Course Details

Theoretical geodesy 2

Academic Year 2026/27

NEA037 course is part of 1 study plan

NPC-GK Summer Semester 1st year

Fundamentals of potential theory. Gravity field of the earth.
Fundamentals of geophysical methods. Gravimetric methods. Gravity reduction and anomaly.
Equipotencional surfaces, geoid, spheroid.
Precise levelling (insruments, methods, errors, standardization, accuracy).
Plumb line, normal, deflection of the vertical, Laplace equation and Laplace azimuth, reduction to the ellipsoid. Astronomic levelling.
Theory of heights. Geopotential differences, orthometric heihts, normal orthometric heights, normal Moloděnský heights, dynamic heights, misclosure of levelling polygons. Adjustment of large levelling networks.
Stokes formula and Vening-Maines formula, gravimetry deflections of verticals. Moloděnsky kvazigeoid theory. Geodetic Earth models.
Coordinate systems ITRS, ETRS, EULN, geodynamic networks.
History of geodetic networks in Czech republic (NULRAD, DOPNUL, GEODYN).

Credits

4 credits

Language of instruction

Czech

Semester

summer

Course Guarantor

Institute

Forms and criteria of assessment

course-unit credit and examination

Entry Knowledge

Figure of the Earth, spherical trigonometry, sphere, retational ellipsoid,direct problem and inverse problem on sphere and ellipsoid, gravity field of Earth, reduction observations to ellipsoid. Precise levelling - instruments and methods. Aplication GNSS in geodesy and surveying. Principles of gravity and gravimetry.

Aims

The subject is oriented towards on gravity field of the Earth, theory of different types of heights and global and regional geodetic systems and frames. Methods of precise levelling measurements and adjustment are discussed.
Student gets an overview of problems heigts (gravity field, precise levelling, equipotencial surfaces, geoid, spheroid and kvazigeoid.
Student gets theoretical knowledge of geodetic reference systems and geodynamics.

Offered to foreign students

Not to offer

Course on BUT site

Lecture

13 weeks, 2 hours/week, elective

Syllabus

  • International reference systems
  • Introduction to the Earth's gravity field
  • Mathematical foundations of potential theory, spherical harmonic expansion
  • Normal gravity field, reference ellipsoids
  • Disturbing potential, Global models, (add summary geoid vs. quasigeoid)
  • Gravity measurement, gravity reductions
  • Gravity anomaly, astrogeodetic leveling
  • Height theory, precise leveling
  • National reference systems (S-JTSK, S-42, S-JTSK/05), transformation between reference systems
  • Gravity anomaly corrections of leveling measurements

Exercise

13 weeks, 2 hours/week, compulsory

Syllabus

  • Transformation of ellipsoidal geodetic coordinates to geocentric rectangular
  • Transformation ETRS89 -> ITRSIntroduction, transformation of ellipsoidal geodetic coordinates to geocentric rectangular
  • Global transformation in the Czech Republic
  • Working with gravity potential models
  • Measurements with a relative gravimeter
  • Gravity deviations (Laplace equation)
  • Transformation X, Y, Z -> N, E, U (Topocentric system)
  • Astronomical leveling
  • Gravity corrections of leveling measurements