CORVALLIS, Ore. — Last week, Oregon State University (OSU) announced that it will be awarded a $6.5 million research grant as part of a federal effort to modernize geospatial coordinate system.
OSU is one of four institutions selected to help advance a federal effort to the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS).
The NSRS supports surveying, mapping, autonomous car navigation, precision agriculture and the rest of the United States’ geospatial economy.
The $6.5 million grant will be distributed over a span of five years. It comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for research to be done be the new Geospatial Center for the Arctic and Pacific (GCAP). The funding is through NOAA's National Geodetic Survey and is part of nearly $20 million awarded overall.
GCAP Director Chris Parrish of the OSU College of Engineering said that new advances in technology, such as smart cities or self-driving cars, all need accurate coordinates as everything is connected.
"Groundbreaking advances are occurring in areas like self-driving vehicles, smart cities and geospatial artificial intelligence. What all of those have in common is the need for accurate, consistent spatial coordinates that define locations on, above or below the Earth’s surface," Parrish said.
The system for the foundation of technology and how spatial coordinates are determined within the U.S. is the National Spatial Reference System — which has not been updated within the last four decades.
Parrish said modernization is critically needed to meet 21st-century accuracy demands.
"GCAP will contribute impactful geodetic research, infrastructure, education and workforce development to support a new, diverse generation of geodesists, surveyors and geospatial professionals," he said.
The GCAP research will also help improve resilience to coastal and seismic hazards with advanced monitoring capabilities. Parrish noted that GCAP includes representation from the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, the Yurok Tribe and the University of Alaska Anchorage.
