Name
The North American Terrestrial Reference Frame of 2022 – An Opportunity to Unify Canadian Positioning
Date & Time
Wednesday, May 27, 2026, 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM
Description
In 2025, Canadian Geodetic Survey (CGS) and National Geodetic Survey collaborated to calculate the Euler Pole Parameters that would define the North American Terrestrial Reference Frame of 2022 (NATRF2022). It is anticipated that both organizations will release official NATRF2022 coordinates in the upcoming year. The new, geocentric reference frame will allow both Canada and the United States to better support autonomous technologies reliant upon Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) by aligning to the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF). Reference system changes are typically infrequent. The implementation of the current reference system – the Canadian Spatial Reference System’s (CSRS) North American Datum of 1983 (NAD83) began in 1996 and was adopted at various times across Canada. Some provinces are using older versions of NAD83(CSRS), leading to incompatibilities in coordinates between provincial adoptions and also with coordinates determined using CGS’s Precise Point Positioning (PPP) service. Synchronizing reference frames across Canada has proven to be a significant challenge. With the planned implementation of NATRF2022 across Canada, a unique opportunity presents itself to unify reference frames across Canadian provinces and with the United States. Discussed are possible approaches and steps for not only implementing NATRF2022 across Canada, but also for maintaining a unified reference frame going forward. The development of a definition of a unified Canadian reference frame is provided as well as both provincial and federal perspectives on how to realize the desired outcome.
Location Name
McCain 2017
Full Address
Dalhousie University
Halifax NS
Canada
Session Type
Oral Presentation
Abstract ID
182
Speaker Organization
NRCan
Session Name
G1
Co-authors
B. Donahue, C. Robin, J. Huang, M. Walker, J. Holway, Natural Resources Canada A. Turner, Alberta Forestry and Parks R.M. Paquin, Department of Natural Resources and Forests, Quebec G. Cross, Service New Brunswick
Presenting Author
Jason Bond, Natural Resources Canada