John Ellingson 1

Bio: John Ellingson currently serves as the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) State Geodetic Advisor to Wisconsin. In his role as the State Geodetic Advisor, John works with surveyors, engineers and GIS professionals, as well as local, state and Federal agencies, helping them better understand and use the geodetic control of NGS’s National Spatial Reference System. John is licensed as a Professional Land Surveyor and a Professional Engineer in Wisconsin. On October 1, 2016, John will be transitioning to the position of NGS Great Lakes Regional Advisor, where he will support the states of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin.

Replacing NAVD 88 and NAD 83

In 2022, two of the datums used to define the National Spatial Reference Systems, NAD 83 and NAVD 88, will be replaced. This change has the potential to impact nearly all segments of modern geospatial industry, from mapping project workflows to language in contracts and legislation. There are many data collection and management practices users can and should do now that will make the transition to the new datums easier. In addition, there are opportunities for local organizations to collect data and submit to NGS to improve the local resolution and accuracy of future NGS models and tools. This talk will provide an overview of the new datums, how they are different from the current ones, and provide strategies to prepare for the transition.

datum, NGS, NAD 83, NAVD 88, new datum, new reference frame