The word geodesy comes from the Ancient Greek word γεωδαισία geodaisia (literally, "division of Earth").
It is primarily concerned with positioning within the temporally varying gravitational field. … See more

The geoid is essentially the figure of Earth abstracted from its topographical features. It is an idealized equilibrium surface of sea water, … See more

In geodesy, point or terrain heights are "above sea level", an irregular, physically defined surface. Heights come in the following variants:
1. See more

Point positioning is the determination of the coordinates of a point on land, at sea, or in space with respect to a coordinate system. Point … See more

The locations of points in three-dimensional space are most conveniently described by three cartesian or rectangular coordinates, X, Y … See more

Because geodetic point coordinates (and heights) are always obtained in a system that has been constructed itself using real observations, geodesists introduce the concept of a "geodetic datum": a physical realization of a coordinate system used for describing point … See more

In geometric geodesy, two standard problems exist—the first (direct or forward) and the second (inverse or reverse). See more