VDatum is NOAA software that converts elevation data from one reference surface, or datum, to another. The transformation allows soundings, land surveys and tidal heights to line up within a common vertical framework, which is essential where a small height difference can move a mapped shoreline by many feet. NOAA’s introduction to VDatum and coastal…
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Ocean observing data helps people describe what the sea is doing now, anticipate what it may do next and understand how it is changing over years. Measurements of currents and waves feed weather forecasts alongside records of water properties. The same data supports navigation, environmental response and search planning. The value comes from combining many…
The National Spatial Reference System is the coordinate framework that lets measurements made across the United States fit together. It defines position, height and orientation through reference stations linked with survey marks and geophysical models. Surveyors use the system so that a bridge position aligns with other work, including property records and flood maps. NOAA’s…
A Natural Resource Damage Assessment is the legal and scientific process used to determine how pollution or another harmful event injured public natural resources, then plan restoration that compensates the public. It can follow an oil spill or hazardous-substance release. Ship groundings can also trigger the process. The assessment is separate from emergency cleanup, although…
