National Surveyors Week provides a great opportunity to participate in the GPS on Bench Marks program run by the National Geodetic Survey. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Geodetic Survey (NGS) provides the framework for all positioning activities in the nation. The GPS on Bench Marks program entails surveyors providing GPS observations on existing monuments to support the new vertical datum coming in 2022.
Earlier this month on a snowy Saturday, Bill Bradford and Matt Smith dedicated the day to support this program. They found and recovered a bench mark located in Fauquier County. The team provided a four-hour static survey observation session. The GPS data was then post processed and sent to NGS along with an associated report. Bill and Matt have done the program and our surveying community a big service by increasing the accuracy of the new national datum.
