Prairie State Wire

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has initiated a project to enhance the accuracy of location data for various applications such as surveying, mapping, construction, and engineering. This initiative involves establishing a network of Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) in Litchfield, Petersburg, and Jacksonville. These stations will provide reliable reference points to continuously record and transmit 3D location data to satellites and other receivers in the area.

Once completed, this will be the first free public network of its kind in Illinois, comprising approximately 70 sites statewide. It will connect to a Global Navigation Satellite System and integrate with around 2,000 other CORS sites across the country that support Geographic Information System applications.

Representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and neighboring Departments of Transportation participated in the installation process alongside IDOT staff. "Surveyors can tie into this as a benchmark as a very known and very accurate survey monument," said Dan Mlacnik from IDOT's Bureau of Design and Environment.

Beyond surveying, potential uses for the CORS network include automated agriculture operations, crash reconstructions by Illinois State Police, tectonic plate movement measurement, and contributing valuable information to NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey.

The structures involved are permanent fixtures made of stainless-steel rods drilled into the ground at precise angles. The Bureau of Day Labor leads construction efforts with innovations aimed at making installations more precise and efficient. "We’d like it all to be done in the shop as much as possible," explained Mike McDermott from Day Labor.

Before starting installations, IDOT conducted thorough vetting of potential locations based on specific requirements such as having a clear view of the southern sky. Cassidy Weller from IDOT praised colleagues for their swift work: “Operations has been fantastic in providing information on where these CORS sites can go.”

The project is funded by a $4.5 million federal grant awarded to IDOT in 2023 under Advanced Digital Construction Management Systems, supplemented by state funds totaling $6.25 million. "The Illinois CORS network will be available to the public – we’re creating a new public utility," stated Weller.