The development of a vertical reference surface and model for hydrography : a guide
Adams, Ruth
Those working in the maritime arena have long been aware that relating depths to a stable reference surface is not easy. The need to do this, however, increases year on year as satellite positioning enables measurement of a vessells position (in all 3 dimensions) to accuracies never known before. There is increasing pressure from all areas of the consumer sector to marry maritime and land datasets environmentalists, planners, leisure users, the military, lawyers etc all see a need to join up data to create seamless land/sea products. Historically depth data has been collected to a tidal datum that, although of benefit to the Mariner, means that depths remain referred to locall vertical reference surfaces rather than something more coherent and stable. FIG Working Group 4.2 (WG4.2) Vertical Reference Frame has been exploring this issue and has recently published a flyer on this subject. Papers have been presented at FIG meetings in Paris (2003), Athens (2004) and Cairo (2005) that should all be read to provide background information to this subject. A handbook has been developed to help those entering this subject know where to go for more information. It does not cover all modelling techniques currently in use but will provide a basis from which future work can grow.
Event: XXIII International FIG Congress : Shaping the change
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