Formed by a group of concerned citizens in 1997, The Public XY Mapping Project is a nonprofit science and education corporation dedicated to the development and implementation of spatial addressing in the United States. Waypoint 2Type to go to The Public XY Mapping Project Web site. It contains links to the FGDC USNG standard, information on reading a geoaddress, articles, a link to The National Map portal, and other resource sites. Return to the FGDC home page.Ĭlick on the USNG link at the bottom of the page to go to FGDC's USNG site and bookmark it. This ArcIMS-powered Web site provides a framework for geographic knowledge and gives the public access to high-quality geospatial data and information from multiple partners. Clicking on this link displays the location of FGDC's headquarters in the National Map Viewer. The alphanumeric sequence, 18STJ94731361, is the FGDC's USNG address. The line immediately below the FGDC street address reads USNG: 18STJ94731361. Visit the FGDC home page ( and look at the bottom of the page. USNG provides a standard method for plotting and reporting positions across the United States. FGDC is a key player in the development and deployment of positional standards in government, academia, and industry. Positional reporting and spatial accuracy are necessary when using and sharing spatial information. FGDC, in cooperation with state, local and tribal government organizations, the academic community, and the private sector, is developing the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). This interagency committee is composed of representatives from many federal agencies. Waypoint 1The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) develops policies, standards, and procedures that enable organizations to cooperatively produce and share geographic data.
#OBJECTIVE GRID MAPPING SERIES#
It is organized as a series of stops or waypoints that are numbered from 1 through 7. This article introduces USNG to both casual and experienced GIS users by taking the reader on a virtual tour of the available resources for learning about USNG. The Esri Military Analyst extension supports MGRS with a dynamic coordinate conversion and provides batch conversion of data from decimal degrees to MGRS coordinates in addition to degrees, minutes, seconds (DMS) and UTM. ArcGIS 9.1 includes grid and graticule support for map layouts. Many GPS receivers, from recreational to survey-grade instruments, support and report positional information in an MGRS/USNG format. USNG is a nonproprietary alphanumeric referencing system derived from the Military Grid Reference System (MGRS). USNG relies on the familiar Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) coordinate system and is applied not only in the United States but also worldwide. DHS has proposed that the United States National Grid (USNG) be used to increase the interoperability of location services appliances with printed map products by providing a nationally consistent grid reference system. National Grid is based on universally-defined coordinate and grid systems and can, therefore, be easily extended for use world-wide as a universal grid reference system.įiscal Year 2005 Homeland Security Grant ProgramĪ consistent system is important because people cannot easily convert between multiple reference systems without the aid of location services appliances, calculators, or conversion tables. National Grid standard is to create a more interoperable environment for developing location-based services within the United States and to increase the interoperability of location services appliances with printed map products by establishing a nationally consistent grid reference system as the preferred grid for NSDI applications. The United States National Grid is a nonproprietary alphanumeric referencing system derived from the Military Grid Reference System (MGRS) that is being promoted to increase the interoperability of location services appliances with printed map products by providing a nationally consistent grid reference system.
#OBJECTIVE GRID MAPPING PORTABLE#
The expanding use of portable GPS-enabled devices, public safety access points (PSAP)-enhanced cell phones, and automated vehicle location (AVL) technology has increased the need for accurate and consistent identification, communication, and mapping of ground coordinates. DHS recognizes that many different coordinate systems can be used to reference incident events in time and space. In 2005, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recommended that any DHS grant submission reference the use of a nationally defined coordinate system for all spatial referencing, mapping, and reporting. Introducing the United States National Grid