Geodesist Michael Dennis, NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey, holds a copy of the Manual of Surveying Instructions Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019, in Laveen, Ariz. The small difference between the U.S. survey foot and the international foot caused trouble in planning for high speed rail in California, and created a mess for bridge work between Oregon, which uses the international foot, and Washington, which uses the U.S. one, he says. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)