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Contents IAG School on Reference Frames TG-SMM2010: IAG Symposium on Terrestrial Gravimetry: Static and Mobile Measurements 10th International Geoid School Updated Announcement for the 2nd General Assembly of the IGFS First International School on “The KTH Approach to Modeling the Geoid” International Doris Service Workshop 2010 Observing and Understanding Earth Rotation Contentious Issues In UNCLOS – Surely Not? IAG School on Reference Frames 2nd Workshop on Application of Artificial Intelligence and Innovations in Engineering Geodesy 10th International Geoid School IGS Workshop and Special Workshop on Vertical Rates from GPS 38th COSPAR Scientific Assembly 15th General Assembly of WEGENER 2010 IAG Commission 1 Symposium 2010: Reference Frames for Applications in Geosciences (REFAG2010) International Doris Service Workshop 2010 Observing and Understanding Earth Rotation ELSA Conference 2010 "Gaia: at the frontiers of astrometry" Beacon Satellite Symposium 2010 3rd International Conference on Cartography and GIS ISPRS Commission I Symposium - 2010 Western Pacific Geophysics Meeting IEEE International Geoscience and Remote Sensing (IGARSS 2010) 2010 The Meeting of the Americas ESA International Summer School 2010 First International School on “The KTH Approach to Modeling the Geoid” 7th International Symposium on LBS & TeleCartography ION GNSS 2010, 23rd International Technical Meeting IGCP 565 Workshop 3: Separating Hydrological and Tectonic Signals in Geodetic Observations Second SIRGAS School on Reference Systems 17th International Workshop on Laser Ranging JURSE 2011 - Joint Urban Remote Sensing Event (URBAN 2011 + URS 2011) Third Conference on Earth Observation for Global Changes (EOGC2011) 7th International Symposium on Mobile Mapping Technology IAG Sister Societies’ General Assemblies Paul Murdin: Full Meridian of Glory, Perilous Adventures in the Competition to Measure the Earth
EUREF Symposium 2010June 2-5, 2010, Gävle, Sweden
The next EUREF Symposium will be held in Gävle, Sweden, June 2-5, 2010. The 2010 symposium is organised by Lantmäteriet - the Swedish mapping, cadastral and land registration authority - and co-sponsored by KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Onsala Space Observatory at Chalmers University of Technology. The scientific programme will cover the following preliminary topics:
The website of the 2010 symposium www.lantmateriet.se/euref2010. A Best Student Poster Award is offered and the winner will be awarded by 100 Euro.
Helmut Hornik
IAG School on Reference FramesJune 7-12, 2010, Aegean University, Mytilene, Lesvos, Greece
Organized by the IAG Study Group IC-SG1: Theory, implementation and quality assessment of geodetic reference frames (Commission 1: Reference Systems, ICCT, IERS)
School Topics:
Lecturers: · Z. Altamimi, IGN-LAREG, Chairman IAG Commission 1 · A. Dermanis, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki , Chairman IAG Study Group IC-SG1 · T. Herring, M.I.T. · E. Pavlis, NASA Goddard & University of Maryland, Chairman ILRS Analysis Working Group · M. Sideris, University of Calgary, IAG President · P. Willis, Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris
Inquiries: Prof. Athanasios Dermanis, dermanis@topo.auth.gr School web page: http://www.topo.auth.gr/IAG2010_RefSchool/
On behalf of the organization committee Athanasios Dermanis
TG-SMM2010: IAG Symposium on Terrestrial Gravimetry: Static and Mobile MeasurementsJune 22-25, 2010, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Symposium topics include: · instrumentation and methods for absolute and relative measurement of gravity fields, static and mobile measurements and their application to shipborne, airborne platforms (planes, helicopters, airships) and other mobile platforms; · absolute ballistic gravimeters (including those based on the use of cold atoms), relative gravimeters of all types including superconducting gravimeters; · gravity gradiometers; · new results of measurement of gravity networks and the coverage of new regions; · metrology issues in gravimetry, the results of the comparisons of absolute gravimeters, application of gravity measurements in metrology; · standardization and databases of absolute measurements of the gravity field; · gravitational experiments.
The following topics are especially welcome for presentation at the Symposium: · new technologies and applications of gravity measurements such as planetary absolute and relative gravimetry; · links between satellite and terrestrial or planetary gravity measurements; · possible applications of terrestrial gravimetry in combination with GPS/GLONASS technologies; · gravimetry applications in navigation.
Detailed information, online registration is at: http://www.elektropribor.spb.ru/cnf/tg-smm2010/enfrset.html.
L. F. Vitushkin
10th International Geoid School"The Determination and Use of the Geoid" June 28 – July 2, 2010, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Dear Colleagues!
