2022 Center Updates Archives
TEXAS STATE PLANE COORDINATE SYSTEM DESIGNS RECEIVE NGS APPROVAL
State coordinate zone designs built in collaboration with the Texas Spatial Reference Center (TSRC) at the Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science (CBI) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi have received approval from the National Geodetic Survey (NGS). The approved designs are part of a larger effort by NGS to transition from the current National Geodetic Reference System (NGRS) to the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS). As part of the NSRF rollout, each state has been given the opportunity to update their State Plane Coordinate System to a low distortion projection and submit it to NGS for approval. TSRC, along with the Texas Department of Transportation and other key stakeholders, has been working to build Texas’ new coordinate zones to aid in the transition and meet spatial control requirements.
2022 TEXAS STATE PLANE COORDINATE SYSTEM
The Texas Spatial Reference Center (Center) at Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi has recently teamed with members of the Texas Department of Transportation Committee on Geomatics & Surveying (COGS) and the Texas Society of Professional Surveyors (TSPS) to create all new projection zones for the State of Texas in support of the nationwide datum replacement of the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS). The role of the Center is facilitation of meetings, coordination of zone submission to the National Geodetic Survey (NGS), and education and outreach to promote the new datum and zones to the industry in Texas. Along with these significant changes, there will be an adoption of a standard official unit of measure to the international foot. Click here to learn more.
2022 NSRS & STATE COORDINATE SYSTEM WORKSHOP
This past January, the Center, along with the Conrad Blucher Institute, hosted a full-day workshop in New Braunfels, Texas, for the surveying profession. Geodesist from NGS, COGS and professional surveyors gave a brief informative presentation about the new datum and the changes to the projection zones across Texas. In addition to the presentation, the Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi GIS Student Organization (GISSO) team gave their presentation to the surveying audience as their part of the National Competition which was to be held in early April. (UPDATE: TAMU-CC GISSO Team won first place in the NSPS National Competition this year.) Nearly 200 people attended this workshop. Another workshop was to be organized for late spring but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
TRSC & CBI VISITS NORTH CAROLINA GEODETIC SURVEY
Davey Edwards, Director of the Center, James Rizzo, Assistant Director of Operations for CBI, and Michael Starek, Chief Scientist for CBI, traveled to North Carolina in March to meet with Gary Thompson, Chief of the North Carolina Geodetic Survey (NCGS). This visit provided the Center with an understanding of the NCGS and its geodetic and geospatial contribution to the State of North Carolina, especially during times of emergency, for future implementation for the Center.
2022 TxDOT GNSS ENHANCEMENT RESEARCH PROJECT
Recently, Texas Department of Transportation award a research project to Davey Edwards, Director of the Center, to investigate and suggest procedure revision for the establishment and maintenance of horizontal and vertical control on current and future highway projects in concurrence with the adoption of the 2022 NSRS and Texas State Coordinate System through the use of the GNSS Real-time Network. This research will focus on the Corpus Christi district as a pilot project to be used statewide and will give insight to the maintenance and densification of the NGS passive control network across Texas.
2021 Center Updates Archives
2021 NGS GPS On Benchmarks; Southeast Texas Campaign
August 26th, 2021 Update
Under the direction of the Conrad Blucher Institute for Surveying and Science at Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi, the field campaign for the southeast Texas suppression adjustment project will begin on September 7th, 2021. This major undertaking would not be possible without the assistance of field crews from the Conrad Blucher Institute, Texas Department of Transportation, Harris Galveston Subsidence District, MANTIS Lab, and several private surveying and engineering companies.
To learn more about this issue, follow this link to the National Geodetic Survey website.
2021 Texas Legislation for the 2022 NSRS & SPCS (UPDATE: July ‘21)
July 1, 2021
On June 7th, Governor Greg Abbott signed into law Senate Bill 1072 as written assigning the future of the Texas State Coordinate System definitions to the Texas Spatial Reference Center. SB 1072 will go into effect September 1, 2021.
Texas A&M University, on behalf of the Texas Spatial Reference Center, introduced a bill to update the State’s statute to appoint the Center as the official resource to the new National Spatial Reference System and Texas State Coordinate System definitions. Additionally, the bill will also define the international foot. The bill was filed in the House as HB 3817 and in the Senate as SB 1072.
