Handout for a Multimedia Presentation on USNG

April 20, 2006

Executive Summary

U.S. National Grid Supporting Public Safety, Commerce, and the General Public

Background. The Federal Geographic Data Committee’s U.S. National Grid (USNG) standard provides a nationally consistent language of location that has been optimized for local applications.

• All street maps use a standard set of street names and addresses to locate places. The USNG does not replace this practice; it supplements it. The USNG expands the utility of street, and other, maps by adding several powerful features: It provides a grid reference system that is seamless across jurisdictional boundaries; it provides the foundation for a universal map index; it describes point-locations on appropriately gridded paper and digital maps; it allows geopositioning using Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers; and it supports Worldwide Web map portals that link digital maps and GPS data.

• USNG may be the only unambiguous way to describe locations when the end-user is operating either in an area away from an established road network, or in an area impacted by a natural disaster where road signs have been destroyed.

• Private citizens, public agencies, and commercial enterprises can use USNG. It has obvious applications in navigation, public safety response (e.g., police, fire, rescue, National Guard), and web-enabled directions to businesses and other public/private facilities.

• USNG is a Presentation Standard. It does not replace data storage formats for either Geographic Information Systems (GIS) or the State Plane Coordinate System (SPCS) for engineering and survey applications.

• USNG is an alpha-numeric point reference system that has been overlaid on the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) numerical grid. Every modest size home in a discrete area can be described using 8-digits (e.g., 1234 5678). By adding a two-letter prefix (e.g., XX 1234 5678), the location is identified regionally (state-wide). This alpha-numeric designator can be used today with many consumer GPS receivers costing less than $100.

• The Army National Guard has been trained to use the USNG format. Additionally, USNG and the Military Grid Reference (MGRS) values are identical when referenced to WGS 84 or NAD 83 datum; therefore, state National Guard units can integrate seamlessly with their federal counterparts when joint responses are warranted.

• Additional information: www.fgdc.gov/usng Reading US National Grid (USNG) Coordinates: “Read right, then up.” Information Sheet 1 in this series. FGDC-STD-011-2001 From www.fgdc.gov/usng The example below locates the Jefferson Pier at USNG: 18S UJ 23371 06519.

U.S. National Grid A USNG value has three components. 100,000-m Square ID Grid Zone Designation (GZD): UJ Some maps may give 43 00 this leading information 6° x 8° longitude zone / latitude band. 18S UJ 2337 0651 UH in a grid reference box. 100,000-m Square Identification: Grid Coordinates: Grid Zone Designation 18S “Read right, then up.” Read right, then up.

- Grid lines are identified by Principal Digits. Ignore the small superscript numbers like 07 those in the lower left corner of this map. Grid: 23370651 Reading USNG Grid Coordinates. - Coordinates are always given as an even 1. 2. number of digits (i.e. 23370651). Read right to 370 grid line 23. meters - Separate coordinates in half (2337 0651) 4. into the easting and northing components. Measure up 510 meters. 1. 06 - Read right to grid line 23. 2. Then measure right another 370 meters. (Think 23.37) Grid: 2306 -3. Read up to grid line 06. 4. Then measure up another 510 meters. (Think 06.51)

Grid: Examples: N 3. 228058 FDR Memorial: Read up to

231054 George Mason Memorial: 000m grid line 06. 2338 0710 Zero Milestone: 2275 0628 DC War Memorial: 05 43 3 000m 213017 Ft. Scott Park: 22 E USNG: 18S UJ 23 Datum: NAD 83 24 UTM format. 0 1,000-m Ignore the small UTM superscript numbers that are provided for reference purposes. UTM numerical values are best suited for determining direction and distance as in surveying. USNG alpha-numeric values are best suited for describing particular locations because they can be given as only grid coordinates and with only the precision required for a particular task.

Users determine the required precision. Four digits: 23 06 Locating a point within a 1,000-m square. These values represent a point position Six digits: 233 065 Locating a point within a 100-m square (football field size). (southwest corner) for an area of refinement. Eight digits: 2337 0651 Locating a point within a 10-m square (modest size home). Ten digits: 23371 06519 Locating a point within a 1-m square (parking space size).

A modest size home can Full USNG: 18S UJ 2337 0651 - World wide unique. be found or identified in a local area Without Grid Zone Designation (GZD): UJ 2337 0651 - Regional areas. with only an 8-digit grid. Without GZD and 100,000-m Square ID: 2337 0651 - Local areas.