We invite you and your colleagues to take part in the work of the 10th International Geoid School "The Determination and Use of the Geoid", which will be held on 28 June - 3 July 2010 at the State Research Center of the Russian Federation - Concern CSRI Elektropribor, JSC (Saint Petersburg, Russia). The School is organized by the International Geoid Service (IGeS) and Concern CSRI Elektropribor, JSC. The School language is English. The School program includes the lectures presented in English by the known scientists in geodesy: · Introduction to Physical Geodesy - Prof. R.Barzaghi (Italy, DIIAR-Sec.Surveying Politecnico di Milano) · Global Models - Prof. N.Pavlis (USA, NGA, Geodesy and Geophysics Basic and Applied Research) · Collocation - Prof. I.Tziavos (Greece, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Geodesy and Surveying) · Terrain Correction - Prof. R.Forsberg (Denmark, DTU Space, National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark, President of the International Gravity Field Service) · Fourier Methods - Prof. M.Sideris (Canada, Department of Geomatics Engineering, Schulich School of Engineering, University of Calgary, President of the International Association of Geodesy) · Marine Gravity - Prof. O.Andersen (Denmark, DTU Space, National Space Institute, Technical University of Denmark) The seminars and practical exercises will be held. The School participants are provided with lecture abstracts, the CD with the geoid computation software from the International Geoid Service, and data for the exercises. After the lectures are over, each participant receives a CD-ROM with updated lectures. Full information for the School participants, including the registration fee, the preliminary program, the registration form of a participant etc. will be available at the School website: http://www.elektropribor.spb.ru/cnf/school2010/enfrset.html To participate please apply in advance. The application for participation is submitted ONLINE at the School website.
Local Organizing Committee
WEGENER 2010 in IstanbulSeptember 14-17, 2010, Istanbul, Turkey
The 15th General Assembly of WEGENER 2010, will be hosted by Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey on 14-17 September 2010. The 15th Assembly of WEGENER will provide a forum for presentation, discussion, coordination and scientific support for geoscientists interested in unravelling the kinematics and mechanisms of the broad Eurasian/African/Arabian collision zone. Contributions on new aspects arising from the new satellite missions for gravity, SAR and Laser Altimetry are welcome in particular. The call for abstracts is attached and further details are also available at www.koeri.boun.edu.tr/jeodezi/wegener2010/. All contributions will be subject to peer-review and will also be published in the formal proceedings of the WEGENER 2010. A special issue of the Journal of Geodynamics for WEGENER 2010 will be published and a limited number of papers will be invited for submission to a full refereeing process. · Deadline for abstract submission is June 18, 2010. · Deadline for online registration: August 6, 2010.
Haluk Ozener On behalf of the Organizing Committee
Updated Announcement for the 2nd General Assembly of the IGFSSeptember 20-22, 2010, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA
Registration is now open for the 2nd General Assembly of the IGFS - International Gravity Field Service will be held 20-22 September, in Fairbanks, Alaska, USA. Alaska has spectacular natural beauty, and exceptional geodetic and geophysical signals due to its active tectonics, volcanism, and rapid changes in the cryosphere. With the ability to measure gravity field changes by satellites (GRACE), as well as by superconducting and repeated absolute gravity, applications of gravity field information have spread from geodesy and geophysics into much broader application errors such as climate studies, glaciology and hydrology, and the meeting will pay special attention to these themes in addition to the geodetic science. Registration is open now via our website, as is abstract submission. The abstract submission and early-bird registration payment deadline are both revised to June 1, and we have updated the travel information on the website. More information is on our website, and please email the conference email if you have problems.
Website: http://www.gps.alaska.edu/IGFS2/ Email: igfs2@gi.alaska.edu
Jeffrey Freymueller for the LOC
First International School on “The KTH Approach to Modeling the Geoid”September 20-24, 2010, Istanbul, Turkey
After the successful experiences in the determinations and evaluations of precise local geoid models in different countries, we plan to arrange the First International Geoid School based on the KTH approach. (KTH is a Swedish abbreviation for Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden.). The school takes place on September 20-24, 2010, at, and hosted by, the Department of Geomatic Engineering, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey. The geoid school is lead by
Prof. Lars E. Sjöberg Prof. Serif Hekimuglu Royal Institute of Technology Yieldiz Technical University Division of Geodesy Institute of Geomatic Engineering Stockholm, Sweden Istanbul, Turkey Head of Geoid School Head of L. O. C.
Detailed information and registration form can be downloaded from the following webpage: http://www.infra.kth.se/geo/events/geoidschool.html.
Mohammad Bagherbandi Division of Geodesy Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
International Doris Service Workshop 2010October 21-22, 2010, Lisbon, Portugal
The next International DORIS Service (IDS) workshop will take place at the Lisbon International Fair in Portugal, from 21-22 October 2010.
