The Virgin Islands Vertical Datum of 2009

The mission of the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) is to “define, maintain and provide access to the National Spatial Reference System to meet our nation's economic, social, and environmental needs.” One component of that mission is to provide accurate geodetic control, including a vertical datum, for all territories of the United States. The U.S. Virgin Islands (U.S. VI) has had a mixed, patchwork series of geodetic control over the last century. This has included the lack of a comprehensive vertical datum for the entire U.S. VI. In accordance with its mission, NGS underwent an effort beginning in 2003, which has culminated in the Virgin Islands Vertical Datum of 2009. This paper defines that datum and describes the work leading up to its definition.