This illustrates how USNG coordinates can be used in a phone directory or advertisement like a universal map index value. Unlike classic atlas grids (i.e. B3), these can be used with any paper map using the national grid and in web map portals such as the Washington, DC GIS (http://dcgis.dc.gov) USNG Grid: Telephone: or The National Map. Point of Interest Street Address 18S UJ (202) (http://nmviewogc.cr.usgs.gov/viewer.htm) They can also be used in consumer GPS receivers Subway Sandwich & Salads 2030 M St., NW 2256 0826 223-2587 to directly guide you to the location. This is Subway Sandwich & Salads 430 8th St., SE 2698 0567 547-8200 especially beneficial at night, in heavy traffic, or Subway Sandwich & Salads 3504 12th St., NE 2740 1120 526-5999 after major disasters when street signs are missing. Subway Sandwich & Salads 1500 Benning Rd, NE 2815 0757 388-0421 Ed: 20051227-USNGInstruct_No1v5 US National Grid (USNG) Coordinates: World wide context. Information Sheet 2 in this series. FGDC-STD-011-2001 From www.fgdc.gov/usng The example below locates the Jefferson Pier at USNG: 18S UJ 23371 06519. U.S. National Grid A USNG value has three components. 100,000-m Square ID Grid Zone Designation (GZD): UJ Some maps may give 43 00 this leading information 6° x 8° longitude zone / latitude band. 18S UJ 2337 0651 UH in a grid reference box. 100,000-m Square Identification: Grid Coordinates: Grid Zone Designation 18S “Read right, then up.” Read right, then up. USNG values have three components as seen above. The GZD gives a USNG value world-wide context with 60 longitudinal zones each 6° wide. Zones 10 - 19 cover the conterminous US as seen below left. Zones are divided into 8° latitudinal bands. Together these make up Grid Zone Designations (GZD). Example: 18S Jefferson Pier: 78°W 18S UJ 2337 0652 U.S.National Grid GZD: 17T GZD: 18T 100,000m Square Identification GZD: 17S GZD: 18S UTM/USNG Grid Zone Designations 6 U 00 7 3 400 44 44 00 00 00 48°N 00 126° 120° 114° 108° 102° 96° 90° 84° 78° 72° 66° PD QD TJ UJ 500 T 43 00 43 00 40°N NC PC QC TH UH VH 300 4 42 00 00 S 42 00 KB LB 32°N 18S MB NB PB QB TG UG VG 4100 R 4100 KA LA MA NA PA QA TF UF VF

24°N 40 00 4000 300 4 00 500 6 4 10 00 700 300 00 11 19 12 17 18 Grid Zone Designation 08/27/98 13 14 15 16 Grid Zone Designation 18S 17S 78°W 100,000-m Square Identifications Example: UJ The Power of Truncated USNG Values GZDs are further subdivided into large squares with Jefferson Pier, Washington, DC 100,000-m Square Identifications. In this example, Grid: UJ23370651 the Jefferson Pier is located in UJ. These squares are organized and lettered so they do not repeat themselves but every 18°, which is approximately 1,000 miles in the mid-latitudes. The illustration at right depicts how far one must go before the letters UJ repeat. This ensures a given value such as

UJ 2337 0651 is unique out of the entire state it is = repeat of UJ23370651 located in, as well as all surrounding states. Each 2 letter/8 digit USNG value (10-m posting) in the outlined area is unique. In general, people can use the grid coordinates alone--for example: 233 065. Although the same numbers recurs about every 60 miles, normally that will cause no problem when the general location is understood. This is similar to the way you would tell someone only the last digits of a phone number when the area code is obvious. If there is a possibility of confusion include the letter pair too--for example: UJ 233 065. A letter pair recurs about every 1000 miles, so even in a disaster relief project there will be no other point with those coordinates in a local area. Full USNG coordinates such as 18S UJ 233 065 are worldwide unique. Typically a GPS or other electronic device requires coordinates in that form since unlike a human it doesn't intuitively understand the general location from context. You should always give full coordinates whenever abbreviated coordinates might not be clear or when listing them on letterhead, a business card or advertisement. Ed: 20051227-USNGInstruct_No2v1 Example Points of Interest (POI) Map Index: Washington, DC Edition: December 28, 2005

This POI Map Index provided for demonstration purposes. Grid values obtained from Washington, DC GIS web site: dcatlas.dcgis.dc.gov/mar/

