Airborne Gravimetry Using INS/GPS and Gravity Gradiometers

Christopher Jekeli

Abstract:	A review of instrumentation technology is presented for the measurement of gravitational quantities on an airborne platform. Inertial navigation systems and gravimeters are now routinely used to map the regional gravity field with accuracy of the order of parts per million and spatial resolution of the order of several kilometers. However, precision of such systems is limited by the inaccuracy of the kinematic accelerations derived from GPS positions. Gravity gradiometry avoids the need for precision GPS due to the cancellation of the common mode (kinematic) acceleration, but depends on the accuracy of measuring the angular rate of the platform. Yet, this implies that advancements in gradiometry are governed strictly by accuracy advancements in inertial sensors, and new technological developments in these show promise for much improved airborne systems. This paper presents a review of airborne gravimetry and gradiometry showing the trade-offs of contributing sensors to achieve high accuracy and resolution in regional gravity models in view of existing and future inertial technology.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 60th Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (2004) June 7 - 9, 2004 Dayton Marriott Hotel Dayton, OH
Pages:	476 - 482
Cite this article:	Jekeli, Christopher, "Airborne Gravimetry Using INS/GPS and Gravity Gradiometers," Proceedings of the 60th Annual Meeting of The Institute of Navigation (2004), Dayton, OH, June 2004, pp. 476-482.
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