All About The U.S. National Geodetic Survey

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By Carey Bourdier


The names and functions of many government agencies is something that we are familiar with, though there are some about which you might know little. These agencies might be less well known, but they do play a significant role in making the nation run as smoothly as possible. The U.S. National Geodetic Survey agency supports our nation's transportation and infrastructure.

It can be helpful to understand what the world "geodetic" means. This term refers to geodesy which is a branch of science dedicated to determining the shape and size of the Earth and the location of points all over the globe. The scientists at this agency work on everything from shoreline mapping to emergency response imagery and airport surveys.

The main purpose of this agency is to define and maintain the National Spatial Reference System. This system is basically provides accurate information about every square inch of the United States, including land and water. The staff continuously maintains information about latitude and longitude as well as scale, height, gravity and orientation. These types of statistics can change throughout the year or over time as the earth continues to move and change.

The construction of roads and bridges, as well as creating accurate property lines and the likes is what this type of information benefits greatly from. Problems can occur if the measurements are inaccurate. For example, a ship could run aground, if a map shows the depth of the ocean incorrectly, even if it's just an error of a few feet. Proper mapping and surveying is one of the many examples of how society benefits from it.

More and more, the staff at the U.S. National Geodetic Survey will be using satellites and other technology to produce highly accurate maps. There are also a variety of other tools that are used to help record changes in elevation, slope, scale and height. One frequently used surveyor's tool is the theodolite and you have probably seen engineers and surveyors using these devices on your local roads.

The basic premise of a Theodolite is that is measures angles in the horizontal and vertical planes. As a whole, it is important to be familiar with the angle and slope of the land particularly in the creation of our roads and in the contraction of homes and other buildings and not having this information is somewhat incomprehensible. The slightest error can result to a building settling improperly or a bridge or road being constructed incorrectly. The U.S. National Geodetic Surgery use several tools and a Theodolite is one amongst the many. The angles of slopes also can be measured with the use of a clinometer which is also known as an inclinometer.




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