What JOA does

JOA Surveys, LLC is an Anchorage, Alaska-based small business founded in 2003 that provides specialized coastal and hydrographic surveying services to federal and state government agencies. The firm operates with 17 employees (2 partners plus 15 technical staff) and serves NOAA's National Ocean Service and National Geodetic Survey, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USGS, and Alaska state agencies including DNR and DOT. Its core service lines are tidal datum computation, geodetic surveying, coastal monitoring, hydrographic data collection, and shoreline mapping, with long-tenured program roles on NOAA's National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON, since 2004) and the VDatum program (since 2009).

The firm's technical differentiation rests on proprietary GNSS-based instrumentation and methodology. JOA Surveys designs and deploys GNSS tide buoys, Rapid Deployment Storm Surge Gauges, real-time GNSS reference networks, and applies GNSS-Interferometric Reflectometry (GNSS-IR) for multipath-based water-level and environmental analysis. It also operates an Online Tidal Datum Computation Tool that ingests its accumulated observation archive. Equipment investments include side-scan sonar, single-beam and multibeam hydrographic systems, UAV/photogrammetry platforms, RTK GNSS, and tide gauges. The firm participates in applied research through presentations at venues such as the Alaska Geospatial Summit.

JOA Surveys generates revenue through competitive-bid and sole-source federal and state professional-services contracts, supplemented by subconsultancy arrangements with prime contractors such as David Evans and Associates on NOAA nautical charting. Its go-to-market is relationship-driven, leveraging two decades of program incumbency and Alaska-specific field expertise to maintain long-duration contracts. The firm is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, and its customer base is effectively 100% government.

Name

JOA

Legal name

JOA Surveys, LLC

Website

https://joasurveys.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

JOA Surveys, LLC is an Anchorage, Alaska-based coastal surveying firm providing tidal datum, geodetic, and hydrographic services to NOAA, USACE, and Alaska state agencies, with proprietary GNSS-Reflectometry and remote water-level monitoring technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Anchorage

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Surveying Contracts: Professional services revenue from federal and state government contracts for coastal surveying, tidal datum transformation, water level observation network maintenance, and geodetic surveys. Contracts include NWLON station maintenance for NOAA since 2004, VDatum support for NOS since 2009, and Alaska GNSS station installation for AKDNR in 2022.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

JOA Surveys, LLC is an Alaska-based professional surveying firm that provides coastal surveying, tidal datum determination, water level monitoring, geodetic positioning, and hydrographic services. The company specializes in operating and maintaining tide gauge networks, computing tidal datums, performing GNSS surveys, and deploying specialized coastal monitoring equipment for federal and state government agencies. They also offer public web-based tools for tidal datum computation and real-time water level visualization.

