Geoid Example

Indian Ocean Geoid Location: Indian Ocean Latitude: 60° N to 70° S Longitude: 10° E to 160° W Image Width: 18900km (11800 statute miles) at the equator Data: Geoid heights from European Space Agency ERS-1 altimeter along with data from the US Navy Geosat (Sandwell and Smith) Description: The geoid is defined as the equipotential surface of the Earth's gravity field which best fits, in a least squares sense, global mean sea level. The surface of the ocean bulges outward and inward mimicking the topography of the ocean floor. These ocean bumps, too small to be seen, can be measured by a radar altimeter aboard a satellite. See ngdc.noaa.gov for a more complete explanation. This image highlights tectonic features, such as ocean trenches and ridges, and landforms at plate boundaries such as the Himalayas. Only closer inspection shows the continental landmasses of Africa and Australia. South of Africa, the rift valley and the fracture zones along the Southwest Indian Ridge are especially clear.

The geoid is defined as the equipotential surface of the Earth's gravity field which best fits, in a least squares sense, global mean sea level. The surface of the ocean bulges outward and inward mimicking the topography of the ocean floor. These ocean bumps, too small to be seen, can be measured by a radar altimeter aboard a satellite. See ngdc.noaa.gov for a more complete explanation. This image highlights tectonic features, such as ocean trenches and ridges, and landforms at plate boundaries such as the Himalayas. Only closer inspection shows the continental landmasses of Africa and Australia. South of Africa, the rift valley and the fracture zones along the Southwest Indian Ridge are especially clear. GeoMapApp is a global topography database and stand-alone GUI application written in the Java™ programming language. Both the database and application are actively being developed. This page will be maintained to inform GeoMapApp users of changes to the software and underlying databases. http://www.iedadata.org/">IEDA Integrated Earth Data Applications http://ccom.unh.edu/">CCOM Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping Joint Hydrographic Center National Hazards Image Database http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/hazardimages/"> http://www.nsf.gov/">