The science of measuring and representing Earth's geometry, gravity and spatial orientation as they vary in time. Its highly accurate observations are the scientific basis for mapping, navigation and positioning, its reference frames underpin satellite systems, transportation, global trade and timekeeping, and it studies geodynamic phenomena including crustal motion, tides and polar motion; applied to other worlds it becomes planetary geodesy. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Central QuestionWhat are Earth's exact geometry, gravity and spatial orientation, and how do they change with time? 1 ScopeGeodesy measures and represents the Earth's shape, orientation and gravity field, and precisely tracks how those quantities change over time. 1 SignificanceGeodesy provides the reference frames behind GPS navigation and measures phenomena such as post-glacial rebound, sea-level rise and tectonic plate motion. 1 FAQs
What does a geodesist actually measure?
The Earth's precise shape, gravity field and orientation in space, and how all three change over time, work that underlies satellite positioning systems such as GPS.
A geodesist measures the Earth's precise shape, its gravity field and its orientation in space, and tracks how all three change over time. That work underlies practical systems most people use without thinking about it, including GPS and other satellite positioning, because those systems depend on an accurate model of the Earth's true shape rather than a simple sphere.
Connections
Associated With
Geomorphologists work within disciplines including geodesy.
Source Geomorphology (Wikipedia)
Geodesy supports applications including geophysics.
Source Geodesy (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Geodesy (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead sectionQuote, Lead section
the science of measuring and representing the geometry, gravity, and spatial orientation of the Earth in temporally varying 3D space
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