National Geodetic Survey Policy on the Role of Government in Geodesy

Most activities supported by geodesy are under state jurisdiction. But the main governmental organization that is purely geodetic is federal: the National Geodetic Survey (NGS). NGS (before 1970, as the U.S. Coast & Geodetic Survey) established the fundamental network for the entire country. In the last two decades the field operations of NGS have decreased greatly, as its role has shifted to research and development, prescribing standards and specifications, technology transfer, computations and adjustments, and data base management. These trends are consistent with the policy that the federal government should concentrate on activities that are unique or national. The question is not so much government versus private sector, but rather how much geodetic activity should be transferred from the federal government to the states.