Acting Governor Gregory R. Francis announces that Geodetic Markers, donated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), have been installed throughout the Territory, completing the second phase of the Height Modernization Project undertaken by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor and the Virgin Islands Geospatial Information Council (VIGIC).

Acting Governor Francis said the installation of the Geodetic Markers is an important development in the way the Virgin Islands will conduct various engineering and mapping activities.

“Embracing Geographical Information System (GIS) technology is critical to flood plain mapping, storm water and sewer utility management, large scale engineering projects, hurricane evacuation and recovery planning, and topographic mapping,” Acting Governor Francis said. “This technology will serve to help the Territory in the development of effective infrastructure planning and will assist in our preparations for various natural disasters, especially during the hurricane seasons.”

Geodetic Markers are geographic reference points that provide a basic framework for mapping and tracking. The Height Modernization Project consists of the placement of a network of stable accurate system of heights and easily accessible survey control points referred to as bench marks.

The first phase of the project, the installation of CORS, (Continuously Operating Referencing Stations) was completed in November 2006. CORS were installed on the St. Croix and St. Thomas UVI campuses in an effort to improve the local spatial referencing to collect more accurate data during land surveying and other planning activities. CORS also measure the movement of the earth’s surface after earthquakes to assist in plotting and predicting potential tsunamis. Information gathered from CORS is available for public access online.

Acting Governor Francis also announces that the Third Annual Geographic Information System Conference entitled “Empowering a Community of Users: Building a Strong Geospatial Connected Network Throughout the Caribbean by Advancing Polices and Best Practices” will be held from November 14-16, 2007 at the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort on St. Thomas. The conference will be hosted by the Office of the Lieutenant Governor in partnership with the Virgin Islands Geospatial Information Council (VIGIC), NOAA, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.