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Technical University of Munich
Technical University of Munich

High-Resolution Gravity Modeling

The Focus Group High-Resolution Gravity Modeling, founded in 2013, is concerned with accurate modelling of the Earth’s gravity field to ultra-high resolution. The research goal of the Focus Group is the creation of a gravity field model to highest resolution of about 100 to 200 m over land areas of our planet. Accurate information on the gravity field of our planet is important for several geoscience and engineering applications. For instance, gravity is a fundamental quantity for precision heighting and topographic mapping with satellite systems. In geophysics, gravity is crucial for making inferences on the location and size of mass-density anomalies, e.g., salt domes or iron-ore bodies. In metrology, gravity is required for the calibration of precision scales.

Dr. Christian Hirt is a Senior Research Fellow at Curtin University’s Western Australian Centre for Geodesy and the Department of Spatial Sciences. He was active in the Focus Group as a Hans Fischer Fellow of TUM-IAS. Christian has expertise in gravity field observation and modelling techniques.

Prof. Dr. Roland Pail, Ordinarius of the Institute of Physical and Astronomical Geodesy at Technische Universität München (IAPG), is hosting the Focus Group. Roland is broadly involved in the gravity data processing of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) GOCE satellite gravity field mission.

The project team was completed by the group’s doctoral candidate Moritz Rexer, who holds a Master of Science in Geodesy. Moritz has done scientific research in the context of the GOCE satellite mission over the past 2 years.

The Focus Group members, together with other colleagues, have developed and released the GGMplus model (global gravity model plus), a high-resolution near-global model of Earth’s gravity over land areas.

Topics that were be further investigated by the team include, but are not limited to:

  • Optimum combination of satellite, and terrestrial gravimetry with topography
  • Modelling of the field over ice-covered regions (Antarctica, Greenland)
  • Spectral modelling techniques to ultra-high degree
  • Validation of the mathematical procedures and generated gravity models
  • Use of supercomputing techniques such as parallel processing and high-memory platforms

TUM-IAS funded doctoral candidate:
Moritz Rexer (PhD in 2017)

Publications by the Focus Group

2017

  • Hirt, Christian; Kuhn, Michael: Convergence and divergence in spherical harmonic series of the gravitational field generated by high-resolution planetary topography-A case study for the Moon. Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 122 (8), 2017, 1727-1746 more…
  • Hirt, Christian; Rexer, Moritz; Claessens, Sten; Rummel, Reiner: The relation between degree-2160 spectral models of Earth's gravitational and topographic potential: a guide on global correlation measures and their dependency on approximation effects. Journal of Geodesy 91 (10), 2017, 1179-1205 more…
  • Rexer, Moritz : Spectral Solutions to the Topographic Potential in the context of High-Resolution Global Gravity Field Modelling. Dissertation, 2017 more…
  • Rexer, Moritz; Hirt, Christian; Bucha, Blazej; Holmes, Simon: Solution to the spectral filter problem of residual terrain modelling (RTM). Journal of Geodesy 92 (6), 2017, 675-690 more…

2016

  • Hauk, M.; Hirt, C.; Ackermann, C.: Experiences with the QDaedalus system for astrogeodetic determination of deflections of the vertical. Survey Review 49 (355), 2016, 294-301 more…
  • Hirt, Christian: Gravity Forward Modeling. In: Encyclopedia of Geodesy. Springer International Publishing, 2016 more…
  • Hirt, Christian; Reußner, Elisabeth; Rexer, Moritz; Kuhn, Michael: Topographic gravity modeling for global Bouguer maps to degree 2160: Validation of spectral and spatial domain forward modeling techniques at the 10 microGal level. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth 121 (9), 2016, 6846-6862 more…
  • Kuhn, Michael; Hirt, Christian: Topographic gravitational potential up to second-order derivatives: an examination of approximation errors caused by rock-equivalent topography (RET). Journal of Geodesy 90 (9), 2016, 883-902 more…
  • Rexer, M.; Hirt, C.: Evaluation of intermediate TanDEM-X digital elevation data products over Tasmania using other digital elevation models and accurate heights from the Australian National Gravity Database. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences 63 (5), 2016, 599-609 more…
  • Rexer, Moritz; Hirt, Christian; Claessens, Sten; Tenzer, Robert: Layer-Based Modelling of the Earth's Gravitational Potential up to 10-km Scale in Spherical Harmonics in Spherical and Ellipsoidal Approximation. Surveys in Geophysics 37 (6), 2016, 1035-1074 more…

