The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is modernising its global positioning system (GPS) to improve mapping, emergency response and land planning.
Upgrades are necessary for accurate positioning information including levee construction projects, evacuation route design in hurricane-prone areas and the forecast of sea level rise in coastal communities.
The modernised national spatial reference system will utilise cutting-edge technologies and better track changes in position and elevation to improve and update digital maps.
The changes will affect civilian-federal mapping authorities, as well as state and municipal governments that have adopted the national spatial reference system.
NOAA’s national geodetic survey director Juliana Blackwell said that in the past the reference frame was hampered by being held static in time on a constantly changing Earth.
The GPS upgrade is expected to cost $4.8bn over the next 15 years, including $2.2bn in avoidance costs from improved floodplain management.
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