Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Combining EGM2008 and SRTM/DTM2006.0 residual terrain model data to improve quasigeoid computations in mountainous areas devoid of gravity data

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Journal of Geodesy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A global geopotential model, like EGM2008, is not capable of representing the high-frequency components of Earth’s gravity field. This is known as the omission error. In mountainous terrain, omission errors in EGM2008, even when expanded to degree 2,190, may reach amplitudes of 10 cm and more for height anomalies. The present paper proposes the utilisation of high-resolution residual terrain model (RTM) data for computing estimates of the omission error in rugged terrain. RTM elevations may be constructed as the difference between the SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) elevation model and the DTM2006.0 spherical harmonic topographic expansion. Numerical tests, carried out in the German Alps with a precise gravimetric quasigeoid model (GCG05) and GPS/levelling data as references, demonstrate that RTM-based omission error estimates improve EGM2008 height anomaly differences by 10 cm in many cases. The comparisons of EGM2008-only height anomalies and the GCG05 model showed 3.7 cm standard deviation after a bias-fit. Applying RTM omission error estimates to EGM2008 reduces the standard deviation to 1.9 cm which equates to a significant improvement rate of 47%. Using GPS/levelling data strongly corroborates these findings with an improvement rate of 49%. The proposed RTM approach may be of practical value to improve quasigeoid determination in mountainous areas without sufficient regional gravity data coverage, e.g., in parts of Asia, South America or Africa. As a further application, RTM omission error estimates will allow refined validation of global gravity field models like EGM2008 from GPS/levelling data.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ågren J (2009) Evaluation of EGM2008 and PGM2007A over Sweden. Newton’s Bull, 4, April 2009. Publication the International Association of Geodesy and International Gravity Field Service 99–109. ISSN 1810-8555

  • Benner M, Schmitt G, Vetter M (2009) Integriertes Wasserressourcen-management (IWRM) im indonesischen Karst. Zeitschrift für Vermessungswesen 134(4): 230–241

    Google Scholar 

  • BKG (2005) Quasigeoid der Bundesrepublik Deutschland. Die Höhenreferenzfläche der Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Vermessungsverwaltungen der Länder GCG05 (German Combined Quasigeoid 2005). Geodätische Basisdaten Bundesrepublik Deutschland. http://www.geodatenzentrum.de/docpdf/quasigeoid.pdf

  • Burša, M, Kenyon, S, Kouba, J, Sima, Z, Vatrt, V, Vojtiskova, M (2009) Results of EGM08 geopotential model testing and its comparison with EGM96. Newton’s Bull, 4, April 2009. Publication the International Association of Geodesy and International Gravity Field Service 50–56. ISSN 1810–8555

  • Claessens SJ, Featherstone WE, Anjasmara IM, Filmer MS (2009) Is Australian data really validating EGM2008 or is EGM2008 just in/validating Australian data, Newton’s Bull, 4, April 2009. Publication the International Association of Geodesy and International Gravity Field Service 207–251. ISSN 1810-8555

  • EGM Development Team (2008) Description of files related to the EGM2008 Global Gravitational Model, US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) EGM2008 Development Team. http://earth-info.nga.mil/GandG/wgs84/gravitymod/egm2008/

  • Farr TG, Rosen PA, Caro E, Crippen R, Duren R, Hensley S, Kobrick M, Paller M, Rodriguez E, Roth L, Seal D, Shaffer S, Shimada J, Umland J, Werner M, Oskin M, Burbank D, Alsdorf D (2007) The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission. Rev Geophys 45:RG2004. doi:10.1029/2005RG000183

  • Featherstone WE (2001) Absolute and relative testing of gravimetric geoid models using Global Positioning System and orthometric height data. Comp Geosci 27(7): 807–814. doi:10.1016/S0098-3004(00)00169-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Flury J (2002) Schwerefeldfunktionale im Gebirge—Modellierungsgenauigkeit, Messpunktdichte und Darstellungsfehler am Beispiel des Testnetzes Estergebirge. Deutsche Geodätische Kommission C 557

  • Forsberg R (1984) A study of terrain reductions, density anomalies and geophysical inversion methods in gravity field modelling. Report 355. Department of Geodetic Science and Surveying, Ohio State University, Columbus

  • Forsberg R (1985) Gravity field terrain effect computations by FFT. Bull Géodésique 59(4): 342–360. doi:10.1007/BF02521068

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Forsberg R (1994) Terrain effects in geoid computations. Lecture Notes, International School for the Determination and Use of the Geoid, Milano, pp 101–134

  • Forsberg R, Tscherning CC (1981) The use of height data in gravity field approximation by collocation. J Geophys Res 86(B9): 7843–7854

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gruber T (2009) Evaluation of the EGM2008 gravity field by means of GPS levelling and sea surface topography solutions. Newton’s Bull, 4, April 2009. Publication the International Association of Geodesy and International Gravity Field Service 3–17. ISSN 1810-8555

  • Heiskanen WA, Moritz H (1967) Physical geodesy. Freeman, San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirt C (2010) Prediction of vertical deflections from high-degree spherical harmonic synthesis and residual terrain model data. J Geod 84(3): 179–190. doi:10.1007/s00190-009-0354-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hirt, C, Marti U, Bürki B, Featherstone W (2010) Assessment of EGM2008 in Europe using accurate astrogeodetic vertical deflections and omission error estimates from SRTM/DTM2006.0 residual terrain model data. J Geophys Res Solid Earth (in press). doi:10.1029/2009JB007057

