Height Systems and Vertical Datums: a Review in the Australian Context
This paper reviews (without equations) the various definitions of height systems and vertical geodetic datum surfaces, together with their practical realisation for users in Australia. Excluding geopotential numbers, a height system is a one-dimensional coordinate system used to express the metric...
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| Format: | Journal Article |
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Spatial Sciences Institute, Australia
2006
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/17429 |
| _version_ | 1848749464275124224 |
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| author | Featherstone, Will Kuhn, Michael |
| author_facet | Featherstone, Will Kuhn, Michael |
| author_sort | Featherstone, Will |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This paper reviews (without equations) the various definitions of height systems and vertical geodetic datum surfaces, together with their practical realisation for users in Australia. Excluding geopotential numbers, a height system is a one-dimensional coordinate system used to express the metric distance (height) of a point from some reference surface. Its definition varies according to the reference surface chosen and the path along which the height is measured. A vertical geodetic datum is the practical realisation of a height system and its reference surface for users, nominally tied to mean sea level. In Australia, the normal-orthometric height system is used, which is embedded in the Australian Height Datum (AHD). The AHD was realised by the adjustment of ~195,000 km of spirit-levelling observations fixed to limited-term observations of mean sea level at multiple tide-gauges. The paper ends by giving some explanation of the problems with the AHD and of the differences between the AHD and the national geoid model, pointing out that it is preferable to recompute the AHD. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:21:21Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-17429 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T07:21:21Z |
| publishDate | 2006 |
| publisher | Spatial Sciences Institute, Australia |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-174292017-09-13T15:44:53Z Height Systems and Vertical Datums: a Review in the Australian Context Featherstone, Will Kuhn, Michael AHD sea level Height systems vertical datums geoid gravity This paper reviews (without equations) the various definitions of height systems and vertical geodetic datum surfaces, together with their practical realisation for users in Australia. Excluding geopotential numbers, a height system is a one-dimensional coordinate system used to express the metric distance (height) of a point from some reference surface. Its definition varies according to the reference surface chosen and the path along which the height is measured. A vertical geodetic datum is the practical realisation of a height system and its reference surface for users, nominally tied to mean sea level. In Australia, the normal-orthometric height system is used, which is embedded in the Australian Height Datum (AHD). The AHD was realised by the adjustment of ~195,000 km of spirit-levelling observations fixed to limited-term observations of mean sea level at multiple tide-gauges. The paper ends by giving some explanation of the problems with the AHD and of the differences between the AHD and the national geoid model, pointing out that it is preferable to recompute the AHD. 2006 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/17429 10.1080/14498596.2006.9635062 Spatial Sciences Institute, Australia fulltext |
| spellingShingle | AHD sea level Height systems vertical datums geoid gravity Featherstone, Will Kuhn, Michael Height Systems and Vertical Datums: a Review in the Australian Context |
| title | Height Systems and Vertical Datums: a Review in the Australian Context |
| title_full | Height Systems and Vertical Datums: a Review in the Australian Context |
| title_fullStr | Height Systems and Vertical Datums: a Review in the Australian Context |
| title_full_unstemmed | Height Systems and Vertical Datums: a Review in the Australian Context |
| title_short | Height Systems and Vertical Datums: a Review in the Australian Context |
| title_sort | height systems and vertical datums: a review in the australian context |
| topic | AHD sea level Height systems vertical datums geoid gravity |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/17429 |