Media Contacts: Mario Aguilera or Cindy Clark (858) 534-3624

WHAT: Dedication for the new California Spatial Reference Center (CSRC) headquarters.

WHY: Earth scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, and other universities are making extensive use of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology to study earthquakes and the motion of the earth’s crust. The CSRC has been organized to apply this data to benefit users throughout the state of California seeking precise knowledge of the size, shape, and positions of our environment. The CSRC offers a state-of-the-art positioning system to aid public health and safety, preservation of valuable resources, and improved business productivity. CSRC information holds implications for uses as diverse as precision agriculture, airport runway landing clearances, flood hazard assessment, erosion control, property taxation, environmental cleanup, and emergency vehicle dispatch.

WHO: There are more than 40 organizations participating in the CSRC, including the Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics at Scripps, Caltrans, the California Land Surveyors Association, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, the Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, Orange County’s Public Facilities and Resources Dept., the Dept. of Water Resources, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the U.S. National Geodetic Survey.

WHEN: The CSRC headquarters dedication begins at 12:30 p.m., Feb. 20, 2001.

WHERE: Scripps Institution of Oceanography. For maps, directions, and interview information, please call 858/534-3624 or e-mail scrippsnews@ucsd.edu.