Christian Hirt

Short CV

Christian Hirt, Senior Research Fellow at Curtin University, Australia, holds a German Dipl.-Ing. and a Dr.-Ing. degree in Geodesy. His professional appointments include stays at the University of Hanover and HafenCity University Hamburg, Germany (as an Associate Professor). Christian is responsible for the successful development of a Digital Zenith Camera System, and the development of high-resolution gravity field models for Earth, Moon and Mars. He has been involved in the development of regional geoid models for Australia, and New Zealand. Christian has more than 70 (among them 49 peer-reviewed) scientific publications in his name, most of them as a senior author. Together with others, Christian is responsible or made essential contributions in attracting $1.25 Mio AUD worth of research funding. He is Chief Investigator of a $450,000 AUD Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery Project on the use of GOCE satellite gravimetry over the Australian region, and recipient of a prestigious ARC Discovery Outstanding Researcher Award (DORA).


Selected Awards

  • 2013, Hans-Fischer Fellowship, Institute for Advanced Study, Technische Universität München
  • 2012, Researcher of the Year Award, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Curtin University, Perth
  • 2011, Discovery Outstanding Researcher Award, Australian Research Council
  • 2001, Victor-Rizkallah Award, Victor-Rizkallah-Foundation, Hannover

Research Interests

  • Modern geodesy
  • gravity field modelling and determination
  • geodetic astronomy
  • atmospheric refraction

Selected Publications

  • Hirt, Christian; Kuhn, Michael: Evaluation of high-degree series expansions of the topographic potential to higher-order powers. J. Geophys. Res. 117 (B12), 2012.
  • Hirt, C.; Claessens, S.J.; Kuhn, M.; Featherstone, W.E.: Kilometer-resolution gravity field of Mars: MGM2011. Planetary and Space Science 67 (1), 2012, 147-154.
  • Hirt, C.; Featherstone, W.E.: A 1.5km-resolution gravity field model of the Moon. Earth and Planetary Science Letters 329-330, 2012, 22-30.
  • Hirt, Christian: Efficient and accurate high-degree spherical harmonic synthesis of gravity field functionals at the Earth’s surface using the gradient approach. J Geod 86 (9), 2012, 729-744.
  • Hirt, Christian; Guillaume, Sébastien; Wisbar, Annemarie; Bürki, Beat; Sternberg, Harald: Monitoring of the refraction coefficient in the lower atmosphere using a controlled setup of simultaneous reciprocal vertical angle measurements. J. Geophys. Res. 115 (D21), 2010.
  • Hirt, Christian; Schmitz, Martin; Feldmann-Westendorff, Uwe; Wübbena, Gerhard; Jahn, Cord-Hinrich; Seeber, Günter: Mutual validation of GNSS height measurements and high-precision geometric-astronomical leveling. GPS Solut 15 (2), 2010, 149-159.
  • Hirt, C.; Featherstone, W. E.; Marti, U.: Combining EGM2008 and SRTM/DTM2006.0 residual terrain model data to improve quasigeoid computations in mountainous areas devoid of gravity data. J Geod 84 (9), 2010, 557-567.
  • Hirt, Christian; Bürki, Beat; Somieski, Anna; Seeber, Günter: Modern Determination of Vertical Deflections Using Digital Zenith Cameras. Journal of Surveying Engineering 136 (1), 2010, 1-12.
  • Hirt, Christian: Prediction of vertical deflections from high-degree spherical harmonic synthesis and residual terrain model data. J Geod 84 (3), 2009, 179-190.
  • Hirt, Christian; Flury, Jakob: Astronomical-topographic levelling using high-precision astrogeodetic vertical deflections and digital terrain model data. J Geod 82 (4-5), 2007, 231-248.
  • Hirt, C.: Monitoring and analysis of anomalous refraction using a digital zenith camera system. Astronomy and Astrophysics 459 (1), 2006, 283-290.

Selected Publications

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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • 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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • 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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )

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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • Hirt, Christian: Gravity Forward Modeling. In: Encyclopedia of Geodesy. Springer International Publishing, 2016 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • 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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • 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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • 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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • 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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )

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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • 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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext (mediaTUM)
  • Hirt, Christian: Topographische Modellierung des Gravitationsfeldes. In: Handbuch der Geodäsie. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, 2015 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • 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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • 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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • 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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • 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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • 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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • 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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )

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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • Hirt, Christian: Digital Terrain Models. In: Encyclopedia of Geodesy. Springer International Publishing, 2014 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • 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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • 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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • 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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • 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 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )

2013

  • Featherstone, W. E.; Hirt, C.; Kuhn, M.: Band-limited Bouguer gravity identifies new basins on the Moon. J. Geophys. Res. Planets 118 (6), 2013, 1397-1413 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )
  • Hirt, Christian; Claessens, Sten; Fecher, Thomas; Kuhn, Michael; Pail, Roland; Rexer, Moritz: New ultrahigh-resolution picture of Earth's gravity field. Geophys. Res. Lett. 40 (16), 2013, 4279-4283 mehr… BibTeX Volltext ( DOI )