1. WSRS2022 TASK FORCE
UPDATE
HOWARD VEREGIN AND RICHARD KLEINMANN
WSLS Summer Meeting, August 2019, Madison, WI

2. In case you hadn’t heard,
NEW “DATUMS” ARE COMING!

3. New horizontal reference frame
and new vertical datum

4. >1.25 m shift horizontal
(Ellipsoid center shift)

5. -1 m shift vertical

6. Other Characteristics
Coordinates will be time-dependent (epochs) due to
movement of crustal plates
Euler-pole model of plate rotation (~3 cm/yr counter-
clockwise for Wisconsin)
Intra-Frame Velocity Model (IFVM) to estimate non-
rotational movement as well as vertical change

7. Getting Ready!
In 2018 WSLS Board voted to create Task Force
to explore implications of new reference frame
Organized under WSLS’s Geospatial Committee
Members represent cross-section of Wisconsin
geospatial community including private sector,
software, hardware and utility companies
Goal is to ensure Wisconsin is prepared for the
new reference frame
Howard Veregin, State Cartographer,
is Chair of Task Force, and
Richard Kleinmann, chair of WSLS
Geospatial Committee, is co-Chair

8. Formation of Task Force
Initial “Discovery Team” meeting
in Madison in August 2018, to:
1) Identify main impacts of the new
reference frame
2) Identify stakeholder groups most affected
3) Create the structure and select members for Task Force
4) Respond to a Federal Register Notice (FRN) from NGS
about the number and kinds of layers in Wisconsin’s SPCS

9. Task Force Structure & Organization
Chose “Wisconsin Spatial Reference System 2022 Task
Force” (WSRS2022) as name of the group

10. Task Force Structure & Organization
Created Focus Groups with specific goals:
Technical Focus Group: Develop a proposal responding to NGS policies
and procedures for the state’s SPCS. [More details in a few minutes]
Leads: Glen Schaefer (retired); Al Vonderohe (retired)
Legislative Focus Group: Make recommendations to accommodate new
reference frame in legislation.
Leads: Emily Pierce (WSLS, NSPS); Eric Damkot (WLIA)
Education and Outreach Focus Group: Help educate community about
new reference frame and implications for geospatial data and workflows.
Leads: Brenda Hemstead (SCO); Corey Hughes (WCSA)
Software/Hardware Focus Group: Develop plans to incorporate the new
reference frame into hardware and software.Lead: Jim Lacy (SCO)
Implementation and Adoption Focus Group: Identify implementation and
adoption issues, including best practices for transforming current data,
and funding of local/state data conversion. Leads: John Laedlein (WI
DNR); Jeremiah Erickson (LION); Nina Rihn (WI DNR)

11. Task Force Structure & Organization
Task Force structure in place:
Chair & Co-Chair
WSLS Representative
WLIA Representative
Chairs/Leads for 5 Focus Groups
Quarterly Meetings of the Task Force
Reps of each Focus Group to attend and report to the
main Task Force
Focus Groups have plans/goals with milestone dates set

12. WSRS2022 web page

13. Federal Register Notice FRN Details
“Policy and Procedures Documents for the State Plane
Coordinate System of 2022”, 04/18/2018, 83 FR 17149
NGS will update State Plane
Coordinate System as part of
transition to 2022 reference frame
Recognize three SPCS layers:
1) Statewide single-zone layer
2) Small number of zones (2-3)
similar to current SPCS
3) Multi-zone system with
Low Distortion Projections (LDPs)

14. Federal Register Notice: Layers
A state can have at most two layers:
a. Single statewide zone
b. One multi-zone layer (either traditional SPCS or
LDP, but not both)

15. Federal Register Notice: LDPs
LDP zones (distortion < 50 ppm) will not be
designed by NGS
a. Must be designed by the states themselves
b. Must conform to all NGS requirements for
size, distortion levels, coordinate rounding, etc.*
* WISCRS violates many of these requirements

16. Discovery Team NGS Response to FRN
Wisconsin best served by three-tiered coordinate
system structure:
1) WISCRS (multi-zone LDP);
2) A three-zone State Plane Coordinate System
modeled on the current SPCS zones for the state;
3) A single zone for the entire state based on WTM.
Requested that NGS recognize WISCRS as a
component of a three-tiered system, provide
WISCRS coordinates on NGS data sheets and
within NGS databases, and incorporate
WISCRS within NGS coordinate transformation
software.

17. Rationale for Discovery Team Response
Prevalence of WISCRS within
the state’s land information &
surveying communities, large
investments made in WISCRS
spatial networks, extensive use
of WISCRS in infrastructure
design and construction, and
incorporation of WISCRS into
major commercial software
tools … these examples show
the significant financial
interest in maintaining WISCRS
and the buy-in it has received
from the private sector.

18. FAST
FORWARD
To 2019

19. Current WSRS2022 Activities and Status
All 5 focus groups formed and have begun activities
Meetings at WSLS Institute (Jan 2019) & WLIA Annual
Conference (Feb 2019)
First two Quarterly Meetings (June 2019, Aug 2019) both
in Madison
Future Quarterly Meetings: Fall 2019, Jan 2020 (WSLS)…
Currently drafting
response to NGS’s
updated policies and
procedures (updated
following FRN feedback)

20. NGS Revised Policies and Procedures
Max of two multi-zone layers for each state.
No state allowed to have both a traditional SPCS and an
LDP system unless one of the two covers less than the
entire state.
NGS will not design LDP systems (states must do this).
The design will need to conform to NGS specs:
1. Min zone width of 50 km (31 miles)
2. Each zone must have unique projection parameters
3. Minimize distortion at topographic surface rather
than ellipsoid
4. Projections based on positive east longitudes

21. What the Future Looks Like!

22. Implications for Wisconsin
Effects on Wisconsin (based on our FRN response):
1. Wisconsin’s statewide zone will not match
Wisconsin Transverse Mercator (WTM), probably for
multiple reasons, but at least because it will be
designed to minimize distortion at Wisconsin’s
topographic surface.
2. Wisconsin will not be able to have both a default
traditional SPCS zones and WISCRS because only one
multi-zone layer can cover the entire state.
3. WISCRS will not meet stated requirements for zone
size limits for LDPs and zone uniqueness (i.e., there
are more zones than projections since some counties
share projections).

23. Current draft response to NGS
1. Request that NGS design a statewide single-zone
layer which is a Transverse Mercator projection with
central meridian at 270°east and false easting
significantly different from WTM 27 and WTM 83.
2. Request that NGS design a default multi-zone layer
for Wisconsin (traditional SPCS) with false easting
significantly different from SPCS 27 and SPCS 83.
3. Seek a blanket exception to all NGS specifications
that conflict with WISCRS (modified for NATRF 2022).
4. Seek exception to policy that only one multi-zone
layer can provide complete coverage of an entire
state.
Consistent with our original FRN statement.

24. The Demise of the US Survey Foot
NGS, National Institute of
Standards and Technology
(NIST) and Department of
Commerce have unanimously
decided to phase out the US
Survey Foot!
A FRN will formally announce the change.
Note: US Survey Foot is referenced in legislation in at
least 40 jurisdictions, including Wisconsin.
Unclear at this time how states will be expected to
respond to the change at the federal level.

25. THANK YOU!Contact Information
Richard Kleinmann
KleinmannR@AyresAssociates.com
262-522-4920
Howard Veregin
veregin@wisc.edu
608-262-6852