2015

  • Claessens, S. J.; Hirt, C.: A surface spherical harmonic expansion of gravity anomalies on the ellipsoid. Journal of Geodesy 89 (10), 2015, 1035-1048 more…
  • Hirt, C.; Rexer, M.; Claessens, S.: Topographic evaluation of fifth-generation GOCE gravity field models - globally and regionally. In: Newton's Bulletin 5, Special issue on validation of GOCE gravity fields, International Association of Geodesy. IAG, 2015, 1-24 more…
  • Hirt, Christian: Topographische Modellierung des Gravitationsfeldes. In: Handbuch der Geodäsie. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2015 more…
  • Hirt, Christian; Rexer, Moritz: Earth2014: 1 arc-min shape, topography, bedrock and ice-sheet models – Available as gridded data and degree-10,800 spherical harmonics. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 39, 2015, 103-112 more…
  • Hirt, Christian; Rexer, Moritz: Earth2014: 1 arc-min shape, topography, bedrock and ice-sheet models - Available as gridded data and degree-10,800 spherical harmonics. International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 39, 2015, 103-112 more…
  • Hirt, Christian; Rexer, Moritz; Scheinert, Mirko; Pail, Roland; Claessens, Sten; Holmes, Simon: A new degree-2190 (10 km resolution) gravity field model for Antarctica developed from GRACE, GOCE and Bedmap2 data. Journal of Geodesy 90 (2), 2015, 105-127 more…
  • Pail, Roland: Globale Schwerefeldmodellierung am Beispiel von GOCE. In: Handbuch der Geodäsie. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2015 more…
  • Pail, Roland; ; Bingham, Rory; Braitenberg, Carla; Dobslaw, Henryk; Eicker, Annette; Güntner, Andreas; Horwath, Martin; Ivins, Eric; Longuevergne, Laurent; Panet, Isabelle; Wouters, Bert: Science and User Needs for Observing Global Mass Transport to Understand Global Change and to Benefit Society. Surveys in Geophysics 36 (6), 2015, 743-772 more…
  • Pail, Roland; ; Bingham, Rory; Braitenberg, Carla; Dobslaw, Henryk; Eicker, Annette; Güntner, Andreas; Horwath, Martin; Ivins, Eric; Longuevergne, Laurent; Panet, Isabelle; Wouters, Bert: Science and User Needs for Observing Global Mass Transport to Understand Global Change and to Benefit Society. Surveys in Geophysics 36 (6), 2015, 743-772 more…
  • R. Pail et al.: Deutsche Geodätische Kommision bei der Bayerischen Akademie der Wissenschaften (Ed.): Observing mass transport to understand global change and benefit society: science and user needs: An international multi-disciplinary initiative for IUGG. Reihe B, Angewandte Geodäsie 320. Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften, 2015 more…
  • Rexer, Moritz; Hirt, Christian: Ultra-high-Degree Surface Spherical Harmonic Analysis Using the Gauss–Legendre and the Driscoll/Healy Quadrature Theorem and Application to Planetary Topography Models of Earth, Mars and Moon. Surveys in Geophysics 36 (6), 2015, 803-830 more…
  • Rexer, Moritz; Hirt, Christian: Spectral analysis of the Earth's topographic potential via 2D-DFT: a new data-based degree variance model to degree 90,000. Journal of Geodesy 89 (9), 2015, 887-909 more…
  • Rexer, Moritz; Hirt, Christian: Ultra-high-Degree Surface Spherical Harmonic Analysis Using the Gauss-Legendre and the Driscoll/Healy Quadrature Theorem and Application to Planetary Topography Models of Earth, Mars and Moon. Surveys in Geophysics 36 (6), 2015, 803-830 more…
  • Tenzer, Robert; Hirt, Christian; Claessens, Sten; Novák, Pavel: Spatial and Spectral Representations of the Geoid-to-Quasigeoid Correction. Surveys in Geophysics 36 (5), 2015, 627-658 more…
  • Tenzer, Robert; Hirt, Christian; Claessens, Sten; Novák, Pavel: Spatial and Spectral Representations of the Geoid-to-Quasigeoid Correction. Surveys in Geophysics 36 (5), 2015, 627-658 more…
  • Tenzer, Robert; Hirt, Christian; Novak, Pavel; Pitonak, Martin; Sprlak, Michal: Contribution of mass density heterogeneities to the quasigeoid-to-geoid separation. Journal of Geodesy 90 (1), 2015, 65-80 more…

2014

  • Hirt, Christian: GOCE's view below the ice of Antarctica: Satellite gravimetry confirms improvements in Bedmap2 bedrock knowledge. Geophysical Research Letters 41 (14), 2014, 5021-5028 more…
  • Hirt, Christian: Digital Terrain Models. In: Encyclopedia of Geodesy. Springer International Publishing, 2014 more…
  • Hirt, Christian; Kuhn, Michael: Band-limited topographic mass distribution generates full-spectrum gravity field: Gravity forward modeling in the spectral and spatial domains revisited. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth 119 (4), 2014, 3646-3661 more…
  • Hirt, Christian; Kuhn, Michael; Claessens, Sten; Pail, Roland; Seitz, Kurt; Gruber, Thomas: Study of the Earth's short-scale gravity field using the ERTM2160 gravity model. Computers & Geosciences 73, 2014, 71-80 more…
  • Hirt, Christian; Papp, Gabor; Pal, Andras; Benedek, Judit; Szucs, Eszter: Expected accuracy of tilt measurements on a novel hexapod-based digital zenith camera system: a Monte-Carlo simulation study. Measurement Science and Technology 25 (8), 2014, 085004 more…
  • Rexer, M.; Hirt, C.: Comparison of free high resolution digital elevation data sets (ASTER GDEM2, SRTM v2.1/v4.1) and validation against accurate heights from the Australian National Gravity Database. Australian Journal of Earth Sciences 61 (2), 2014, 213-226 more…
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