| Geodesy and Geodynamics |
The department has its beginnings in the period before 1954 where both a unique
National Geodetic Survey of Czechoslovakia and the Research Institute of Geodesy,
Topography and Cartography (VUGTK) were established. Before 1954 a small research
group had existed which had investigated some problems of geodetic theory and
surveying practice and which in 1954 became a basis of the newly established VUGTK.
In the VUGTK this group tied in the applied research developed before in the
Triangulation Office of the Ministry of Finance of Czechoslovakia and in accordance
with the economic and societal requirements of that time started investigations of
several theoretical and applied geodetic problems related to the accomplishment of the
Czechoslovak Triangulation Network, to the development of the Czechoslovak
Astrogeodetic Network and its incorporation into the continental Unique Astrogeodetic
Network of (former) Socialist Countries, to the analysis and re-observation of the
Czechoslovak Levelling Network, its readjustment within the Unique Levelling
Network of East-European countries and the conversion to the new Baltic Vertical
Datum. Another urgent problems to solve were a description and analysis of relations
between the Czechoslovak user system of the Unique Triangulation Cadastral Network
and the international reference system S-42. To meet the societal requirements and
international commitments in surveying and mapping a number of particular problems
had to be solved from the theory of the shape and gravity field of the Earth,
mathematical geodesy, geodetic gravimetry and technology of precise geodetic,
astronomical and gravity measurements. Since the end of fifties the research in satellite
geodesy has been developed and since sixties and seventies a parallel attention has
been paid to scientific problems of mathematical and physical geodesy. Since late fifties
the research of recent crustal movements of
the earths surface has also been performed. The incorporation of the Geodetic
Observatory Pecný into the structure of the Research Institute of Geodesy,
Topography and Cartography in 1965 stimulated the experimental research in geodetic
astronomy, geodetic gravimetry, theory of measurement and geodetic instruments and
linked up the VUGTK with international permanent (first astrometric and somewhat
later also satellite and earth tide) observation services. The Geodetic Observatory had
as an experimental facility a relatively high international standard in sixties and in early
seventies later it was slowly felling below mainly due to morally obsolete instrumental
equipment (with the exception of earth tides). This period of declination, which lasted
for nearly twenty years, was cut at the beginning of nineties when , after some upgrade,
the observatory revived and joined again important international projects. Since its
establishment within the frame of the VUGTK, a remarkable participation of the staff of
the department in international projects has been observed. First it was, for well known
reasons, with the countries of the former Soviet block (GSSS, KAPG, Interkosmos)
but since the beginning of sixties also with the international scientific community in the
International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics (IUGG) or International Association
of Geodesy (IAG), in the Committee for Space Research (COSPAR) and in other
international structures established after 1990 (e.g. Committee on Earth Sciences of the
Central European Initiative).
General Characteristics
The present Department of Geodesy and Geodynamics arose in 1981 from a fusion of
the former Department of Theoretical Geodesy and the Department of Geodetic
Astronomy (Geodetic Observatory Pecný). In the department a fundamental research is
carried out in mathematical and physical geodesy, space geodesy, geodetic gravimetry
(gravimetric earth tides) and geodynamics and an applied research is being developed in
the field of geodetic control with the results directed to the branch of the Czech Office
of Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre and to all contemporary Czech surveying
practice. Both types of the research have their theoretical and experimental part. The
experimental research is based partly on domestic observations, partly on observations
and experimental data provided by other scientific agencies. Within the branch of the
Czech Office of Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre the department collaborates with
the Land Survey Office and with Cadastral Offices and, besides, with the Faculty of
Civil Engineering of the Czech University of Technology in Prague, with the Institute
of Surveying of the University of Technology Brno, with the Astronomical Institute of
the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and also with the Military
Topographical Institute Dobruka. A part of the department is the International Center
on Recent Crustal Movements (ICRCM) which in the period 1975 - 1996 was an
operational agency of the IAG, section 5 - Geodynamics. The ICRCM is still a part of the structure
of the World Data Centers within
the WDC Panel of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) as the center
WDC-C. An essential part of the department is concentrated at the Geodetic
Observatory Pecný in Ondejov, the ICRCM funds and a branch office is at the VUGTK
headquarters at Zdiby. Since July 1st, 2000 the "Center for Earth
Dynamics Research" was established in the frame of department, founded by Research
Institute of Geodesy, Topography and Cartography, Astronomical
Institute of the Academy of Science of the CR, Faculty of Civil Engineering Czech Technical University,
Faculty of Natural Sciences Charles University and Institute of Rock Structure and Mechanics of Academy
of Science of the CR. Center is financially supported by Ministery of Education, Youth and Sport of the CR in the frame
of the project LN00A005 "Experimental Research of the Dynamic of the Earth and its Surface".