  • Hirt C, Denker H, Flury J, Lindau A, Seeber G (2007) Astrogeodetic validation of gravimetric quasigeoid models in the German Alps—first results. In: Proceedings of 1st International Symposium of the International Gravity Field Service, vol 18. Harita Dergisi, Istanbul, pp 84–89

  • Hirt C, Feldmann-Westendorff U, Denker H, Flury J, Jahn C-H, Lindau A, Seeber G, Voigt C (2008) Hochpräzise Bestimmung eines astrogeodätischen Quasigeoidprofils im Harz für die Validierung des Quasigeoidmodells GCG05. Zeitschrift für Vermessungswesen 133(2): 108–119

    Google Scholar 

  • Hirt C, Flury J (2008) Astronomical-topographic levelling using high-precision astrogeodetic vertical deflections and digital terrain model data. J Geod 82(4–5): 231–248. doi:10.1007/s00190-007-0173

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holmes SA, Pavlis NK (2008) Spherical harmonic synthesis software harmonic_synth. http://earth-info.nga.mil/GandG/wgs84/gravitymod/egm2008/index.html

  • Ihde J, Sacher M (2002) EUREF Publikation 11/I, Mitteilungen des Bundesamtes für Kartographie und Geodäsie, Band 25, Frankfurt/Main. ISBN 3-89888-869-X

  • Jarvis A, Reuter HI, Nelson A Guevara E (2008) Hole-filled SRTM for the globe Version 4. Available from the CGIAR-SXI SRTM 90m database. http://srtm.csi.cgiar.org

  • Jekeli C (2006) Geometric reference systems in geodesy. Report, Division of Geodesy and Geospatial Science, School of Earth Sciences, Ohio State University

  • Jekeli C, Yanh HJ, Kwon JH (2009) Evaluation of EGM08—globally and locally in South Korea. Newton’s Bull, 4, April 2009. Publication the International Association of Geodesy and International Gravity Field Service 38–49. ISSN 1810-8555

  • Kuhn M, Featherstone WE (2003) On the optimal spatial resolution of crustal mass distributions for forward gravity field modelling. In: ed. Tziavos I (ed) Proceedings of 3rd Meeting of the International Gravity and Geoid Commission, 26–30 August 2002, Thessaloniki. Editions Ziti, Thessaloniki, pp 195–200

  • Kuhn M, Seitz K (2005) Comparison of Newton’s integral in space and frequency domains. In: Sanso F (ed) A Window on the Future of Geodesy, vol 128. IAG Symposia. Springer, Berlin, pp 386–391

  • Liebsch G, Schirmer U, Ihde J, Denker H, Müller J (2006) Quasigeoidbestimmung für Deutschland. Deutscher Verein für Vermessungswesen Schriftenreihe 49: 127–146

    Google Scholar 

  • Marti U (1997) Das Geoid der Schweiz 1997. Geodätisch-geophysikalische Arbeiten in der Schweiz Nr. 56, Schweizerische Geodätische Kommssion

  • Nagy D, Papp G, Benedek J (2000) The gravitational potential and its derivatives for the Prism. J Geod 74(7–8):552–560. doi:10.1007/s001900000116. Erratum in J Geod 76(8):475–475. doi:10.1007/s00190-002-0264-7

    Google Scholar 

  • Pavlis NK, Factor JK, Holmes SA (2007) Terrain-related gravimetric quantities computed for the next EGM. In: Proceedings of the 1st International Symposium of the International Gravity Field Service vol. 18. Harita Dergisi, Istanbul, pp 318-323

  • Pavlis NK, Holmes SA, Kenyon SC, Factor JK (2008) An Earth gravitational model to degree 2,160: EGM2008. Presented at the 2008 General Assembly of the European Geosciences Union, Vienna, 13–18 April 2008

  • Ramillen G (2002) Gravity/magnetic potential of uneven shell topography. J Geod 76: 139–149

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reuter HI, Nelson A, Jarvis A (2007) An evaluation of void filling interpolation methods for SRTM data. Int J Geogr Inf Sci 21(9): 983–1008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rummel R, Rapp RH, Sünkel H (1988) Comparisons of global topographic/isostatic models to the Earth’s observed gravity field, Rep 388. Department of Geodetic Science and Surveying, Ohio State University, Columbus

  • Smith DA (1998) There is no such thing as “The” EGM96 geoid: Subtle points on the use of a global geopotential model. IGeS Bull 8: 17–28

    Google Scholar 

  • Torge W (2001) Geodesy. 3 edn. de Gruyter, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Voigt C, Denker H, Hirt C (2007) Regional astrogeodetic validation of GPS/levelling data and quasigeoid models. In: Sideris MG (eds) Observing Our Changing Earth, vol 133. IAG Symposia. Springer, Berlin, pp 413–420

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Western Australian Centre for Geodesy, The Institute for Geoscience Research, Curtin University of Technology, GPO Box U1987, Perth, WA, 6845, Australia

    C. Hirt & W. E. Featherstone

  2. Swisstopo, Seftigenstr. 264, 3084, Wabern, Switzerland

    U. Marti

Authors
  1. C. Hirt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. W. E. Featherstone
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. U. Marti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to C. Hirt.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hirt, C., Featherstone, W.E. & Marti, U. Combining EGM2008 and SRTM/DTM2006.0 residual terrain model data to improve quasigeoid computations in mountainous areas devoid of gravity data. J Geod 84, 557–567 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00190-010-0395-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00190-010-0395-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation