National Geodetic Survey (NGS) Will Cease Accepting Traditional Triangulation and Traverse Geodetic Surveys

GPS is Taking over the World!

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) has announced a new policy that traditional horizontal survey projects performed with terrestrial survey techniques will no longer be accepted for processing or loading into NGS databases.

The Specifics Are:

“Beginning January 1, 2011 the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) will cease accepting data, all orders and classes, from triangulation and traverse geodetic surveys as they are described in the Federal Geodetic Control Committee September 1984 “Standards and Specifications for Geodetic Control Networks” for inclusion into the NGS Integrated Data Base (NGSIDB).”

This new policy is being implemented, according to NGS, because NGS has not received a traditional (triangulation or traverse) survey for purely horizontal work since 2006.

The Bulletin for this new Policy goes on to state:

“All horizontal surveys relevant to the mission of NGS performed by individuals external to NGS are now performed with GPS. The maintenance of computer software and hardware dedicated to traditional horizontal surveys requires use of resources that are limited and will be used more appropriately elsewhere.”

Just another sign of how surveying technology changes over time and that GPS has become King of the Hill, for now at least.

Professional Land Surveyor Source

• National Geodetic Survey (NGS)