Georeferencing

Bundesanstalt für Gewässerkunde (BfG)

The aim of the project is the georeferencing of water level data collected at FINO1. These are of interest for various applications (hydrology, sea level rise research, calibration points for satellite altimeter measurements, etc.).

On FINO1, a Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) is operated by the State Office for Geoinformation and Land Surveying Lower Saxony (LGLN) in cooperation with the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration (WSV). In 2008, a radar level was installed by the Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency (BSH) in cooperation with the Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG). Since then, the BfG has been able to accurately georeference the recorded water level data or provide it with an exact height reference by a single connection measurement between the GNSS antenna and the radar level zero point.

The heights derived using GNSS systems are originally implemented in a globally defined reference system and can be converted into local reference systems. In practical terms, this means that the height information of the level zero points can be used across borders with the results of comparable systems. The prerequisite for this is information about the geometric relationships between the GNSS systems and the level zero points. Depending on the location, these must be recorded once and monitored at regular intervals.