Fundamental Research
The fundamental research has been since 1992 supported by the Government Council for Science and Technology and by the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic. At present it is being developed within the research project "Temporal Variations of the Geodetic Control Networks" and "Experimental Research of the Dynamic of the Earth and its Surface" in the following six specializations:
The department collaborates with a number of the foreign agencies e.g. NOAA, Silver Springs, USA,
GeoForschungsZentrum, Potsdam, Germany and
some others joined in the IAG and in the Section C-Geodesy of the CEI.
In the frame of fundamental research EUREF analytical subcenter were established, namely center GOPE
for processing of the data from "EUREF permanent netwok" stations, subcenter for nearly-real-time
computation of precise positions of the NAVSTAR system satellites or center for determination water-vapour
content in atmosphere by GPS technology.
Applied Research
Applied research in the department is in the first place directed to the present needs of
the branch of the Czech Office of Surveying, Mapping and Cadastre in the field of
geodetic control networks, their update and integration within the modern European
geodetic control. Recently the project of incorporation of the Czech and Slovak
Astrogeodetic Network, together with the primary networks of Austria, Hungary and
Germany, into the European terrestrial continental reference system ED87 has been
accomplished. The department participated in the extension of the new European
reference frame EUREF to the Czech and Slovak Republics, in the establishment of the
Czech zero-order GPS reference network and in its densification to the average density
1 station/ 400 km2 as well as in the direct connection of the Czech GPS reference
network with reference networks of Germany and Austria. In the establishment of GPS
reference networks the department takes part by both the observations and the
processing by the scientific software package. The most topical task is the
establishment and monitoring of the Czech National Geodynamical Network by GPS technique. The
network consists of 32 stations at which GPS observations have been periodically
repeated (twice a year) since the spring 1995. These observations are supplemented by
levelling and gravity measurements. The objective of this project is a stability
assessment of the horizontal control network and its integration with the vertical
control network of the Czech Republic. The department takes an active part in the
process of incorporation of the Czech national geodetic control into the continental
European geodetic control by participation in the international projects EUREF and
EUVN (its realization is now in its initial stage). With the help of the national GPS
reference networks the present user terrestrial reference frame (S-JTSK/95) has been
improved and is now passing through large scale disputations. For the cadastral offices
the local networks, densified by themselves by GPS techniques, are tied to the national
GPS reference network. A reference quasigeoid model was computed for the territory
of the Czech Republic with an accuracy of about 5 cm which makes it possible to
determine sea level heights from GPS observations at any place of the state territory.
The stability of the reference frame is continuously monitored by evaluation of
observations of a cluster of European IGS stations. For the calibration and processing of the
GPS technology, the calibration network was established at Geodetic Observatory Pecny and Skalka.
In the field of the geodetic control
networks the department collaborates with the Land Survey Office and with the
Department of Advanced Geodesy of the Faculty of Civil Engineering of the Czech
University of Technology in Prague.
Geodetic Observatory Pecný
The Geodetic Observatory Pecný is a research facility destined for an experimental
geodetic research. It is located about 40 km south-east of Prague nearby the village
Ondejov close to the large campus of the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of
Sciences of the Czech Republic. The observatory is a geodetic reference station of the
Czech Republic including vertical and gravity reference point. It has a laboratory and a
thermo chamber for testing gravity-meters, geodetic instruments and GPS technique. Its PC-LAN
is linked to the LAN of the Astronomical Institute and through it to
Internet. In the surroundings of the observatory there is a geodetic and
photogrammetric test field and calibration network for test of GPS technology.
