Trump Cuts Are Killing a Tiny Office That Keeps Measurements of the World Accurate
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Summary
The Trump administration’s cuts are threatening the work of the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
NGS helps maintain spatial information including measurement of Earth’s gravitational field, and the survey’s staff losses could impact an ongoing project to increase the accuracy of these measurements.
The tourism industry heavily relies on the work of the NGS, as people travelling to popular destinations often use geospatial data such as GPS to navigate their journeys.
Other fields that use NGS data include precision agriculture, robotics, autonomous vehicles and construction, all of which rely on NGS data for their operation.
Staff losses are a continuation of a decades-long lack of investment in geodesy in the US, which has enabled China to rapidly overtake the US in terms of satellite navigation accuracy.
Staff numbers at NGS have decreased by almost a quarter since 20 January, with remaining staff entering an “all hands on deck” situation to ensure the completion of a project to upgrade US datums.
The Trump administration has also proposed a cut to the National Ocean Survey’s budget, where NGS is situated, by over 50% in its latest budget proposal.
