Global Geodetic Observing System

by Plag, Hans-Peter; Pearlman, Michael

• ISBN13: 9783642026867
• ISBN10: 3642026869
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-09-01
• Publisher: Springer Verlag

Summary

With the provision of accurate reference frames and observations of changes in Earth's shape, gravity field and rotation, modern geodesy takes a fundamental role for improved understanding of geodynamics, geohazards, the global water cycle, global change, atmosphere and ocean dynamics, and it supports many societal applications that depend on accurate positions. The book provides a comprehensive overview of geodesy's contribution to science and society at large, and it identifies user needs and requirements in terms of geodetic observations and products. Specifications for a global geodetic observing system that would meet these requirements lead to considerations of system design and implementation.

Author Biography

Dr. Hans-Peter Plag is a research professor at the Nevada Geodetic Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno. He is a Vice-Chair of the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) and engaged in the intergovernmental Group on Earth Observations (GEO). Research topics include sea level changes, tsunami warning, and the global water cycle. Dr. Michael R. Pearlman is a Program Manager at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). He is the Director of the Central Bureau of the International Laser Ranging Service and a member of the GGOS Executive Committee. He has been at CFA since 1968, working on Satellite Laser Ranging and other NASA space geodesy activities.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
The challenge: living on a changing, dynamic planet	p. 1
The potential: geodesy's contribution to a global society	p. 2
The observing system: the current development of the Global Geodetic Observing System	p. 7
The strategy: where to go from here	p. 12
The goals, achievements, and tools of modern geodesy	p. 15
Introduction	p. 15
Geodetic reference systems and frames	p. 18
The tools and products of modern geodesy	p. 23
Observing Earth geometry and kinematic	p. 26
Overview	p. 26
Space-geodetic tracking techniques	p. 27
Altimetry	p. 40
GNSS scatterometry and refiectometry	p. 44
Geodetic imaging techniques	p. 50
Observing Earth's rotation	p. 55
Space-geodetic techniques	p. 55
Ring laser gyroscopes	p. 56
Observing Earth's gravity field	p. 58
Superconducting gravimetry	p. 58
Absolute gravimetry	p. 60
Land movements and terrestrial gravimetry	p. 61
Airborne gravimetry	p. 62
Satellite missions	p. 64
Observing time	p. 67
Relativity: proper and coordinate time; realized time scales	p. 67
Geodetic measurements and geodetic coordinates	p. 67
Clocks and geodesy: future trends	p. 68
Ensuring consistency of the observations of geometry, gravity field, and rotation	p. 69
Consistency through co-location	p. 69
Consistency of data collection and processing: conventions	p. 72
Essential additional observations and applications	p. 74
Atmospheric sounding	p. 74
Ionospheric remote sensing: one person's signal is another person's noise	p. 77
Tide gauges	p. 80
Geodetic time and frequency transfer	p. 87
Understanding a dynamic planet: Earth science requirements for geodesy	p. 89
Introduction	p. 89
The scientific and technological challenges for GGOS	p. 90
Solid Earth physics	p. 94
Plate motion	p. 97
Earthquake and volcano physics	p. 99
Deep Earth dynamics	p. 101
Surface loading	p. 102
The cryosphere	p. 103
Ocean processes and their climatological implications	p. 105
Providing the reference frame and the means for precise positioning	p. 105
Altimetry and ocean circulation	p. 106
Satellite gravity, ocean circulation and climate	p. 107
Synergistic combination of measurements	p. 108
Future needs	p. 108
Studies of weather and climate processes	p. 109
Geo-referencing of all meteorological observations	p. 109
Providing atmospheric weather models with space- and time-varying gravity fields	p. 110
Collecting observations of the upper-atmospheric mass and lower tropospheric water vapor fields	p. 110
Tracking global change in the atmosphere	p. 111
Sea level change	p. 112
Geo-location of sea and land levels and their changes	p. 113
Understanding sea level change	p. 114
The hydrological cycle	p. 117
Mass transport and mass anomalies in the Earth system	p. 118
Mass redistributions and geodesy	p. 119
Earth rotation: understanding Earth system dynamics	p. 123
Earth rotation measurements	p. 123
UT1 and Length-of-Day Variations	p. 124
Polar Motion	p. 127
Earth rotation: understanding processes in the solid Earth	p. 130
Earth's interior from Earth rotation	p. 130
Geophysical fluids from Earth rotation	p. 131
General remarks	p. 132
Maintaining a modern society	p. 135
Spatial data infrastructure	p. 135
Navigation	p. 139
Marine navigation	p. 140
Air navigation	p. 140
Land navigation	p. 141
Engineering, surveying and mapping	p. 141
Machine guidance	p. 142
Land titling and development	p. 143
Engineering geodesy and structural monitoring	p. 143
Geographic information systems	p. 144
Height systems	p. 145
Timing applications	p. 146
Early warning and emergency management	p. 146
Infomobility	p. 147
Management of and access to natural resources	p. 149
Water management and hydrology	p. 149
Energy resources	p. 150
Monitoring the environment and improving predictability	p. 150
