NGS Priority list for bench mark recoveries and GPS sessions

[Bill93]

The National Geodetic Survey recently published a list of those bench marks they most want professional GPS submissions (OPUS Share) on.  That data will be used to help check or fit the 2018 geoid model and 2022 datum.

Many were selected based on their location in areas needing more coverage, and without much emphasis on whether they had been recovered recently.  Those marks having no recent recoveries would make excellent targets for everyone to hunt and submit. 

Anyone capable of OPUS Share GPS observations may want to use this list to select their targets.  I have submitted sessions for 6 of the ones on that list, which I suppose raised their priority for a 2nd checking session.  I chose those to be in areas with poor coverage in Geoid12b so they might have made the list anyway.

General info:
https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/GPSonBM/

https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/GPSonBM/OnePagerGPSonBenchMarks2018.pdf

The latest priority list:
https://www.ngs.noaa.gov/GPSonBM/prioritize.shtml

Surveyors forum post:
https://rplstoday.com/community/gnss-geodesy/surveyors-week-march-18-24-2018-gps-on-bm/#post-463616

Edited February 12, 2018 by Bill93
minor chgs

[topflitejr1]

Bill93, thanks for the heads up! This got me excited, but I noticed that they are asking  professional grade equipment be used and that the Stations be occupied for at least 4 hours. I hope this doesn't discourage amateurs, like myself, from submitting official reports to the NGS, in the future. It won't discourage me!  After all, the Big Boys gotta have their fun and I enjoy their stories and pictures when submitted on these Forums.

I was looking at the NGS Priority List for my area (Southern Central Coast of California). Two of those Marks I had previously logged on Geocaching.com. A few others have been recovered by other local amateurs and appear easy enough to get to with a somewhat distant drive. The more difficult Marks to recover ( me being a Civilian) would be those located on the nearby Air Force Base, but probably a lot of fun while hiking to the Marks, the history and the incredible views of the Coastline.

There has been a bit of a lull on recovering Marks in this area for quite a stretch of time and I have not seen a couple of the notable BM Hunters in the area for a long  time. I really enjoyed their stories, photos and treks along the coast and up into the hills and mountains after submitting their finds. 

 

[Bill93]

I probably should have rewritten that to emphasize the need for ordinary recovery reports on many of those marks.

It's a whole lot better if the guy with the gear knows which ones are still out there for him to occupy.

[kayakbird]

Bill93 & All,

I know that there are some Geocachers that do not make an official NGS 'recovery' for the 'finds' that they log in the 'Benchmark Hunting' site. Maybe this forum could act at a collection/clearing house location for those marks.  kayakbird

 

[Bill93]

Sounds good until you see the quality of some of the GC logs. Too many mistake some other object for the one they are logging and dont check the stamping.  I wouldn't try to pass on any reports without more confidence.

Even a few survey crews have turned in to NGS reports that on the face have to be wrong.  I found one last fall that had been reported Good by an employee of a big firm but site investigation showed that it appeared to be gone and they were reporting a nearby Reset that wasn't in the data base.

Edited February 14, 2018 by Bill93
Add

[kayakbird]

All,

Heavy on the 'clearing house'!  It is easy to pull up a cache's prior body of work to evaluate a 'found' log and weed out any questionable ones.

I was thinking of those such as 2OF's who's reports are as good as any Goldie Oldie.  Mike

[kayakbird]

Clearing House  - NGS Priority SQ0270:

I hope that this was not my blunder when I recovered it back in 2009, but I do not have access  to my Excel 'recovered file ' right now.  MEL

Priority Map Pin for CANYON AZ:
SQ0270* NAD 83(1986) POSITION- 47 36 03.2    (N) 107 11 59.5    (W)   HD_HELD2 

MORC CANYON as Recovered 2 October 2009
SQ0271* NAD 83(1992) POSITION- 47 42 26.99044(N) 107 11 28.48405(W)   ADJUSTED 

 SQ0271'
 SQ0271'AZIMUTH MARK IS 0.7 MILE NORTHWEST OF THE STATION, 10 FEET
 SQ0271'SOUTHWEST OF A TRACK ROAD, AND 4 FEET NORTHEAST OF A WITNESS
 SQ0271'POST.  IT IS A STANDARD AZIMUTH MARK DISK SET IN THE TOP OF
 SQ0271'A 12-INCH SQUARE CONCRETE POST.  THE MARK PROJECTS 4 INCHES,
 SQ0271'AND THE DISK IS STAMPED CANYON MORC 1948.

[kayakbird]

All,

Just added a note to the below linked Geolog.  My HH2 numbers are in a permanent Excel file that I would copy/paste into the NGS recovery format.  Haven't done the math in decimal degrees, but don't see where the degrees, minutes and seconds could have been transposed into a typo.  MEL

https://www.geocaching.com/mark/details.aspx?PID=SQ0270

 

 

Edited February 17, 2018 by kayakbird
To post a direct link.

[Bill93]

NGS is updating the priority list weekly, although I haven't noticed much change in my area. 

[Bill93]

This week's update shows quite a bit of progress in my state.  There is still one that can't be used (vertically mounted disk) in their priority list, though.

Edited March 23, 2018 by Bill93

[kayakbird]

On 2/15/2018 at 11:23 AM, kayakbird said:

Clearing House  - NGS Priority SQ0270:

I hope that this was not my blunder when I recovered it back in 2009, but I do not have access  to my Excel 'recovered file ' right now.  MEL

Priority Map Pin for CANYON AZ:
SQ0270* NAD 83(1986) POSITION- 47 36 03.2    (N) 107 11 59.5    (W)   HD_HELD2 

MORC CANYON as Recovered 2 October 2009
SQ0271* NAD 83(1992) POSITION- 47 42 26.99044(N) 107 11 28.48405(W)   ADJUSTED 

 SQ0271'
 SQ0271'AZIMUTH MARK IS 0.7 MILE NORTHWEST OF THE STATION, 10 FEET
 SQ0271'SOUTHWEST OF A TRACK ROAD, AND 4 FEET NORTHEAST OF A WITNESS
 SQ0271'POST.  IT IS A STANDARD AZIMUTH MARK DISK SET IN THE TOP OF
 SQ0271'A 12-INCH SQUARE CONCRETE POST.  THE MARK PROJECTS 4 INCHES,
 SQ0271'AND THE DISK IS STAMPED CANYON MORC 1948.

 

This one is still at the erroneous location.  Is there a direct contact person at NGS that would correct this?   kayakbird

[Bill93]

What are the right coordinates for SQ0270?

 

There is always  deb.brown@noaa.gov   but since this affects the GPSonBM program you could also try

ngs.gpsonbm@noaa.gov

[kayakbird]

 

Bill, The above is what I submitted to Dave Doyle in a 'greater than 6 seconds off tabulation;  and what I recovered it as.

Later on I would include my HH2 in the remarks.  MEL