Geodesy and Geoinformation (Bachelor of Science)

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1. What is geodesy?

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What is geodesy?

Geodesy is the science of measuring the earth. First and foremost, one usually thinks of surveyors dressed in high-visibility waistcoats standing on the street or on a construction site looking through surveying equipment. This image of the geodesist, however, does not cover the spectrum that geodesy and thus also the study of geodesy deal with today.

Have you ever had to deal with geodesy?

If you have ever used digital maps on the internet or on your smartphone (e.g. Google Maps) to find out where a certain restaurant is located or how far it is to the next big city, you have already had to do with the work of geodesists. But even if you go hiking with analogue maps, you benefit from the work of geodesists, namely from the recording of geo-data to the processing and visualisation. Maybe you have already been navigated to a certain place or you look for geo-caches on your hikes from time to time? Geodesy also deals with how and how precisely your navigation system (or smartphone) can determine its own position by means of satellites and determine the best route to another location. And if you prefer to discover virtual 3D worlds of real areas and objects on the computer, you probably didn't know that geodesists can also create 3D models of entire cities.

Bilder Geodäsie TU Dresden

What else belongs to geodesy?

The professional field of geodesy and geoinformation is an engineering discipline with diverse connections to the natural sciences. Geodesy deals with the measurement of the earth at global, regional and local scales.

Using modern computer-aided measurement methods, satellite technology and remote sensing sensors, tasks are solved that range from calculating the size and figure of the Earth and its gravitational field to precision measurements in engineering projects in construction and industry, for example in crash tests in the automotive industry. Other fields of activity are environmental monitoring, spatial planning and urban and rural development. Furthermore, geodesy deals with the reorganisation of land and the valuation of real estate. In addition to the collection of geodata needed for maps and as a basis for planning, geodesy is primarily concerned with the processing and analysis of geoinformation and relies on computer science and computer graphics methods.

Further Information

Further information on studying geodesy at other places of study in Germany: webpage working place earth (only in German available)

Welcome to TU Dresden

Geodesy and Geoinformation (Bachelor of Science)

Table of contents

What is geodesy?

Have you ever had to deal with geodesy?

What else belongs to geodesy?

Further Information

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