GNSS meteorology	p. 151
Space weather	p. 151
Earth observation: Serving the needs of an increasingly global society	p. 153
The current and future framework of global Earth observations	p. 153
Disasters: Reducing loss of life and property from natural and human-made disasters	p. 156
Landslides, rock falls and subsidence	p. 157
Volcanic eruptions	p. 159
Earthquakes	p. 159
Tsunamis	p. 160
Storm surges	p. 165
Flooding	p. 165
The slowly developing disasters: sea level rise	p. 166
Energy Resources: Improving management of energy resources	p. 169
Climate change: Understanding, assessing, predicting, mitigating, and adopting to climate variability and change	p. 171
Water: Improving water resource management through better understanding of the water cycle	p. 175
The global hydrological cycle	p. 175
Water for life: the challenge of water management	p. 176
Observations of the Global Water Cycle	p. 178
Slow branch challenges	p. 180
Fast branch challenges	p. 186
Weather: Improving weather information, forecasting, and warning	p. 190
Ecosystems: Improving the management and protection of terrestrial, coastal, and marine ecosystems	p. 192
Measurements of CO2 spatial and temporal distribution to better understand the Earth's carbon cycle	p. 192
Monitoring wetlands	p. 193
Agriculture: Supporting sustainable agriculture and combating desertification	p. 193
Monitoring deforestation and logging	p. 194
Agricultural land cover and land use	p. 195
Precision farming	p. 195
Geodesy: Foundation for exploring the planets, the solar system and beyond	p. 197
Planetary geodesy	p. 197
Planetary rotation and interior properties	p. 198
Example: Mars	p. 199
Example: Earth's Moon	p. 200
Example: Europa	p. 201
Planetary mapping	p. 201
Radio science and interferometry	p. 202
Interplanetary navigation	p. 203
Current and future tracking data types	p. 203
Interplanetary trajectory determination	p. 206
Current and future requirements of GGOS for interplanetary navigation	p. 207
Integrated scientific and societal user requirements and functional specifications for the GGOS	p. 209
Introduction	p. 209
Summary of user requirements	p. 210
Societal applications	p. 210
Earth observations	p. 210
Natural hazards	p. 211
Earth science	p. 211
Lunar and planetary science	p. 212
Quantitative requirements	p. 214
Tasks of GGOS	p. 219
Products available through GGOS	p. 219
Accuracy of GGOS products	p. 220
Functional specification for GGOS	p. 221
Determination, maintenance, and access to the global terrestrial reference frame	p. 221
Earth rotation	p. 223
Earth's gravity field	p. 223
Earth system monitoring: mass transport and mass redistribution	p. 223
Determination, maintenance, and access to the celestial reference frame	p. 224
Operational specifications for GGOS	p. 224
The future geodetic reference frame	p. 225
Introduction	p. 225
Concept of reference system and reference frame	p. 226
Future reference frame formulations	p. 229
Origin and orientation of the TRS	p. 231
Scientific challenge of the future reference frame: the need for an Earth system model	p. 231
Towards an Earth system model	p. 232
The future Global Geodetic Observing System	p. 237
The overall system design	p. 237
The overall observing system design: the five levels	p. 240
Level 1: Ground-based infrastructure	p. 241
Core network of co-located stations	p. 241
VLBI station network	p. 242
SLR/LLR station network	p. 243
GNSS station network	p. 245
DORIS station network	p. 246
Networks of gravimeters	p. 247
Network of tide gauge stations and ocean bottom geodesy	p. 247
Co-location of instruments and auxiliary sensors	p. 248
Level 2: Low Earth Orbiter satellite missions and their applications	p. 249
Gravity satellite missions	p. 250
Ocean and ice altimetry satellite missions	p. 251
InSAR and optical satellite missions	p. 252
Future satellite mission concepts	p. 253
Co-location onboard satellites	p. 255
Airborne and shipborne sensors	p. 255
Level 3: GNSS and laser ranging satellites	p. 256
Global Navigation Satellite Systems	p. 256
Laser ranging satellites	p. 257
Level 4: planetary missions	p. 257
Level 5: extragalactic objects	p. 259
GGOS data flow: from measurements to users	p. 260
Data centers and data flow	p. 260
Svnergies between observing techniques	p. 262
Operating centers and communications	p. 262
Future technologies and capabilities for data infrastructure	p. 263
GGOS User Interface: Database, Portal, and Clearinghouse	p. 264
GGOS Portal architecture	p. 265
GGOS Portal goals and objectives	p. 267
A GGOS clearinghouse mechanism for geodesy	p. 267
Data analysis, combination, modeling, and products	p. 270
Towards GGOS in 2020	p. 273
The GGOS high-level components	p. 273
Building on the heritage	p. 274
Level 1: the terrestrial geodetic infrastructure	p. 274
Level 2: the LEO satellite missions	p. 276
Level 3: the GNSS and SLR satellites	p. 277
Level 4: lunar and planetary "geodesy" and missions	p. 277
Level 5: the extragalactic objects	p. 278
Organizational considerations	p. 278
History	p. 278
The revolution invoked by space geodesy	p. 278
Current situation	p. 279
Internal organization of GGOS	p. 279
Integration of relevant regional activities	p. 280
Integration of GGOS into global programs	p. 280
Recommendations	p. 283
References	p. 293
Acronyms and abbreviations	p. 319
Index	p. 325
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