2025 NOAA EDMW

In the next few years, all data with associated locations, including every map, survey, lidar point cloud, aerial image, digital elevation model, environmental observations, and other critical geospatial datasets and products, will have outdated coordinates. For the first time in over 30 years, NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) will release a modernized version of the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS), the authoritative system of latitude, longitude, heights, and the national shoreline that serves as the foundation for all US federal maps and geospatial products. Not only will the modernized system provide billions of dollars worth of benefits through increased accuracy, national consistency, workflow efficiency and data interoperability, but federal law requires that federal agencies comply with this type of accepted scientific standard. This change will have far reaching implications for the use of federal funds for surveying, mapping, production, and management of geospatial data and products. The positioning information for all geospatial data sets (latitude, longitude, heights, etc.) will all need to be adjusted (re-surveyed, reprocessed, or transformed) using tools provided by the National Geodetic Survey. NGS is here to help, with a wealth of outreach and educational material available and subject matter experts that can be called upon for guidance. Evaluating and addressing the impacts of these changes for your existing data, products, and geospatial workflows will require time and resources, so now is the time to begin planning for the transition to the modernized system.