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REPORTS OF IUGG LIAISON OFFICERS
WITH INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONSReport to IUGG from the representative
to the Cartographic Office of the United Nations 1992 1995Juhani Kakkuri
Finnish Geodetic Institute, Helsinki Introduction
During the period 1992 - 1995 the following United Nations Regional Cartographic Conferences were held:
1. The Fifth Conference for the Americas in New-York in 11-15 January 1993;
2. The Thirteenth Conference for Asia and the Pacific in Beijing in 9-18 May 1994.The author of this report took part in the conferences mentioned as a member of the national delegation of Finland. During the conferences he met officials of the UN Cartographic Office.
Geodetic Topics Considered
Most items treated in the above mentioned cartographic conferences dealt with pure cartographic subjects (map specifications, remote sensing for cartography, digital databases, geographical and land information systems, map updating, geographical names, etc.) and as such were outside the interests of the IUGG/IAG.
Also a few important geodetic subjects such as the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) for establishing geodetic infrastructures and geodetic reference systems were treated.
In the Fifth Conference for the Americas conventional and satellite geodesy topics, including GPS, were considered. The papers under this sub-item dealt mostly with important reference systems and geodetic data. For example, the North American Datum 1983 (NAD '83), the North American Vertical Datum 1988 (NAVD '88), WGS 84, and the European Reference System 1989 (EUREF 89) were introduced to the conference. The concept of using GPS and a geoid model to provide orthometric heights was mentioned. Various possible applications of the GPS, with emphasis on marine navigation, mapping and charting, geodetic and geophysical applications, were also described.
In the Thirteenth Conference for Asia and the Pacific in Beijing in total of eight papers were presented under the sub-item, geodesy. In the papers various applications of the GPS-technology to geodesy were described, such as 1) the use of GPS for monitoring crustal deformations in seismically active areas, 2) the use of GPS to determine the positions of the camera at a time of exposure in aerial triangulation, and 3) the establishment of an accurate geodetic network with GPS through the Hawaiian Islands, American Samoa, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Pacific Islands for improved GPS-aided air and ship navigation systems. Also the WGS-84, which provides an accurate global reference frame, Earth gravitational model, normal gravity formula, geoid, and transformation constants with local and regional data was described.
Resolutions Adopted
The following important resolution (no. 8) was adopted in Beijing:
The Conference,
Recalling resolution 4, on regional geodetic reference systems, of the Twelfth United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific,
Recognizing the emergence of the Global Positioning System as a key geodetic technique which can be employed to strengthen or complete national geodetic infrastructures,
Noting the current use of the World Geodetic System 84 (WGS-84) for mapping, charting and navigation by many nations world wide, and its adoption by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO), for aeronautical charting and nautical charting respectively,
Bearing in mind that the International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) is recommended by the International Association of Geodesy (IAG),
Cognisant of the convergence of these two systems over time and the ongoing evolution of global geodetic reference systems,
Recommends that all countries in the region adopt a geocentric reference system, as soon as practicable.
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