Weakly Multicollinear Datum Transformations

Abstract

AbstractGeodetic network design and optimization is a very well-known concept in geodesy. However, in many cases, the available geodetic network configuration with respect to the estimation model is insufficient because of the physical and financial limitations. For the case of estimating the datum transformation parameters between two datums, the colocated points are only an unevenly and inhomogenously distributed subset of the available national/regional networks. Because the transformation parameters are defined with respect to an earth-centered, earth-fixed (ECEF) frame, very limited geographic coverage of the national/regional networks often leads to a weakly multicollinear estimation problem. Such limited geographical coverage is often coupled with the intrinsic geometrical distortions as well as the relatively lower precision of the observations, in particular, when transforming a terrestrial network into a space-based network. In such cases, the individual parameters become highly correlated and o...