# Point of Interest Street Address USNG Grid: Telephone: 18S UJ (202) 1 National Geographic Society 1145 17th St., NW 2327 0823 857-7000 233082 2 Armed Forces Retirement Randolf St, NW 2546 1199 Home Building 5 3 National Postal Museum 2 Massachusetts Ave., NE 2585 0739 633-5555 259074 4 National Building Museum 401 F St., NW 2503 0736 272-2448 250074 5 DC World War Memorial Independence Ave. SW 2276 0628 6 President Franklin Delano Pennsylvania Ave., NW 24502 06903 Roosevelt 7 Subway Sandwich & Salads 3801 Nebraska Ave NW, Nebraska Ave 1935 1213 362-8992 Complex, Bldg 14 8 Subway Sandwich & Salads 5028 Wisconsin Ave NW 1947 1390 686-9870 9 Subway Sandwich & Salads Federal Bldg #2, Box 2029, Food Court, 204 042 (703) (Per Subway web site.) Washington DC 920-7916 10 Subway Sandwich & Salads 800 21st Street NW, 2247 0766 994-1801 Marvin Center Loading Dock 11 Subway Sandwich & Salads 2033 K St NW 2255 0801 833-1363 12 Subway Sandwich & Salads 2030 M St NW 2256 0826 223-2587 13 Subway Sandwich & Salads 2010 P St NW 2265 0871 530-0698 14 Subway Sandwich & Salads 2469 18th St NW 2296 1013 667-2251

15 Subway Sandwich & Salads 1129 18th St NW 2298 0822 862-9840 16 Subway Sandwich & Salads 1776 G St NW 2299 0743 898-0520 17 Subway Sandwich & Salads 1666 K St NW 2327 0789 223-8720 18 Subway Sandwich & Salads 1444 I St NW 2373 0775 289-4301 19 Subway Sandwich & Salads 1401 K St NW 2377 0796 898-5784 20 Subway Sandwich & Salads 1100 New York Ave NW 2418 0771 289-7709 21 Subway Sandwich & Salads 1201 Tuckerman Street NW 2431 1513 291-7800 22 Subway Sandwich & Salads 709 H St., NW 2462 0762 842-2273 23 Subway Sandwich & Salads 406 1st St., SE 2604 0590 547-7827 24 Subway Sandwich & Salads 430 8th St., SE 2698 0567 547-8200 25 Subway Sandwich & Salads 3504 12th St NE 274 112 526-5999 26 Subway Sandwich & Salads 1213 Brentwood Rd NE 2752 0980 529-8206 27 Subway Sandwich & Salads 1412 Good Hope Rd SE 2781 0387 889-5888 28 Subway Sandwich & Salads 1500 Benning Rd NE, Hechinger Mall 2815 0757 388-0421 29 Subway Sandwich & Salads 3950 Minnesota Ave NE 3090 0687 398-3222 30 Subway Sandwich & Salads 4518 Benning Rd SE 3203 0624 575-2889

Inclusion of any specific commercial POI in this example list does not imply endorsement by any government organization. 1 Washington, DC

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Jefferson Pier in Washington, DC E

R 18S UJ 2337 0652 O Scale: E 1:24,000 (G printed size: 21 x 27 inches) 1:61,000 (printed size: 8.5 X11 inches)

1000-meter grid, US National Grid National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency North American Datum 1983 Coordinate Systems Analysis Team (CSAT, SNAC) St. Louis, MO Grid Zone Designation 18S 314.263.4171 100,000-m Square Identifcation: UJ, UH 1,000 500 0 1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 Meters For additional Information: see www.fgdc.gov/usng/index.html Road Data Copyright (c) 2005 Navteq Source:NGA (CSAT), St. Louis, MO Washington,DC_USNG_Demo_V3 WASHINGTON, DC and VICINITY USNG Demonstration Map 77º 32' 18" W 76º 31' 58" W 290000m.E TJ 300 UJ 310 320 330 340 350 360000m.E 39º 22' 33" N 39º 21' 31" N

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er iv R ac om ot 4270 P 70 4270 N N . . m m 0 0 0 0

0 60 0 0 0 6 6 2 2 38º 25' 49" N 4 4 38º 26' 50" N 2 000m. 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 000m. 77º 30' 17" W 90 E TH 00 UH 10 20 30 40 50 60 E Scale: 76º 30' 47" W 10,000-m GRID, US NATIONAL GRID 1:500,000 GN NORTH AMERICAN DATUM 1983 GRID ZONE DESIGNATION: 18S GRID CONVERGENCE 100,000-m SQUARE IDENTIFICATIONS: 2005 1º 1'E (18 MILS) TJ, UJ, TH, UH G-M ANGLE 10,000 0 10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 9º 30'W (169 MILS) U.S. National Grid Meters 100,000-m Square ID 300 TO CONVERT A GRID AZIMUTH TO A MAGNETIC

TJ UJ AZIMUTH ADD G-M ANGLE 43 00

TH UH 10 5 0 10 20 TO CONVERT A MAGNETIC

Grid Zone Designation AZIMUTH TO A GRID AZIMUTH Miles SUBTRACT G-M ANGLE 18S ROAD DATA COPYRIGHT (c) 2005 Navteq For additional information: SOURCE NGA (CSAT), ST. LOUIS, MO see www.fgdc.gov\usng\index.html