Poutanen.M

Die Klasse Naturwissenschaften und Technikwissenschaften der Leibniz-Sozietät der Wissenschaften führt ihre öffentliche, wissenschaftliche Oktober Sitzung 2021 durch zum Thema

Past-present-future: Everlasting challenges of geodesy

Vortragender: Markku Poutanen (MLS)

Die Veranstaltung wird als Zoom-Videokonferenz durchgeführt.

Zugangsdaten für die Sitzung:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88690133793?pwd=N2JpcmJjcHN5RHNleGRZbmg3dnQrUT09

Meeting-ID: 886 9013 3793

Kenncode: 947141

Abstract:

Efforts to measure the precise size and shape of the Earth date back to ancient times but before the space age, there was no means to do such measurements accurately on a global level. Sun, Moon, planets, and stars have been used since ancient times for mapping and navigation but the accuracy remained quite modest. Oceans formed an insurmountable barrier.

For centuries, terrestrial techniques and instruments were developed. Triangulation and theodolite meant a revolutionary leap for mapping and surveying purposes since the 17th century. The beginning of the space age with the first Sputnik in 1957 meant another revolution in geodesy. The first time it became possible to measure the Earth as a single geodetic object over oceans and inhabited deserts. Over the decade, our measurement accuracy and understanding of the planet Earth increased a hundredfold, and during the next decades, the speed continued.

Global reference frames and space-born measurements became more and more accurate, allowing many new global research topics like plate tectonics, or measuring the climate change-induced sea-level rise and melting of glaciers. At the same time, the technological development created new applications, foremost the Global Navigation Satellite System, GPS. The rapid development of satellite positioning applications has made possible the widespread use of geospatial data.

The accuracy of space geodetic measurements today is amazing. Technical development brings us new instruments and new methods to push the limits further and further. Global observations are coordinated and collected by the services of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG). On the political level, new efforts under the United Nations Subcommittee on Geodesy give us hope to maintain a stable global geodetic network and to help developing countries improve their geodetic infrastructure.

In this presentation the speaker describes the everlasting race of needs and technical possibilities, leading to technological development which sets new demands for geodetic information. Modern society is fully dependent on data and observations made with space geodetic techniques, albeit only a few people may recognize it. Visibility is one of the major challenges of geodesy.

Kurzvita:

Professor, PhD Markku Poutanen is the Secretary General of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) since 2019. He has been Director of the Department of Geodesy and Geodynamics, Finnish Geospatial Research Institute (FGI), National Land Survey of Finland 2001-2019. He has been working in the FGI since 1985 on satellite geodesy and positioning, reference frames and geodetic metrology. He has an Associate professorship in two universities.

Markku Poutanen is the Chairman of the Nordic Geodetic Commission. He has been the president of EUREF, IAG subcommission of the European Reference Frames. He was chairing the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management in Europe (UN-GGIM: Europe), the working group of Geodetic reference frame in Europe (GRF: Europe) and he is a member of the United Nations Subcommittee on Geodesy.

He has been the President of the European Geosciences Union (EGU) Geodesy Division, president of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) sub-commission 3.2 Crustal Deformations and is a member of several National Committees related to ISC (International Science Council), and he has been chairing the National Committee of IUGG (International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics) and National Committee on Arctic and Antarctic Research.

Markku Poutanen has more than 250 scientific and popular articles and he is author, co-author and editor of university-level text books and popular books on astronomy and geodesy. Asteroid 3760 Poutanen is named after him. He is a full member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters and a corresponding member of the German Geodetic Commission.