Interrelation between the geoid and orthometric heights

Abstract

Height determination, like geoid modelling, is directly dependent on the gravity field. Hence it would be natural to link them for a comprehensive solution. It is known that the traditional methods for determining orthometric heights suffer from adopted approximations. In order to arrive at a more rigorous orthometric height, one must also account for the effects of the geoidgenerated gravity disturbance, the shape of the topographical surface, and the density variations within topography. These effects are also considered for regional gravimetric geoid models. As a consequence, the implementation of the rigorous orthometric heights is simplified, further on, the heights become more compatible with regional geoid models. However, the two research areas have usually been discussed separately, and therefore the interrelation between them has only been vaguely considered. This contribution focuses on common features of geoid modelling and rigorous height determination. Relevant numerical results are discussed.