1:30 PM - 1:45 PM
[G07-1-01] The Contribution of Geodetic Observations to Science and Society
Earth observations are needed not only for scientific research but also for societal applications such as disaster prevention and mitigation, managing resources like energy, water, and food, mitigating the effects of climate change, and protecting the biosphere, the environment, and human health. Geodetic observations provide the metrological foundation for Earth observations and provide the means to determine mass transport in the Earth system. Geodetic observations are therefore a cornerstone of the Earth observing systems needed for scientific research and societal applications. Geodetic observations also provide the basis for realizing the reference systems that are required in order to assign coordinates to points and objects in space and time and to describe the motion of the Earth in space. The International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) determined by geodetic observations is the indispensable foundation for all the sustainable Earth observations that are used by science and society for so many purposes, including navigation, mapping, surveying, construction, land development, natural resource management and conservation—in fact, all decision-making activities that have a geo-related component. It allows different spatial information, such as imagery from different space and airborne platforms, to be geo-referenced and aligned with each other. And it plays a key role in modeling and estimating the motion of the Earth in space, in measuring change and deformation of all components of the Earth system, and in providing the ability to connect measurements made at the same place at different times, a critical requirement for understanding global, regional and local change. In this presentation, selected examples of the contribution of geodetic observations to science and society will be presented.