Height connection across sea by using satellite altimetry data sets,ellipsoidal heights,astrogeodetic deflections of the vertical,and an Earth Gravity Model

Islands and the mainland are separated by seas,and the distances between them might be so long that the height on the mainland cannot be exactly translated to the islands,resulting in different height systems on the mainland and the islands.In this study,we used astrogeodetic deflections of the vertical and ellipsoidal heights of points on the mainland and island near their coastlines to implement height connection across sea areas.First,the modeled gravity and modeled astrogeodetic vertical deflections of segmentation points along connecting routes over the sea between the mainland and the island were determined by Earth Gravity Model(EGM),and the ellipsoidal heights of segmentation points were determined by the satellite altimetry data sets.Second,we used a linear interpolation model to increase the precision of the vertical deflections of segmentation points.Third,we computed the geopotential difference of points between the mainland and the island using a method derived from geopotential theory and the astronomical leveling principle.Finally,we estimated the normal height of the point on the island using the geopotential-difference iterative computation approach.Using observed data of normal heights,ellipsoidal heights,and astrogeodetic vertical deflections referring to height sites in Qingdao,Shandong Province,we conducted a numerical experiment involving the normal height connection across sea regions.We determined the data of the ellipsoidal heights and gravity of segmentation points along the connecting route across the water in the numerical experiment using DTU10.The distance of the height connection across the sea was approximately 10.5 km.According to China's official leveling specifications,the experimental results met the criterion of third-class leveling precision.

ETH-GQS: An estimation of geoid-to-quasigeoid separation over Ethiopia

The determination of accurate orthometric or normal heights remains one of the main challenges for the geodetic community in Ethiopia.These heights are required for geodetic and geodynamic scientific research as well as for extensive engineering applications.The main objective of this study is to estimate the geoid-to-quasi geoid separation(GQS)in Ethiopia(ETH-GQS).Such separation would be required for the conversion between geoid and quasigeoid models,which is mandatory for the determination of accurate geodetic heights in mountain regions.The airborne free-air gravity anomalies and the topo-graphic information retrieved from the SRTM3(Shuttle Radar Topography Mission of a spatial resolution 3 arc-second)digital elevation model were used to compute the ETH-GQS model according to the Sjoberg's strict formula for the geoid-to-quasigeoid separation.The ETH-GQS was then validated using GNSS-levelling data as well as geoid heights determined from different Global Geopotential Models(GGMs),namely the EGM2008,EIGEN-6C4 and GECO.The results reveal that the standard deviation of differences between the geoid heights obtained from the EIGEN-6C4 model and the geometric geoid heights obtained from GNSS-levelling data were improved by~75%(i.e.from~24 to~6 cm)when considering GQS values obtained from the ETH-GQS.