U.S. Army Map Service

Fairfax (County) County · dedicated 2017 · Springvale Road between Wynkoop Dr. and Georgetown Pike

Here, at a former Nike missile site, the U.S. Army Map Service established a research station to support geo-location and navigation in 1961. Two years later, the Map Service initiated a significant satellite tracking program that became part of the Defense Mapping Agency in 1972. This tracking system contributed fundamentally to the Global Positioning System (GPS). The data gathered here enabled geospatial scientists to establish precise geographical reference points on the Earth's surface and to refine their estimates of the Earth’s true shape and variations in its gravity field. This facility closed in 1993.

USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection

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under a mile from where William Gabby lived in the 1760s

what this marker records spans 1777 to 1789, overlapping William Gabby's years here

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U.S. Army Map Service

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