NGS plans to release components of the modernized NSRS in 2025

Photo: NGS website

Well, it’s January 2025 and it’s almost here — that is, the release of the beta version of the new, modernized National Spatial Reference System (NSRS) – NATRF2022, PATRF2022, CATRF2022, MATRF2022 and NAPGD2022.

This newsletter will highlight some activities associated with the new NSRS. That said, this is short notice, but I would like to highlight that there is a webinar and workshop that will address the new NSRS scheduled for Jan. 9, 2025 — TRB workshop, “Navigating the Modernized National Spatial Reference System: A Geospatial Odyssey” and NGS webinar “Updates to Products and Models within the North American-Pacific Geopotential Datum of 2022.” I will provide more details on this later in the newsletter.

First, on Oct. 9, 2024, NGS published a Federal Register that updated an implementation timeline for the modernized NSRS.

The modernization of the NSRS is scheduled to occur in 2025 or 2026. NGS intends to release associated tools and services within five years of the modernization. The following details from the Federal Register outline the process for the rollout of the modernized NSRS:

• NGS plans to roll out components of the modernized NSRS in 2025 or 2026. As each component is released at beta.ngs.noaa.gov, it can be publicly tested with feedback provided to NGS. The testing will continue for at least six months after the final component is released on beta.ngs.noaa.gov.
• While the modernized NSRS is being rolled out and tested, the current NSRS will remain the official NSRS of the United States. The official NSRS (i.e., currently NAD 83, NAVD 88, etc.) may be found at geodesy.noaa.gov. Only one major improvement to the current NSRS is expected during this time: ITRF2020 will be integrated in all products and services.
• Once testing is complete and all modernized NSRS components appear to be stable and correct, the Federal Geodetic Control Subcommittee (FGCS) will be asked to vote to approve the modernized NSRS (likely in 2026). If FGCS approves the modernized NSRS, NGS will publish an FRN announcing the approval of the modernized NSRS and begin a several-month process of transitioning all modernized NSRS components to the official website at geodesy.noaa.gov. During this transition, the beta website may be wiped of submitted data and no further submissions to the NGS IDB (the repository for the current NSRS) will be allowed.

What does “Only one major improvement to the current NSRS is expected during this time: ITRF2020 will be integrated in all products and services” mean? I understand that one product that ITRF 2020 will be integrated into is the NOAA CORS Network (NCN). The CORS coordinates and velocities will be updated with ITRF 2020 values. That said, NGS datasheets will still provide coordinates in NAD 83 (2011), epoch 2010.0.

As I’ve mentioned in previous newsletters, time really is running out and users need to obtain a working knowledge of the new, modernized National Spatial Reference System. For those attending the 104th TRB Annual Meeting on Jan. 5-9, 2025, in Washington, D.C., there is a scheduled workshop on the modernized NSRS. The workshop is sponsored by TRB Geospatial Data Acquisition Technologies Committee (AKD70). The workshop, titled “Navigating the Modernized National Spatial Reference System: A Geospatial Odyssey,” will be held on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, from 9:00 am to noon, in room 202B in the Convention Center in Washington, D.C.

Navigating the Modernized National Spatial Reference System: A Geospatial Odyssey

Thurs., Jan. 9, 2025
9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Room 202B, Convention Center
Washington, D.C.

This workshop will cover the following topics: 

• Why the NSRS is being updated
• The key goals of the modernization effort
• Timeline, standards and technology considerations
• The Geospatial Data Act of 2018 and its impact
• There will be a discussion about the replacement of the North American Datum of 1983 and vertical datums and implications for existing workflows
• There will also be a discussion about use cases and practical scenarios, how to transition and how to leverage new technology and tools.

For those interested in more information on the TRB AKD70 committee, my August 2024 GPS World Newsletter highlighted activities associated with the Transportation Research Board’s ADK70 Standing Committee on Geospatial Data Acquisition Technologies.

Since the new NSRS will be introduced this year, it is time for users of the NSRS to get familiar with the NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NGS 92 document titled “Classifications, Standards and Specifications for GNSS Geodetic Control Surveys using OPUS Projects” written by  Dave Zenk and Dan Gillins, Ph.D., National Geodetic Survey, published on Oct. 23, 2024. This document provides the specifications users must adhere to when submitting GNSS projects to NGS for review and publication.

The section below explains the purpose of the document. There are a few items that I have highlighted in the preface that users should be aware of:

• The document replaces NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NGS 58 and NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NGS 59
• Users will need to follow these specifications for all projects that will be submitted to NGS using OPUS Projects for review and publication
• It is specifically limited to supporting NGS’s OPUS Projects Web-Based Tool.

Preface

This publication supplements Standards and Specifications for Geodetic Control Networks issued in September 1984 (Bossler 1984).

This publication replaces NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NGS 58 Guidelines for Establishing GPS-Derived Ellipsoid Heights (Standards: 2 cm and 5 cm), Version 4.3 (Zilkoski et al. 1997) and also replaces NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NGS 59 Guidelines for Establishing GPS-Derived Orthometric Heights (Zilkoski et al. 2008).

This publication provides classification, standards, and specifications for GNSS geodetic control surveys that use Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), which will be submitted to NGS using OPUS Projects for review and publication. These types of surveys were not well-established by the dates of the 1984, 1997, and 2008 publications, nor did OPUS Projects exist. In addition, since 2008 GNSS technology has improved and considerable research has been done into the best practices regarding these surveys and the analyses of achievable results (e.g., Allahyari et al. 2018; El Shouny and Miky 2019; Gillins and Eddy 2015, 2017; Gillins et al. 2019a; Gillins et al. 2019b; Jamieson and Gillins 2018; Park et al. 2018; Schenewerk et al. 2016; Soler and Wang 2016; Wang and Soler 2013; Wang et al. 2017; Weaver et al. 2018). That research supports this publication.

This publication is specifically limited to supporting OPUS Projects (version 5.x), the current North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83), the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88) and other current vertical datums that are officially recognized by NGS. Future versions of OPUS Projects and future datums will require revision of this publication.

For those that want to know more about the document, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) held a webinar that described the classifications, accuracy standards and general specifications for GNSS geodetic control surveys using OPUS Projects on April 13, 2023. The webinar provided a summary of the NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS NGS 92 document. NGS presentations and webinars can be downloaded at the following websites: https://geodesy.noaa.gov/web/science_edu/presentations_library/, https://geodesy.noaa.gov/web/science_edu/webinar_series/2023-webinars.shtml, and https://geodesy.noaa.gov/web/science_edu/webinar_series/standards-specs-opus-projects.shtml.

I highlighted some important sections of the April 2023 webinar in my May 2023 newsletter. Future newsletters will address the specifications in more detail, but I would encourage readers to download the NGS 92 document and the April 13 webinar and slides.

On Dec. 18, 2024, NGS sent an email to individuals on NGS’s listserv informing them that they have made several updates to the NAPGD2022 products and that these updates are now available on the NGS alpha site.

To explain the product updates, NGS has scheduled a webinar for Jan. 9, 2025, to discuss the North American-Pacific Geopotential Datum of 2022 (NAPGD2022).

I highlighted the NGS Alpha site and GEOID2022 — a product of the NAPGD2022 — in my July 2024 newsletter. I did a 4-part series in my GPS World newsletters in 2017 on the products of NAPGD2022 (June 2017, August 2017, October 2017, and December 2017). I would encourage everyone to register for the webinar.

As previously stated in my newsletters, users should obtain a working knowledge of the new, modernized National Spatial Reference System. NGS publicly given presentations that have been collected for public viewing can be downloaded here.

I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and a year filled with exciting opportunities.