Product overview

JOA Surveys, LLC is an Alaska-based coastal surveying and geodetic services company offering a unified portfolio of interconnected solutions. The core offerings include Tides and Water Level Services, Geodetic Surveying Services, Coastal Monitoring Systems, Geospatial Technology Services, and Hydrographic Surveying. These services are supported by proprietary web-based tools including the Online Tidal Datum Computation Tool, Real-Time Water Levels Dashboard (Grafana-based), and GNSS-IR Demo Platform. Environmental Surveying Services complement the technical measurement offerings. The company operates from an Anchorage headquarters with warehouse and shop facilities, serving all U.S. coastlines, territories, and Pacific Islands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Tides and Water Level Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Established hundreds of tidal benchmarks using GNSS and 2nd Order Class I differential leveling techniques
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Alaska Department of Natural Resources (AKDNR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022In 2022, hired JOA to design and install nine GNSS stations for Alaska's Continuously Operating Reference Network (ACORN), the first stations in the state installed specifically for this network. JOA delivered system configuration, procedure checklists, site photos, NGS visibility diagrams, and OPUS solutions for each station.
• National Ocean Service (NOS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2009Since 2009, JOA has supported the NOS Vertical Datum Transformation (VDatum) program by collecting water level and geodetic data along all U.S. coasts, including Great Lakes, Caribbean, and Pacific Islands. Used pressure, radar, and acoustic sensors for water level datasets published in NOAA Tides & Currents database.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2004Long-term partnership since 2004 for maintaining National Water Level Observation Network (NWLON) stations in Alaska. JOA has upgraded hardware to tsunami-enabled systems, installed meteorological sensors, and built nine new stations. In 2023, performed maintenance at NWLON stations in Hawaii including geodetic surveying, electronic integration, and diving work. Data is published in NOAA Tides & Currents database.
• National Geodetic Survey (NGS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJOA has established hundreds of tidal benchmarks using GNSS and 2nd Order Class I differential leveling techniques. Processed and published more than 1,300 OPUS Shared Solutions using NGS Online Positioning User Service. Partner Nathan Wardwell serves on NOS Hydrographic Services Review Panel.
• Alaska Marine Highway System (AMHS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoordination with AMHS to identify optimal GNSS station locations at ferry terminals for Alaska's real-time position network, surveying, weather monitoring, and tide monitoring infrastructure.
• U.S. Army Corps of EngineersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2023, initiated a year-long wave monitoring and navigational improvement program involving three spotter wave buoys in Nazan Bay near Atka in the Aleutian Islands.
• Alaska Department of Transportation & Public FacilitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeployed ADCPs in Shishmaref along Chukchi Sea in 2019 for a Planning and Environmental Linkage Study conducted by Northern Region.
• David Evans and Associates, Inc. (DEA)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSubconsultant relationship under NOAA charting contracts for VDatum evaluation and Chesapeake Bay mapping projects. JOA used GNSS buoys to compute tidal datums for comparison with VDatum model.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Tetra Tech: International consulting and engineering firm with substantial federal water resources and coastal practice. Comparable on environmental/coastal investigations and federal surveying support, with significantly broader capability set.
• AECOM: Global infrastructure consulting firm with federal water, coastal, and environmental surveying practices. Comparable on NOAA, USACE, and state-level coastal/water projects at far greater scale and breadth.
• Woolpert: Large national architecture, engineering, and geospatial firm providing surveying, LiDAR, hydrographic, and remote sensing services to federal agencies including NOAA, USGS, and USACE. Overlaps with JOA on 3DEP, NWLON-adjacent, and coastal mapping work but at much larger scale.
• Fugro: Global geotechnical, survey, and geospatial services company with major hydrographic and offshore surveying capabilities serving NOAA, USACE, and energy clients. Comparable on hydrographic surveying and coastal zone mapping, with substantially larger scale and international footprint.
• NV5 Global: National infrastructure, environmental, and geospatial services firm with significant federal surveying and LiDAR practice. Overlaps with JOA on USGS 3DEP ground control and federal coastal/geospatial work.

Direct peers

• Terrasond: Specialized hydrographic and geophysical surveying firm supporting NOAA charting, port, and offshore projects. Closely comparable to JOA in service scope (multibeam, shoreline, tidal support) and federal customer orientation, with somewhat broader offshore capability.
• David Evans and Associates (DEA): Multi-discipline surveying, mapping, and geospatial firm that primes NOAA hydrographic and VDatum contracts in which JOA serves as subconsultant. Directly comparable in service mix (coastal/marine surveying, geospatial) and federal customer base.
• eTrac: Hydrographic survey contractor delivering multibeam, single-beam, and tidal datum services to NOAA and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Direct peer in NOAA hydrographic contracting and tidal datum work, though more California-centric.
• SAM, LLC: Nationwide geospatial and surveying services firm providing LiDAR, aerial mapping, and ground control to federal/state agencies. Comparable on NGS/3DEP ground surveys and federal surveying contracts, with broader aerial/sensor capacity.

Emerging players

• Hydrographic Survey Association / IIC Technologies: Hydrographic services and chart production firm serving NOAA and international hydrographic offices. Comparable in hydrographic surveying, chart updating, and tidal datum support, with broader international reach than JOA.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@JOASurveys
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/joa-surveys

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about JOA