Leica GPS

Basic Geodesy

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Geosystems

Contents

Definition

The Real Earth (The Geoid)

The Ellipsoid World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84) Heighting

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Geosystems

Definition

Geodesy :- Geo - Earth desy - The study of

The study of the Earth

Geodesy is the science of the measurement and mapping of the earths surface
F.R Helmert (1880)

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The Real Earth (The Geoid)

Equipotential surface that best equates to mean sea level Physical definition of a complicated surface Described by an infinite number of parameters Can be sensed by instruments

Topography

N. America

Europe

S. America

Africa

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The Ellipsoid

An ellipse is a mathematical figure which is defined by

Semi-Major Axis (a) and Semi-Minor Axis (b) or Flattening (f) = (a - b)/a

It is a simple geometrical surface Cannot be sensed by instruments

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Ellipsoid and Geoid - 1/2

Topography

N. America

Europe

O1

S. America

Africa

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Ellipsoid and Geoid - 2/2

Which ellipsoid to choose ?

Topography

N. America

Europe

O1 O2
S. America Africa

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Common Ellipsoid

The World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84) The best mean fit to the Earth
N. America

N
Topography

Europe

A = 6,378,137.000 m 1/f = 298.2572236

S. America

Africa

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World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84)

Origin coincides with Earths center of mass X and Y axes are perpendicular to each other in the equatorial plane Z axis is at right angle to the X,Y plane and coincides with the Earths rotational axis

P h

j l

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World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS84)

The prime orientation (X) is Greenwich Meridian Positions and coordinate differences are obtained in the WGS 84 coordinate system

Latitude, Longitude and Ellipsoid Height Geocentric X,Y,Z coordinates

P h

j l

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Heighting - 1/4

Heights determined using GPS are referenced to the WGS 84 ellipsoid

Ellipsoid heights are heights above the ellipsoid

P
Topography

h = Ellipsoidal height (from GPS)

Ellipsoid

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Heighting - 2/4

The Geoid is the equipotential surface (equal gravity) that best equates to Mean Sea Level The geoid undulates due to the effects of Topography

Topology, geology etc.

Orthometric heights are referenced to a datum which is typically M.S.L M.S.L approximates the Geoid
H = Height above Geoid (~Orthometric Height)

h H
Geoid

Ellipsoid

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Heighting - 3/4

The height difference between the ellipsoid and the geoid is called geoidal undulation To obtain orthometric heights, the geoidal undulation must be accounted for

Topography

h H N
Geoid

N = Geoidal Separation

Ellipsoid

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Heighting - 4/4

Geoidal separation can be computed using GEOID99 (USA) or HT01_01 (Canada) The geoidal undulation for the contiguous United States is negative
h = Ellipsoidal height
Topography

P
H = Height above geoid (~Orthometric Height) N = Geoidal separation

h H N
Geoid

h=H+N
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Ellipsoid

Geosystems