Utah Forms Geodetic Advisory Committee to Guide Statewide Geospatial Standards Utah has long been at the forefront of geospatial innovation, and that tradition continues with the recent creation of the Utah Geodetic Advisory Committee, a new subcommittee of the GIS Advisory Council (GISAC). Officially established in August 2025, the committee was formed to address the growing need for coordinated leadership on geodetic policy, standards and best practices in our state. Although the committee is new, its members have been collaborating for several years with the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) to help define and implement Utah’s new State Plane Coordinate System zones under the State Plane Coordinate System of 2022 (SPCS2022). This long-running partnership provided the foundation for the committee’s work and has ensured Utah’s voice was represented as these national changes were developed. As the state geodetic coordinator for the NGS, I work with state, local and private-sector partners to ensure Utah’s geospatial infrastructure remains aligned with national standards. The creation of this advisory committee provides a formal framework for that collaboration. Why Now? The timing is no coincidence. The National Spatial Reference System (NSRS), which is the foundation for nearly all mapping, surveying, engineering and GIS work in the United States, is undergoing its most significant modernization in decades. The transition to SPCS2022 is now underway. Most major surveying and GIS software, along with data collector manufacturers, have already incorporated the new SPCS2022 definitions. The NGS has provided these definitions in machine-readable formats so that vendors can integrate them directly into their products, ensuring that professionals can readily access and apply the new coordinate system in their projects. Without careful planning and coordination, Utah risked a patchwork of standards. The Geodetic Advisory Committee was created to ensure the state avoids those BY SEAN FERNANDEZ, STATE OF UTAH GEODETIC COORDINATOR, UGRC UCLS Foresights 34
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