Effects of gravity data quality and spacing on the accuracy of the geoid in South Korea

Abstract

Abstract The effects of gravity data quality and spacing on the accuracy of the computed geoid are analyzed. The analysis is performed using simulated gravity data that accommodate the real gravity signal in South Korea. The reference geoid is generated using both simulated gravity data and digital terrain models (DTM), assuming that both data sets are errorless. By artificially controlling the gravity data quality and spacing, we are able to calculate and analyze the geoid errors. The results show that the current distribution of real gravity data in South Korea causes geoid errors, with the standard deviation being as much as 8 cm, and that these geoid errors are mainly caused by the distribution of gravity data rather than by the noise in the data. Areas showing large geoid errors are also clearly identified; these areas should be subjected to supplementary gravity surveying at data spacing smaller than 2 km to achieve a 5-cm level of geoid accuracy.