A permanent GPS station GOPE has been in operation since September 1993 and since
September 1995 it has been regularly contributing to the International GPS Service for
Geodynamics. The observations were performed by Trimble 4000-SSE instrument since beginning to the
November 1999. Starting 5th November 1999, the Ashtech Z-18 instrument has been installed.
The antenne is mounted in a metal plate with a forced centering
embedded on the top of a concrete pier over the roof of the main observatory building.
The pier is passing through the building and is embedded in its grounds. Around the
upper part of the pier there is an observing platform containing a meteorological box
with a sensor for recording meteo-data (temperature, air pressure, humidity). The hourly
observation data are downloaded and RINEX hourly and daily files are routed via
the Internet to the CEI-Data Center Graz and further forwarded to the IGS Regional
Data Center IfAG Frankfurt am Main. The data are then processed in the IGS Analysis
Center CODE in Bern, Switzerland and in SIO, USA. At present the station operates fully automatically.
The astrometric time and latitude observations have been at the observatory regularly
performed since 1957. At present only one instrument - the Circumzenithal VUGTK
100/1000- is being operated within the international service. The smaller model of this
instrument - the Circumzenithal VUGTK 50/500 - is used as a field instrument for the
determination of vertical deflections especially in mountainous regions. The
observation data from the regular circumzenithal observations were after on-site
preprocessing supplied for further processing to the World Center of Optical
Astrometry, (BIH, Paris, Shanghai, China etc.), at present time are supplied
to the GOSSTANDARD, Mendeleyevo, Russia only. The
permanent gravimetric observations of earth tides have been performed by several
gravimeters in the tidal laboratory since 1970. In addition to on-site continuous data
processing and analysis the results are regularly supplied for further evaluation to the
International Center on Earth Tides in Brussels, Belgium. Besides, eight repeated
absolute gravity measurements have been performed at the observatory with five
different absolute gravity meters in the period 1979 - 1995. The absolute gravity measurements
are at present time provided in the frame of the project of international cooperation UNIGRACE.
In the past the photographic
satellite tracking was almost continuously performed in the period 1969 - 1990, the
satellite laser ranging on an experimental level in 1970 and the Doppler
observations in 1984 - 1989
International Center on Recent Crustal Movements
The International Center on Recent Crustal Movements, which was a part of the
Department of Geodesy and Geodynamics, was in the period September 1975 - July 31,
1996 an operational agency of the Commission on Recent Crustal Movements (CRCM)
which is assigned to the Section 5-Geodynamics of the International Association of
Geodesy (IAG). At present the ICRCM is no more a part of the IAG but it still is a part
of the system of the World Datacenters (WDC), headed by the WDC Panel assigned to
the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU), as a center of the category C-Europe. The tasks of the ICRCM was basically: to collect, store and distribute available
informations on recent crustal movements; to collect, store and distribute the basic
bibliographical data on RCM; to evaluate the informations and distribute them in the
form of catalogues, maps or other means of illustration; to compare the available data
with other geological and geophysical information; to encourage the projects aimed at
monitoring recent crustal movements by means of consultations, trainings and scientific
stays in the ICRCM with special regard to the developing countries. At present the
ICRCM data funds are as follows: 60 digital data files stored at discettes and other
media containing digital maps of RCM of different regions, the results of repeated
terrestrial geodetic horizontal and vertical measurements in different countries,
catalogues of coordinates, results of computations of deformation tensors for different
areas etc. and, to very limited extent, the results of GPS observations for geodynamics
purposes; about 100 map sheets at a variety of scales for different regions of the world,
displaying different characteristics of RCM, geological maps, gravity maps, maps of the
mean terrain heights etc.; written catalogues of coordinates resulted from repeated
terrestrial measurements, catalogues of the mean heights at the tide gauges of the
International Permanent Service of the Sea Surface etc. The ICRCM library collect about 2000 volumes of books
and reprints related to the recent crustal movements. The data and informations are
provided by request in different ways to the agencies and individual scientists. The data and information are also offer by different way for require to the research organizations and researchers. The ICRCM funds are a part of the Branch Library of the Research Institute of Geodesy Topography and Cartography now.
