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Definition and Densification of the Puerto Rico Vertical Datum of 2002
Abstract
The mission of the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is to “define, maintain and provide access to the National Spatial Reference System to meet our nation's economic, social, and environmental needs.” One component of that mission is to provide accurate geodetic control, including a vertical datum, for all territories of the United States. The islands of the territory of Puerto Rico have had a mixed, patchwork series of geodetic control over the last century, when they have had any geodetic control at all. This has included the lack of a comprehensive vertical datum for the entire territory. In accordance with its mission, NGS underwent an effort beginning in 1993, which has culminated in the Puerto Rico Vertical Datum of 2002. This paper defines that datum and describes the work leading up to its definition.
... In a steep and forested landscape such as the LEF this work could take years from the initial field campaign to data compilation, and the final actual placement on a map at the scale of 1 in 20,000. Starting in 2002, the National Geodetic Survey (NGS-NOAA) began to carry out the geodetic leveling process for Puerto Rico [12]. This geodetic leveling process was financed by three agencies in Puerto Rico; PR Office of Management and Budget (agency initials in Spanish/English, OGP/PROMB); Electric Power Authority (AEE/PREPA); Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP/PRDOTPW), and the Engineers and Land Surveyors Corps [13]. ...
Streams and rivers of the Luquillo Experimental Forest, Puerto Rico, have been the subject of extensive watershed and aquatic research since the 1980s. This research includes understanding stream export of nutrients and coarse particulate organic matter, physicochemical constituents, aquatic fauna populations and community structure. However, many of the streams and watersheds studied do not appear in standard scale maps. We document recent collaborative and multi-institutional work to improve hydrological network information and identify knowledge gaps. The methods used to delimit and densify stream networks include establishment and incorporation of an updated new vertical datum for Puerto Rico, LIDAR derived elevation, and a combination of visual-manual and automated digitalization processes. The outcomes of this collaborative effort have resulted in improved watershed delineation, densification of hydrologic networks to reflect the scale of on-going studies, and the identification of constraining factors such as unmapped roadways, culverts, and other features of the built environment that interrupt water flow and alter runoff pathways. This work contributes to enhanced knowledge for watershed management, including attributes of riparian areas, effects of road and channel intersections and ridge to reef initiatives with broad application to other watersheds.
The importance of establishing accurate heights to support engineering, mapping, and scientific applications is very well recognized. A network of stable, easily accessible survey control points, referred to as bench marks (BMs), is crucial to a wide range of activities, including coastal zone management, floodplain mapping, stormwater and sewer utility management, large-scale engineering projects, hurricane evacuation and recovery planning, and topographic mapping. The official heights reported on a network of BMs are usually defined with respect to a regional, national, or international geodetic datum, such as the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD 88). In the United States, the official vertical datums of each region are fundamental components of the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS), which is maintained by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS), an office of the National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The mission of the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is to "define, maintain and provide access to the National Spatial Reference System to meet our nation's economic, social, and environmental needs." One component of that mission is to provide accurate geodetic control, including a vertical datum, for all territories of the United States. The U.S. Virgin Islands (U.S.VI) has had a mixed, patchwork series of geodetic control over the last century. This has included the lack of a comprehensive vertical datum for the entire U.S.VI. In accordance with its mission, NGS underwent an effort beginning in 2003, which has culminated in the Virgin Islands Vertical Datum of 2009. This paper defines that datum and describes the work leading up to its definition.