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1. Home
2. Education
3. Geodesy
4. What is Geodesy?

**What is Geodesy?** Global Positioning Tutorial  Geodesy is the science of measuring and monitoring the size and shape  of the Earth. Geodesists basically assign addresses to points all over  the Earth. If you were to stick pins in a model of the Earth and then  give each of those pins an address, then you would be doing what a  geodesist does. By looking at the height, angles, and distances between  these locations, geodesists create a spatial reference system that  everyone can use. Building roads and bridges,  conducting land surveys, and making maps are some of the important  activities that depend on a spatial reference system. For example, if  you build a bridge, you need to know where to start on both sides of  the river. If you don't, your bridge may not meet in the middle. As positioning and navigation have become fundamental to the functions  of society, geodesy has become increasingly important. Geodesy helps the transportation industry ensure safety and  reliability, while reducing costs. Without geodesy, planes might land  next to -- rather than at -- airports, and ships could crash onto land.  Geodesy also helps shipping companies save time and money by shortening  their ships' and airplanes' routes and reducing fuel consumption. Geologists, oceanographers, meteorologists, and even paleontologists  use geodesy to understand physical processes on, above, and within the  Earth. Because geodesy makes extremely accurate measurements (to the  centimeter level), scientists can use its results to determine exactly  how much the Earth's surface has changed over very short and very long  periods of time. The Earth's surface changes for many reasons. For instance, its surface  rises and falls about 30 centimeters (about 1 foot) every day due to  the gravitational influences of the moon and the sun. The Earth's  outermost layer, the crust, is made up of a dozen or more "plates" that  ride atop a sea of molten rock, called magma, which flows beneath the  surface of the Earth. Plate tectonics is the scientific discipline that looks at how these  plates shift and interact, especially in relation to earthquakes and  volcanoes. Although these phenomena are violent and usually affect  large areas of land, even smaller events, such as erosion and storms,  have an impact on shaping the Earth's surface. Geodesy helps us  determine exactly where and how much the Earth's surface is changing. Through the use of spatial reference systems created by geodesists any location on the Earth can be located quickly and accurately. (Image Source: ETOPO2 global elevation data).
 The phenomena that affect the size and shape of the Earth's continents and ocean basins are subtle and occur over hundreds of thousands of years. Learn more.
  Geodesy **Lessons** Welcome What is Geodesy? The History of Geodesy The Geoid What is a Datum? The Horizontal Datum The Vertical Datum Gravity The National Spatial Reference System The Global Positioning System CORS and GIS References
  More **Information** Roadmap to Resources Subject Review Is the Earth round? (Ocean Facts)  Geodesy Education Heard of geodesy? These videos from NOAA's National Geodetic Survey offer a deep dive into the science of knowing where you – and everything else is in the world!
  The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) includes this resource in its database. NSTA provides educators and students access to Web-based, educationally appropriate science content that has been formally evaluated by master teachers.
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  **Last updated:** 02/26/21 **Author:** NOAA How to cite this article Contact Us


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