International Cooperation
The members of the research staff of the Department of Geodesy and Geodynamics
hold scientific positions in the International Association of Geodesy (IAG), in the
section C-Geodesy of the Earth Science Committee of the Central European Initiative
(CEI/C), in the Committee for Space Research (COSPAR), in foreign scientific
associations and unions and in editorial boards of international journals. The department
is also involved in several international projects. Within IAG the membership of the
IAG Executive Committee, positions of national
representatives in commissions 5 (Earth Tides) and 10 (Global and Regional
Networks), membership in special commission for mathematical and physical
foundations of geodesy, in committee for education, in special study groups 3.164
(instruments and methods of airborne gravimetry), 3.166 (local gravity field modelling
and interpretation), in study groups on the long-periodic variations of the Earth's
rotation and on calibration of gravimeters. In CEI/C it is a posiotion of the national
coordinator for the Czech Republic, international coordinator of the project C1
(Interconnection of Geodetic Networks), national investigator of the international
geodynamical project CERGOP, chair of two study groups of the CERGOP project
(No.6 - CEGRN and precise height determination and No.8 - Geotectonics of Central
Europe) and membership in three CERGOP study groups (No.3-CEGRN reference
frames, No.4-Data standardization and processing centers and No.1-Tropospheric
refraction) as well as the position of the national representative for the Czech Republic
in the CEI special study group for the standardization of university education in CEI
countries. In the COSPAR it is a membership in the panel Dynamics of Artificial
Satellites and Space Shuttels". The members of the research staff of the department are
also members of the American Geophysical Union, Canadian Geophysical Union,
European Geophysical Society and members of editorial boards of international
scientific journals Journal of Geodesy", Journal of Geodynamics" and Studia
Geophysica et Geodaetica" etc. In addition to it, the department is actively involved in the
international projects EUREF (European Reference Frame) by operating an associate
analysis center and EUVN (European Vertical Network) by the activities of the pre-processing and analysis centers and also in the international geodynamical project
CERGOP (CEI/C) by operating an analysis center, heading two study groups and
participation in international observation campaigns.
Research Staff, Publications
A basic information on the research staff of the Department of Geodesy and
Geodynamics and its publication activity in time interval 1991 - 1996 is given according to the
following scheme:
year: number of research workers/number of technicians/number of publications in
international volumes (proceedings and periodicals)/number of publications in Czech
volumes (proceedings and periodicals):
1991: 9/3/11/12; 1992: 11/3/15/8; 1993: 13/3/12/7; 1994: 14/3/24/15; 1995:
10/2/27/4; 1996: 10/2/28/3. Three members of the research staff of the Department of Geodesy and Geodynamics
give lectures at the Universities (Faculty of Civil Engineering, Czech University of
Technology, Prague, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles university, Prague),
one holds a position of the Head of Geodetic Section of the Czech National Committee
of Geodesy and Geophysics, two are members of the examination commissions for
doctor dissertation (DSc). Besides, the members of the research staff are
members of the university examination commission at the Czech Technical University in Prague,
Charles University in Prague, Technical University in Brno and Ostrava, Slovak Technical
University in Bratislava,
members of inter-branch commission for geodetic control, one is a
member of the Commission for Terminology of the Czech Office for Surveying,
Mapping and Cadastre. Every year about 6 - 8 reviews of scientific presentations
submitted for publications in international and domestic journals are elaborated in the
department. Since the establishment of the Grant Agency of the Czech Republic in
1993 a lot of scientific projects submitted by the members of the research staff of the
department have been supported by this Agency, some international projects are
supported by the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and one international project
by the European Commission. A consultancy and advisory work is being done in the
department, in a limited extent special geodetic works mainly based on GPS and verification
and testing of GPS technique from different producer are
carried out. The members of the research staff are regularly engaged as lecturers in
geodetic and surveying seminars on the problems of the geodetic control.
Publication activity and research staff since 1997 is to be seen on the web pages of Research Institute.
Other Activities
Last updated: 17.10.2005