1 Oregon GPS Users Group

Below: June 17, 2005 Meeting in Bend, Oregon .

The next meeting of the Oregon GPS Users group will be in October in Albany, Oregon, on Friday, November 18, at the Linn County Fair and Expo Center. .

Last Update of this Page: November 7, 2005

  • 2006 Dues Notice:

  • If you have not paid your 2006 dues ($12.00 corporate) , please mail your dues and contact info ASAP to:
  • Lisa Lee, Secretary
  • Oregon GPS User Group
  • c/o Central Oregon Irrigation District
  • 2598 N Hwy 97
  • Redmond, OR 97756
  • Check the membership list to see if you have paid your 2005 dues.
  • We will be removing unpaid members from the members list.

    • The Oregon GPS Users Group was established in 1988 to promote the use and understanding of GPS for surveying and mapping in the State of Oregon and also to cooperate in the establishment of the Oregon High Accuracy GPS Reference Network. The Users Group membership is made up of GPS users from the private sector as well as from city, county, and Federal governments. Click here for membership information. The Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation are available for review here.

    User Group Officers for calendar year 2005:

    1. Chair: Bill Kaufmann,Deschutes County
    2. Secretary: Lisa Lee,Central Oregon Irrigation District
    3. Treasurer: John Minor, Menasha Corporation
    4. 2006 Chair Elect : Tom Workman,Linn County Deputy Surveyor
    5. Immediate Past Chair (2004) Shelby Griggs,OrbiTech, Inc

    GPS Survey Standards and Specifications

    One goal of the User Group is to promote standards for GPS surveying and mapping. A subcommittee of the group has been formed to review existing specifications and guidelines used around the country. Listed below are some of the background documents we will be working with to develop GPS Specifications for optional use in our state.

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service and the U.S. Department of Interior Bureau of Land Management have finalized "STANDARDS and GUIDELINES for CADASTRAL SURVEYS USING GPS METHODS," and the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) has recognized the standards.

    The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) has approved Part 1: Reporting Methodology, and Part 2: Standards for Geodetic Networks, of the Geospatial Positioning Accuracy Standards.

    The purpose of these standards is to provide a common accuracy standard model for many geographic data types, so that the accuracy of any geographic data type can be evaluated in comparison to another geographic data type. These standards do not contain the specifications for methodology and equipment which are required to achieve a certain accuracy standard.

    The California Geodetic Control Committee has written the Specifications for Geodetic Control Networks Using High-Production GPS Surveying Techniques which provide guidelines for GPS methodology and equipment. These specifications build on the outdated FGCS document "Geometric Geodetic Accuracy Standards and Specifications for Using GPS Relative Positioning Techniques", version 5.0, May 1988, reprinted with corrections August 1, 1989. This 1989 document was widely distributed and used; however, it was never formally adopted by the Federal Geodetic Control Subcommittee. The California Specifications update certain portions of the 1989 FGCS standards which are out of date due to GPS equipment and methodology advances.

    The Survey Advisory Board of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources has written a draft version of "Standards and Guidelines for Land Surveying Using Global Positioning System Methods" which provide guidance to Land Surveyors using Global Positioning System technology. Contact Dave Steele, Washingon DNR, at dave.steele@wadnr.gov

    The Department of Transportation's Nationwide Differential GPS (NDGPS) expansion is underway. The NDGPS plan calls for the conversion of a number of U.S. Air Force Ground Wave Emergency Network (GWEN) sites in their current location and relocation of the remaining sites into desired regions.

    These sites use 300 foot towers to provide signal ranges of approximately 250 miles.  

    The Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) in Appleton and Spokane, Washington, Seneca and Klamath Falls, Oregon, and in Chico, California are operational and broadcasting GPS differential corrections.

    GPS Links:

    The Oregon Department of Transportation's Geometronics Unit is establishing an Oregon Real Time GPS Network in cooperation with other state, local, and government agencies and private companies.
    The Spatial Reference Center of Washington The Spatial Reference Center of Washington (SRCW) is dedicated to the planning, implementation, and maintenance of an accurate state-of-the-art network of GPS control stations necessary to meet the demands of government and private businesses for a reliable spatial reference system in the state of Washington.

    Download Corpscon V. 6.0 for Windows which allows the user to convert coordinates between Geographic, State Plane and Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) systems on the North American Datum of 1927 (NAD 27), the North American Datum of 1983 (NAD 83) and High Accuracy Reference Networks (HARNs).
    National Geodetic Survey With links to CORS data & software, including free download of Geoid 2003 software.
    US Coast Guard Navigation Center: GPS Information
    GPS Notice Advisory to Navigation Users (NANU) Constellation Status
    Civil GPS Service Interface Committee: The recognized worldwide forum for interaction between civil GPS Users and U.S. GPS authorities.
    Localized GPS Service Interruption Notices
    GPS Outage Reporting Form Please report any unexplained loss of GPS service here.
    Geomagnetic Activity Affecting GPS Click on "Planetary K-Index Plot" to see if the magnetic field has been disturbed during the last 72 hours. K-indices of 5 or greater, indicated on the chart in red, indicate storm-level geomagnetic activity that may affect GPS.
    The Geographer's Craft Project, GPS Resource: Department of Geography, The University of Colorado at Boulder
    Washington State Geographic Information Council
    Northern California GPS Users Group
    US Forest Service GPS Page With links to GPS Community Base Station Data
    GPS World Magazine
    GPS User Magazine Lots of GPS links on their GPS links page
    USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory; Vancouver, WA:Volcano Monitoring with GPS
    Oregon State University/Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute monitoring geodetic motions in the US Pacific Northwest (Data Available)
    UNAVCO Plate Boundary Observatory responsible for the installation of 149 permanent GPS stations and 8 Strainmeter/Tiltmeter stations in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.
    Oregon State University/Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute monitoring geodetic motions in the US Pacific Northwest (Data Available)
    University of Washington Geodesy/Geophysics: Pacific Northwest Geodetic Array (PANGA)
    Institute of Navigation
     Institute of Navigation

    Survey & GIS Links:

    Professional Land Surveyors of Oregon (PLSO)
    Yamhill County Surveyors Office: Dan Linscheid
    Eastern Oregon GIS Users Group

    Please send us your comments and suggestions:

    E-MAIL Ken Bays