Journal of Geodesy (2001) 74: 823±825
IAG Newsletter Ole Baltazar Andersen IAG Central Bureau, Department of Geophysics, Juliane Maries vej 30, DK-2100 Copenhagen é, Denmark e-mail:
[email protected]; Fax: +45 3536 5357; URL:http://www.gfy.ku.dk/iag/
The IAG Newsletter is under the editorial responsibility of the IAG Central Bureau. It is an open forum and contributors are welcome to send material (preferably in electronic form) to the IAG Central Bureau. These contributions should complement information sent by IAG ocials or by IAG symposia organizers (reports and announcements). Each IAG Newsletter includes several of the following topics: I. general information II. reports of IAG symposia III. reports by commissions, special commissions or study groups IV. symposia announcements V. book reviews VI. fast bibliography Meeting and School Announcements IAG Scienti®c Assembly Budapest, 3±7 September, 2001 Second circular and information: http://www.sztaki.hu/ conferences/iag2001 International Symposium On Kinematic Systems In Geodesy, Geomatics And Navigation (KIS 2001) Ban, Alberta, Canada 5±8 June 2001 Conference Website: http://www.geomatics.ucalgary.ca/ KIS2001 Books for review are the responsibility of: Christian Tiberius TU Delft, Faculty of CEG, Dept. of Mathematical geodesy and positioning P.O.Box 5030 - NL 2600 GA Delft ± The Netherlands Fax: (+31) 15 27 83 711 E-mail:
[email protected]
Sixth International Seminar on GPS in Central Europe 2±4 May, 2001, Penc, Hungary Seminar website: http://www.sgo.fomi.hu/gps/gpsceu6. htm Reports IAU/IAG Working Group The recent Progress Report of the IAU/IAG Working group on references systems of the planets and satellites are available from Milan Bursa by contact to Marie Vojtiskova email: Marie.Vojtiskova@vtopu. army.cz General Information International Earth Rotation Service (IERS) New structure As of 1 January 2001 the International Earth Rotation Service has got a new structure with the following novelties: ± The previous Sections and Sub-Bureaus of the Central Bureau are now autonomous components within the IERS and are called Product Centres. ± The Central Bureau moved from Paris to Frankfurt am Main in Germany and has now primarily administrative functions but will operate a data base for the relevant IERS products and data in the future. ± New elements of the structure are Combination Research Centres, ITRS Combination Centres and the Analysis Coordinator. ± External services like IGS, ILRS and IVS serve as Technique Centres for the IERS. New Web site: www.iers.org All previous IERS Web and ftp servers will remain active, providing information and data to the users.
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Book Review
WILLIAM MASON KAULA (1926±2000)
GeodaÈtische Astronomie title: GeodaÈtische Astronomie (Geodetic Astronomy) author: Albert SchoÈdlbauer publisher: Walter de Gruyter ± Berlin/New York ISBN: 3-11-015148-0 year: 2000 price: DM 228 pages: 634 size: 17.5 ´ 24.5 cm details: hard cover, in German Around the middle of the 19th century, the topic of physical geodesy arose from spherical astronomy of that time. Scienti®c astronomy can therefore be considered with right a mother of scienti®c geodesy. The large special ®eld of knowledge of pure astronomy developed in a fantastic way since then, however, in¯uenced the work of geodesists again and again too, for instance by means of Very Long Baseline Interferometry, which uses quasars as radio sources, or by means of celestial mechanics used for arti®cial satellites. Within geodesy, the special subject of `geodetic astronomy' (GA) was established. It was its goal and still is, to settle terrestrial questions by the use of stars as ®xed points (in reversal of `astrometry'), such as the very important orientation and position (datum) of triangulation networks in the past, or nowadays, the determination of the (astrogeodetic) geoid. Even if the practical meaning of GA-knowledge has decreased considerably due to recent developments (e.g. possibilities of positioning and navigation by means of the Global Positioning System), the writing of an extensive monograph is de®nitely justi®ed, especially since
the latest publications of comparable size (Ivan I. MuÈller, `Spherical and Practical Astronomy as Applied in Geodesy', 1969; Karl Ramsayer, `GeodaÈtische Astronomie' in Vol. IIa of Handbuch der Vermessungskunde Jordan/Eggerth/Kneissl, 1970) are already about 30 years old and therefore not able to contain up-to-date points of view. The technical developments that took place in the meantime (pico time measurement, microelectronics, sensorics etc.), in its eect on GA, required undoubtedly an actual representation. It was therefore an extremely commendable task of the author to write the book on hand in the given breadth and exhaustiveness. The author is professor of geodesy at the University of the Federal Armed Forces in Neubiberg near Munich. He was an expert on triangulation in the Bavarian Landesvermessungsamt (= Oce of National Surveying) and before that, assistant at Munich University of Technology where he did his doctorate. Therefore, due to his former practical and present theoretical activities, he is highly quali®ed to write such a comprehensive monograph. The book treats all considerable problems of modern GA. It emphasizes with right the geometricphysical as well as the special time-technical fundamentals since ± as is well known ± the reference frame and the system time play an exceptionally important role in the Global Positioning System with satellites. More than two-third of the book correspondingly takes these topics. The chapters are: ± goals and concepts of Geodetic Astronomy ± motion of earth and stars and other eects in¯uencing apparent places ± reference systems and refence frames ± apparent places of stars in dependence of real motions and other physical in¯uences, reduction of star coordinates ± time systems ± time services ± star catalogues, almanacs, bulletins, sky globes and star maps. The remaining part contains the chapters: ± instruments and modes of observation ± methods of observation on the practical aspects of GA, and additionally two very detailed sections on ± references ± authors and index. The order of the chapters corresponds therefore to the conventional scheme fundamentals ± applications. The word `monograph' used at the beginning outlines the circle of the readers. Students must pick out very selectively those chapters which correspond to the contents of their GA course. Professional users of GA will ®nd problem oriented deepening explanations, and theoreticians can inform themselves in detail about the status quo by the numerous references. The language is loosely and well understandable despite the rather dry
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subject, from what however only German speaking readers will probably really bene®t. Since it is not a textbook directly, it does not contain any numerical examples worked out, formulations of problems or software enclosed. Figures and illustrations are useful and instructive under one esthetically well-founded restriction: as unfortunately generally usual, all spherical representations are not axonometrically constructed! Such exact constructions would imply only low additional expenses but convey a much better spatial impression of spherical relations. The print of text and formulas is careful and very clear according to the very good standard of the publishing house Walter de Gruyter. Mistakes of lectorate or misprint are hardly to state.
The reviewer would have renounced the representation and application of spherical trigonometry since it is contained anyway in the also used vector/matrix notation. Moreover, this notation is more impressive for spatial representations of most problems and more advisable for the development of computer programs. For the composition of the text a lot of special literature had to be worked up and it is to thank the author for the enormous diligence devoted to the production. The book can be seen as, and may absolutely be recommended as an actual and complete representation of geodetic astronomy. Professor Gerhard BrandstaÈtter Technische UniversitaÈt Graz/Austria