The Canadian Geodetic Vertical Datum of 2013 (CGVD2013)

The Canadian Geodetic Vertical Datum of 2013 (CGVD2013) is the first major update to the vertical datum in Canada in almost 100 years. Canada is not only moving to a new vertical datum, but it is also using a modernized approach to realize it. The modernization of the height reference system is necessary to make it compatible with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), which is commonly used for positioning by a growing number of users across Canada and the world. The geodetic levelling technique, which established a nation-wide network of benchmarks with known elevations, is replaced by a geoid model that describes the vertical datum with respect to an ellipsoid, which is the reference surface for GNSS positioning. Technically, height modernization replaces the need for the maintenance of benchmarks, as users can now install their own markers at more convenient locations using GNSS. The current geoid model for CGVD2013 is the Canadian Gravimetric Geoid 2013 (CGG2013).