promoting awareness to non-technical leadership within AEC industries
  • Provide examples of the potential for a datum upgrade (smart cities, digital twins, autonomous transportation.)Educate allied professionals (e.g. engineers, contractors, operators.)Develop unified messaging for practitioners (e.g., best practices/standards.)
  • Focus on the education component and benefits of the new datum.
• Federal agency engagement through the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) and the Federal Geodetic Control Subcommittee (FGCS) to be compliant with the Geospatial Data Act of 2018 (GDA 2018.)
• Act now to develop a specific plan and resource allocation to implement the new reference frame
  • Helping develop appropriate standard metadata/STAC templates and information
• Provide open-source tools to the private sector to enable datum conversion and an open discussion forum.

For a smooth transition of the new NSRS, it is important to identify actions required for implementation.  Promoting awareness to leadership is critical for the implementation of any new system.  In the case of the new NSRS, it is essential for federal agencies to get engaged in the process now.  I was pleased to hear that panel members mentioned that it is vital for federal agency engagement through the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) and the Federal Geodetic Control Subcommittee (FGCS) to be compliant with the Geospatial Data Act of 2018 (GDA 2018).  These federal agencies must develop plans and allocate resources to implement the new NSRS.

As previously stated, high-level management and leadership attend the GeoGov 2024 Summit conference. It is a great place for networking and collaborating within federal agencies and for better understanding the issues associated with implementing the new, modernized NSRS. 

Technology and tools are essential for the development of the new, modernized NSRS.  That said, understanding how the use of technology and tools meet the users’ requirements is necessary for implementation. 

Some users trust NGS models and tools without following the appropriate procedures.  Standard operating procedures are used in a workflow to help meet users’ project requirements. In my opinion, understanding the impact of the new system on a specific product and service is the most important part of implementing the new NSRS.  Documenting the workflow used to create a product and service and then using this information to develop standard operating procedures that use the appropriate tools and procedures will help implement the new, modernized NSRS.

In less than a year, NGS will be finalizing the new terrestrial reference frames and geopotential datum.  Time really is running out and users need to obtain a working knowledge of the new, modernized NSRS. 

NGS publicly given presentations collected for public viewing can be downloaded here.