Wednesday, January 7, 2015

U.S. National Geodetic Survey: Its Tools And Services

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.

The word "geodetic" and its meaning can help one understand its purpose. The branch of science dedicated to determining the shape and size of the Earth and the location of points all over the globe is known as Geodesy. The agency and its scientists work from mapping to emergency response imagery and airport surveys to everything related to it.

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.

Satellites and other technology are used by more and more staff at the U.S National Geodetic Survey to produce highly accurate maps. Other tools that are used to help record changes in elevation, slope, scale and height also exist which comes in different variety. The theodolite is one frequently used surveyor's tool and you have probably seen engineers and surveyors using these devices on your neighborhood.

A device that measures angles in the horizontal and vertical planes is the theodolite. It is important to know the angle and slope of land in general especially in the creation of our roads and in the construction of homes and other buildings and one can't imagine them without it. A building settling improperly or a bridge or road being constructed incorrectly can be caused by the slightest error. A theodolite is just one of the tools that might be used at the U.S. National Geodetic Survey. Another device that may also be used to measure angles of slope is the clinometer which is also called an inclinometer.




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