Geodetic accuracies obtainable from measurements of first and second order gravitational gradients

Abstract

The accuracy of an airborne accelerometer-gradiometer system is studied for geodetic applications. A detailed analysis of interpolation, downward continuation and mean value determination is given using the method of least-squares collocation. The influence of measuring errors is considered and the effects are discussed in connection with the stability problem. Finally, the contribution of accurate satellite altimetry to a combined accelerometer-gradiometer system is taken into account. The results of this study show that a system of this kind can significantly contribute to our knowledge of the anomalous gravity field if second-order gravitational gradients can be measured with an accuracy of a few Eotvos.