Height Modernization

The National Height Modernization Program enables access to accurate, reliable, and consistent heights. Elevation information contributes to informed decision making and impacts a wide range of important activities including mapping and charting, flood risk determination, transportation, land use and ecosystem management. Visit our Web pages to learn more about the Program.

Notices

New Release: Beta Version of NGS Datasheet Shape File Format,

04.10.2013

NGS Announces Release of Geodetic Data from Geoid Slope Validation Survey 2011 (GSVS11),

02.01.2013

NGS updates "Bluebooking" process for GPS projects,

11.27.2012

GEOID12A Model Released,

9.11.2012

In The News

5/3/2013 - NGS attends 2013 Height Modernization Partner Meeting

On April 30 and May 1, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet hosted the 2013 Partner Meeting. Over 40 individuals attended the meeting either in-person or via webinar. Many states presented information about their local Height Modernization activities, accomplishments and lessons learned; and NGS shared updates about its new strategic plan, products, and tools. Regular Height Modernization Partner meetings facilitate the exchange of ideas and best practices, and more information, including presentations, will be added to the meeting's webpage.

03/18/2013 - 2010 South Louisiana GNSS Network Results Webinar

On March 15, NGS hosted an on-line webinar to discuss recently updated orthometric heights for southern Louisiana relative to the September 2010 GNSS Height Modernization project. Subsidence in southern Louisiana can make the local vertical reference system "unreliable," but these recently published orthometric heights represent the most up-to-date heights available for the region. Over 40 people attended the webinar, and you can visit the Corbin Training Center for more information.

2/28/2013 - Update on GRAV-D and GSVS surveys

The National Geodetic Survey hosted a webinar to provide an update on the path to the New Vertical Datum. Presentations provided a status update of the Gravity for Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) project, a recap of the Geoid Slope Validation Survey of 2011 (GSVS11) and a status update on the Geoid Slope Validation Survey of 2014 (GSVS14). Nearly 200 people attended the live webcast, and you can visit the Corbin Training Center for more information about past and upcoming webinars.

1/2/2013 - Height Modernization Program Manager Retires from NGS

Renee Shields, the National Height Modernization Program (NHMP) Manager, retired on Jan. 2, 2013 after 33 years of federal service. Since joining NGS in 1979, Ms. Shields has experienced major involvement in the geodetic adjustments for the North American Datum of 1983, and integration of new Global Positioning System (GPS) projects into the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS). She has extensive experience in GPS and Geoid Height analysis, and has successfully used this experience to develop and conduct workshops around the country on incorporation of data into the NSRS. Her leadership, coordination, and management of the NHMP has been invaluable as NGS moves toward the implementation of a new vertical datum in the next decade.

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