The Cooperation of the Scientific Institutions of the Former Socialist Countries in Central and Eastern Europe in the Field of Geodesy and Some Result

Abstract

This paper describes the evolution of the scientific cooperation in the field of geodesy in Central and Eastern Europe from 1956 to 1990 and attempts an evaluation of the effect and some result. The cooperation was performed multilaterally, since the sixties coordinated by the commission “KAPG” of the academies of sciences and within the program “Interkosmos”. It promoted the scientific activities of the geodesists in the context of geophysics and space research. Main fields were: investigations on recent crustal movements, absolute and relative gravity measurements, research on earth tides, polar motion and time variations, use of satellites for geodesy and geody-namics. Enormous effort was devoted to the standardization and the modernization of the equipment. Remarkable results could be achieved in the field of theory. The cooperation promoted the interdisciplinary work. The geodynamic aspects became early one of the main themes of the geodetic research. The most outstanding person in the cooperation was Yu.D. Boulanger, Corr. Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences and also President and Honorary President of IAG; he deceased in 1996. Prof. Dr. A.G. Massevitch, Astronomical Council of the USSR Academy of Sciences, deserves deep appreciation of her great part to use satellite tracking for geodesy and geophysics.