More on that Geoid Measuring satellite

Further to my previous post about Geoid Measurements by Satellite the European Space Agency has now released a video showing the geoid model in glorious spinning-around 3D.  Yes, it does look a bit like a newly dug spud.

ESA GOCE Model from BBC

There’s also an excellent discussion of the project at the BBC website with an explanation of what it is they’re measuring and why it’s important.

For us in NZ (it’s in the dimple at bottom just right of centre in the image above) the big gradient in the geoid (a lot of change in levels over the length of NZ) does cause problems when you’re dealing with large distances, but it doesn’t matter quite so much when measuring across the street to setout a driveway.  However at Fox & Associates we like to know where the errors might creep in, and we’re also interested in modelling 3D data to make it more interactive and easier to understand.