Geomatics Infrastructure Developments in Alaska by the National Geodetic Survey

摘要

The National Geodetic Survey (NGS) traces its roots back to the first scientific agency of the United States, the Survey of the Coast. In 1807 Congress endorsed the request of President Thomas Jefferson to establish a Federal agency to survey the coasts of the United States in support of growth and development of our young country. While the Survey's name has changed over the years, the need for accurate surveying remains the same. Today's NGS provides the United States and its territories with the most accurate geodetic framework for all types of geodetic control, indispensable to surveying, engineering, and mapping activities. Technology and methodology have evolved over the years but our mission "to define, maintain, and provide access to the National Spatial Reference System to meet our nation's economic, social, and environmental needs" remains. Surveying the Nation began on the east coast and slowly progressed across the coterminous United States. Alaska, however, remained the "last frontier" for a number of reasons, including the environmental harshness of the territory and the lack of proficient technological methodologies considered efficiently operational to survey the Alaskan landscape. Consequently, adequate geodetic surveying in Alaska remained on the back burner waiting for effective, more advantageous opportunities. These opportunities have arrived. Thanks to the revolutionary advances in our present digital age, NGS is now able to address the challenging geodetic needs of Alaska and focus its efforts on improving the state's geodetic infrastructure.