Research
DGFI-TUM conducts fundamental research in Space Geodesy, aiming to precisely measure and investigate the geometric and physical properties of the Earth system and their changes over time.
Through close international and interdisciplinary collaboration, the institute analyzes and combines observation data from all relevant geodetic space observing systems and complementary data sources. A central aspect of the institute’s research has always been the precise determination of the Earth’s geometric shape and its changes caused by geodynamics and climate effects. For the solid Earth, this involves, in particular, the realization of global and regional terrestrial reference and height systems. With respect to water surfaces, DGFI-TUM focuses on precisely determining the changing sea level and the surface dynamics of the oceans, as well as the water levels and hydrological parameters of inland waters, using satellite altimetry.
The institute operates several worldwide distributed geodetic observing stations and contributes to the operation and scientific data processing of the Geodetic Observatories Wettzell (Germany) and AGGO (Argentina) in the frame of the Forschungsgruppe Satellitengeodäsie (FGS). Our research is related to and benefits strongly from DGFI-TUM's activities in International Scientific Organisations, in which several staff members take leading positions and contribute to shaping the future direction of international geodetic research.
The research at DGFI-TUM is structured into two research areas, each subdivided into several research topics, and two cross-cutting research topics:
Research areas:
Cross-cutting research topics:
Since many years the institute has been taking a leading position in the realisation of global and regional horizontal and vertical terrestrial reference systems and of the celestial reference system from a combined analysis of various geometrical space-geodetic observing systems. In the field of satellite altimetry DGFI-TUM computes global and regional variations of the sea-level on different time-scales as well as water level time series for globally distributed inland water bodies from all altimetry missions since 1992. The research areas are complemented by the cross-cutting research topics High Atmosphere and Space Weather and Standards and Conventions. The latter topic is closely linked to the GGOS Bureau of Products and Standards that is chaired by DGFI-TUM and operated in the frame of the FGS.
Arcisstraße 21
80333 München