Ordnance Survey – Great Britain's national mapping agency

Expedition to highlight Earth mapping

03 August 2007

An international expedition to highlight the importance of geodesy – the measuring and mapping of the shape of the Earth's surface – has been launched.

The Geodetic Journey is travelling through China and Tibet to show how an accurate model of the Earth's surface will mean a more uniform, accurate system for measuring the height of mountains and other natural features.

The expedition, supported by the European Space Agency (ESA), will examine ancient methods of surveying all the way through to the most modern techniques in Earth observation.

The venture is intended to promote an upcoming ESA mission that should provide an accurate picture of the Earth's gravity field and surface shape.

Bente Lilja Bye, Research Director from the Norwegian Mapping and Cadastre Authority, said: ‘Measuring our planet's peaks using a standardised reference will help us better understand the Earth’.

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