Geodesy
Geodesy
Geodesy (pronunciation: /dʒiːˈɒdɪsi/), also known as geodetics, is the scientific discipline that deals with the measurement and representation of the Earth (or any planet), including its gravitational field, in a three-dimensional time-varying space. Geodesists also study geodynamical phenomena such as crustal motion, tides, and polar motion. For this they design global and national control networks, using space and terrestrial techniques while relying on datums and coordinate systems.
Etymology
The word "geodesy" comes from the Ancient Greek word γεωδαισία geodaisia (literally, "division of the Earth").
Related Terms
- Geoid: The shape that the surface of the oceans would take under the influence of Earth's gravitation and rotation alone, in the absence of other influences such as winds and tides.
- Ellipsoid: A surface that may be obtained from a sphere by deforming it by means of directional scalings, or more generally, of an affine transformation.
- Datum (geodesy): A reference from which measurements are made.
- Coordinate system: A system that uses one or more numbers, or coordinates, to uniquely determine the position of the points or other geometric elements on a manifold such as Euclidean space.
- Geodynamics: The scientific study of the physical properties and processes that govern the Earth's outer layer, the lithosphere.
- Crustal motion: The movement of the Earth's crust caused by natural processes such as plate tectonics, post-glacial rebound, and seismic events.
- Tides: The rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and the Sun, and the rotation of the Earth.
- Polar motion: The movement of Earth's rotational axis across its surface, or more specifically the motion of the poles of rotation of a planet (or satellite) with respect to its solid body.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Geodesy
- Wikipedia's article - Geodesy
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