The purpose of this workshop is to bring together representatives from all DORIS groups to share information about the network, data, products, and to perform inter-comparisons. Developments and scientific results in all aspects of the DORIS system will be highlighted. The meeting will be a forum for discussion and coordination of future activities.
The IDS workshop will be organised in conjunction with:
Structure of the meeting: The IDS workshop will include thematic sessions and a splinter working session over a period of 2 days. The sessions will consist of oral presentations and posters. Among the topics to be discussed will be DORIS results with the new satellites (Jason-2 & Cryosat-2) and progress towards an operational IDS combination.
The workshop is organised by CNES and EUMETSAT. Organising Committee: EUMETSAT: Gabriele Kerrmann, Francois Parisot, Madeleine Pooley CNES: Laurence Amen, Nicole Bellefond, Sophie Coutin-Faye, Pascale Ferrage (IDS)
The Scientific Committee will draw up a programme and an agenda at a later stage, according to the submitted abstracts.
Scientific Committee: Frank G. Lemoine (chair), John Dow, Laurent Soudarin, Petr Stepanek, Pascal Willis.
Details regarding this IDS workshop as well as more general information on the two other associated meetings are posted on the conference web site http://ostst-hydro-2010.com/.
Pascale Ferrage Observing and Understanding Earth RotationA Joint GGOS/IAU Science Workshop
October 25-28, 2010, Shanghai, China
The Earth's rotation, encompassing both the rate of rotation and the location of the rotation axis with respect to the Earth's crust, is not constant but changes on all observable time scales from subdaily to decadal and longer. The wide range of time scales on which the Earth's rotation changes reflects the wide variety of processes that are causing it to change, including external tidal forces, surficial fluid processes involving the atmosphere, oceans, and hydrosphere, and internal processes acting both within the solid Earth itself and between the fluid core and the solid Earth. Knowing the rotational response of the Earth to these global-scale processes allows Earth rotation measurements to be used to study them.
Measurements of the Earth's time varying rotation have been traditionally provided by optical astrometry and the space-geodetic techniques of satellite and lunar laser ranging (SLR and LLR), very long baseline interferometry (VLBI), global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), and Doppler orbitography and radio positioning integrated by satellite (DORIS). However, the launch of the GRACE twin gravity satellites in March 2002 and the densification of the global GNSS ground receiver network afford new opportunities for studying the Earth's rotation. GRACE is directly observing the effect of mass redistribution on the Earth's rotation, and the global network of GNSS ground receivers can be used to infer changes in the load acting on the Earth's surface and its effect on the Earth's rotation from observations of changes in the Earth's shape. Combining independent observations of the Earth's rotation, gravity, and shape will enable greater insight into the common processes causing them to change.
The Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) provides the geodetic infrastructure necessary for monitoring the Earth system, including changes in its rotation, gravity, and shape. This joint Science Workshop, organized by both GGOS and the International Astronomical Union (IAU), on Observing and Understanding Earth Rotation will be a forum for assessing our current ability to observe the Earth's time varying rotation, for assessing our current understanding of the causes of the observed variations, for assessing the consistency of Earth rotation observations with global gravity and shape observations, for exploring methods of combining Earth rotation, gravity, and shape observations to gain greater understanding of the mass load acting on the surface of the solid Earth, and for identifying improvements in the global geodetic observing system needed to further our understanding of the Earth^Ňs variable rotation.
Please visit http://GGOS-C19.shao.ac.cn/ for more information about this exciting workshop.
Richard Gross
Contentious Issues In UNCLOS – Surely Not?The Sixth ABLOS Conference: 25-27 October 2010
The Advisory Board on the Law of the Sea (ABLOS) is a subsidiary body of the International Association for Geodesy (IAG) and of the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO). One of its mandates is to organize regular conferences that explore and clarify the interface between marine law and science.
The Sixth ABLOS Conference is scheduled for October 25-27, 2010, at the International Hydrographic Bureau in Monaco. This meeting will again gather specialists from a variety of disciplines to discuss challenges that arise in the application of marine science and technology while taking into account the juridical requirements of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This year’s Conference Proceedings will be added to the accumulation of 125 or so Web-accessible presentations that have been delivered at the five previous Conferences, and which address numerous aspects of state practice and jurisprudence in the Law of the Sea. Past ABLOS Conferences have dealt with:
Proceedings of all past Conferences are available on the ABLOS website at www.gmat.unsw.edu.au/ablos/index.html.
As in the past, Conference organizers seek presentations that discuss how the provisions of UNCLOS can affect undertakings in marine science and technology. Special consideration will be given to papers that describe real or anticipated problems, and which propose solutions to those problems. Speakers will be encouraged to outline selected legislation, and where appropriate to describe case histories, actual situations, or real-world experiences that could offer guidance to practitioners in other states. Following are some proposed session topics during the 2010 Conference. Suggestions for other topics will be welcomed.
