During the past year the National Geodetic Survey (NGS), Mountain Surveying and Mapping Inc. (MSM, Denver, Colo.), the Colorado Department of Transportation and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) worked together on a pilot project to establish Geodetic Control on 48 airports in Colorado for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The project has become an example of how government agencies and private survey companies can work together to produce a high quality survey. It also provides a prototype for similar surveys to be performed throughout the United States.

GPS technology is revolutionizing the way aircraft navigate from airport to airport. Conventional air navigation is referenced to ground-based signals where geodetic coordinates are of secondary importance. Aircraft receive signals from an extensive array of ground-based equipment and navigate from one electronic aid to another.