NOAA AND LOUISIANA SPATIAL REFERENCE CENTER
PARTNER WITH ST. CHARLES PARISH SCHOOLS AND GOVERNMENT

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Louisiana Spatial Reference Center, working in partnership with St. Charles Parish Schools and St. Charles Parish Government, has installed new global positioning system (GPS) based equipment at Hahnville High School to be part of a national program to bring GPS based positioning resources to the state of Louisiana. A ribbon cutting event will be held at the school today to highlight the installation and operation of the system. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

A Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) was installed recently to support GPS based surveying and coastal projects needing accurate positioning information and elevations. Managed by NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey, the CORS program coordinates a network of stations that provide GPS measurements in support of three-dimensional positioning activities throughout the U.S.

“Use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) provides Louisiana and the Gulf Coast with critical elevations of roads, flood protection levees, buildings and homes.” said Charlie Challstrom, director of NOAA's National Geodetic Survey. “Working in partnership with the state and with St. Charles Parish, we can better prepare for and respond to the challenges of subsidence and coastal flooding, and work together to protect our communities.”

“The Louisiana Spatial Reference Center is the organization focused on helping provide the future resources for Louisiana to use in surveying, engineering, flood protection, coastal restoration, etc., that depend on knowing the position and elevations of coastal Louisiana,” said Roy Dokka, Ph.D., director of the Spatial Center.

Each CORS station in Louisiana is managed by the Louisiana Spatial Reference Center. Downward land movement in Louisiana has meant that conventional benchmarks can become inaccurate quickly. The use of the CORS network and GPS surveying techniques are part of an effort to maintain accurate elevation reference points in the state.

“For our students and the future residents of St. Charles Parish, this is great opportunity to support and be a part of new technology and new resources that will be part of our future,” said Rodney Lafon, Ph.D., superintendent of the St. Charles Parish School Board. “To have the opportunity to have our students learn and be a part of a system that will support the state's economy is very significant.”

“St. Charles Parish is a leader in new technology and new information resources because we have to be,” said Mr. Albert Laque, Parish president. “Our growth, the part we play as a key Parish in the state, and the industries and infrastructure that we see in the Parish that is important to Louisiana and the nation make our role in new technology and partnerships with NOAA a tremendous asset.”

NOAA’s National Ocean Service (NOS) is dedicated to exploring, understanding, conserving and restoring the nation’ s coasts and oceans. NOS balances environmental protection with economic prosperity in fulfilling its mission of promoting safe navigation, supporting coastal communities, sustaining coastal habitats, and mitigating coastal hazards.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through research to better understand weather and climate-related events and to manage wisely the nation's coastal and marine resources.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

NOAA National Ocean Service: http://www.oceanservice.noaa.gov

NGS: http://www.geodesy.noaa.gov/