Senior Scientist
CurrentNational Elevation Dataset, 1996-2014Primary role was the ongoing development of, and supervision of regular updates to the National Elevation Dataset (NED). My work focused on the NED since its inception, including the planning stages in the mid 1990’s.Responsible for the development and implementation of the numerical algorithms used in almost all NED production, including a novel edge matching technique of my own design that effectively addresses the discontinuities that arise when attempting to append datasets produced from disparate sources. Implementation has taken the form of a computer program called “Assemble”, of my own authorship. It is written in the C language for execution on Sun UNIX platforms.Oversee the cataloging and indexing of over 200,000 individual elevation data files that serve as the source for the NED. Regularly track additions to this collection, perform initial quality assessments, and prioritize data sources to ensure that the NED continues to conform to the “best available data” requirement.Assisted coworkers in the performance of regular updates to the NED by automating the processes both of data processing (which is performed unattended in batch mode) and visual quality review. This required creating shell scripts in the UNIX environment, and the customization of ESRI’s ARC/INFO and ArcGIS software in the UNIX and Windows environments, respectively. Any quality problems noted are reported to me for corrective action.De facto customer point of contact for the distribution of historic digital elevation data, by which older elevation data of potentially historic value are made available.
