1998 US/Mexico GPS Coastline Survey

Robert E. Johnson, Alice R. Drew

Abstract:	The Minerals Management Service (MMS) collects royalties for minerals extracted from Federal and Indian Lands and oversees leasing and the regulation of operations of mineral production (primarily oil and gas) on the Nation’s Outer Continental Shelf. These Federal onshore and offshore mineral leases located largely in the Gulf of Mexico, generate nearly $6 billion in annual revenues and are one of the Federal Government’s greatest sources of non-tax revenue. On October 22, 1997, the U.S. Senate ratified the 1978 Bilateral Agreement establishing the U.S./Mexican boundary in the Gulf of Mexico. Two gaps remain in this boundary ³ areas WKDW DUH beyond the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of both countries. To check the accuracy and currentness of the FRDVWOLQH charts that would be used to develop WKH ERXQGDU\#LQ#WKH#´:HVWHUQ#*DSµ a joint GPS survey was conducted. Both U.S. and Mexican source materials were evaluated to predetermine which portions of the coastlines PLJKW#QHHG#WR#EH#UHVXUYH\HG. International legal principles were used to identify relevant areas of the coastline.#The joint survey was conducted during the summer of 1998. During this survey, procedures and techniques were adapted to allow using GPS to survey accurately a coastline that had moved considerably from the locations shown on some of the current charts. The GPS survey resolved the questions about coastline location and provided the baseline coordinates required for computing the potential boundary line. While some issues remain for the negotiators, agreement has been reached on the technical issues associated with establishing a boundary in the “Western Gap.”
Published in:	Proceedings of the 12th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1999) September 14 - 17, 1999 Nashville, TN
Pages:	1643 - 1646
Cite this article:	Johnson, Robert E., Drew, Alice R., "1998 US/Mexico GPS Coastline Survey," Proceedings of the 12th International Technical Meeting of the Satellite Division of The Institute of Navigation (ION GPS 1999), Nashville, TN, September 1999, pp. 1643-1646.
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