Clients: Everglades National Park, South Florida Water Management District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Water Resources Discipline, and Biological Resources Discipline.

B. WORK PLAN

Title of Task 1: Topographic Surveying Using the Airborne Height Finder and GPS Technology.
Task Funding: USGS GEER PBS Initiative, ENP CESI (potentially), CERP (potentially)
Task Leaders: Greg Desmond
Phone: 703/648-4728
FAX: 703/648-4165
Task Status (proposed or active): Active
Task priority: High
Task Personnel: Vince Caruso, Ed Cyran, Gary Freeman, Bob Glover, Chuck Henkle, Gordon Shupe

Task Summary and Objectives: The topographic surveying team utilizes the USGS developed Airborne Height Finder (AHF) to produce very accurate digital elevation models for use in ecosystem restoration simulation models.

Work to be undertaken during the proposal year and a description of the methods and procedures:
The primary goal of this project in FY04 will be to complete the topographic surveys within the TIME model domain. To do so, surveys are planned for the Whitewater Bay East and Flamingo quadrangles. Static GPS surveys are also planned for the purposes of extending the AHF geodetic control network. Static surveys will also be conducted to establish accurate vertical reference mark for many water level gauges located within the TIME model area. After the work is completed for TIME and ENP, surveying of the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge (LNWR) will commence. The remaining areas requiring new elevation data after LNWR is completed include Water Conservation Area-2 (WCA-2), fringing wetlands of Biscayne Bay, and Big Cypress National Preserve. Tree islands and some data gap "holidays" within WCA-3 that were not accessible by airboat survey operations still require surveying. Data accuracy assessment and documentation issues will also be addressed via an interagency committee. An Open File Report that documents project activities and accomplishments also needs to be published. Lastly, the project needs to be restructured to address funding and personnel issues.

Planned Outreach: The new project fact sheet has been published and has been very useful for outreach purposes. It will continue to be used to disseminate descriptive information on the project. Additional data and information will be posted on the SOFIA web site as it becomes available.

C. BRIEF DESCRIPTION ON HOW PROJECT TASKS SUPPORT THE DOI AND USGS EVERGLADES RESTORATION SCIENCE PLANS

Although the project has become quite focused in terms of its objectives, the data and information produced from this project supports the USGS Everglades Restoration Science Plan in a very broad and basic manor. These data represent core information that is used by Federal, State, and academic institutions to parameterize existing and developing hydrologic and ecological numerical simulation models. USGS GEER projects that benefit from the output of this project include TIME, SICS, ATLSS, Vegetative Resistance to Flow, Fresh Water Flows into Florida Bay, and Water Flows and Nutrient Loads to the SW Coast. This project is critical to the Plan's Restoration Goal 1- "Get the Water Right".