Completed manuscripts of accepted papers should be submitted no later than August 31, 2010 to ensure inclusion in the Proceedings which will be distributed at the close of the Conference. Formatting and submission instructions are posted on http://www.gmat.unsw.edu.au/ablos/ABLOS10Folder/PaperFormat.pdf
A registration form can be downloaded from http://www.gmat.unsw.edu.au/ablos/ABLOS10Folder/ABLOS2010ConfRego.pdf
A certain number of rooms have been pre-booked at hotels in and close to Monaco. A hotel booking form can be downloaded from http://www.gmat.unsw.edu.au/ablos/ABLOS08Folder/ABLOS2010HotelForm.doc
Conference Organizing Committee
Conference Chairman Chris Rizos, University of New South Wales COC Chairman Ron Macnab, Geological Survey of Canada (Retired) Programme coordinators Chris Carleton and John Brown, UK Hydrographic Office Advisor, Geodesy Lars Sjoberg, Swedish Royal Institute of Technology Advisor, Hydrography Luiz Carlos Torres, Hydrographic Service of the Brazilian Navy Secretariat services Steve Shipman, International Hydrographic Bureau Communications Sunil Bisnath, York University, and Ron Macnab, Geological Survey of Canada (Retired)
Chris Rizos
IAG Sponsored MeetingsJune 2-5, 2010, Gävle, Sweden The next EUREF Symposium will be held in Gävle, Sweden, June 2-5, 2010. The 2010 symposium is organised by Lantmäteriet - the Swedish mapping, cadastral and land registration authority - and co-sponsored by KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Onsala Space Observatory at Chalmers University of Technology. The website of the 2010 symposium www.lantmateriet.se/euref2010 from time to time will be be completed. June 7-12, 2010, Aegean University, Mytilene, Lesvos, Greece The IAG School on Reference frames is irganized by the IAG Study Group IC-SG1: Theory, implementation and quality assessment of geodetic reference frames (Commission 1, ICCT, IERS). For list of topics and other information please visit the webpage of the IAG School at http://www.topo.auth.gr/IAG2010_RefSchool/. June 16, 2010, Braunschweig, Germany URL: http://www.tu-braunschweig.de/igp/veranstaltungen/aieg2010 June 22-25, 2010, Saint Petersburg, Russia Terrestrial Gravimetry. Static and Mobile Measurements - TGSMM-2010 conference will be held in St. Petersburg, Russia between 22-25 June, 2010. URL: http://www.elektropribor.spb.ru/cnf/tg-smm2010/eindex.php 10th International Geoid School"The Determination and Use of the Geoid" June 28 – July 2, 2010, Saint Petersburg, Russia The 10th International Geoid School "The Determination and Use of the Geoid" will be held on 28 June - 3 July 2010 at the State Research Center of the Russian Federation - Ńoncern CSRI Elektropribor, JSC (Saint Petersburg, Russia). The school website: http://www.elektropribor.spb.ru/cnf/school2010/enfrset.html June 28 – July 2, 2010, Newcastle, UK URL: http://www.ceg.ncl.ac.uk/igs2010/index.htm July 18-25, 2010, Bremen, Germany URL: http://www.cospar-assembly.org/home.php September 14-17, 2010, Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey URL: www.koeri.boun.edu.tr/jeodezi/wegener2010/. September 20-22, 2010, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA The 2nd General Assembly of the IGFS - International Gravity Field Service follows the 1st IGFS symposium in Istanbul, August 2006, and the Symposium on Gravity, Geoid and Earth Observation, held in Chania, Greece, 2008, and is organized under the auspices of the International Association of Geodesy (IAG). The webpage of the symposium is http://www.gps.alaska.edu/IGFS2/. October 4-8, 2010, IGN, France URL: http://iag.ign.fr/index.php?id=140 October 21-22, 2010, Lisbon, Portugal The next International DORIS Service (IDS) workshop will take place at the Lisbon International Fair in Portugal, from 21-22 October 2010. The purpose of this workshop is to bring together representatives from all DORIS groups to share information about the network, data, products, and to perform inter-comparisons. Developments and scientific results in all aspects of the DORIS system will be highlighted. The meeting will be a forum for discussion and coordination of future activities. Details regarding this IDS workshop as well as more general information on the two other associated meetings are posted on the conference web site http://ostst-hydro-2010.com/. October 25-28, 2010, Shanghai, China URL: http://GGOS-C19.shao.ac.cn/
IAG Related MeetingsJune 7-11, 2010, Paris, France URL: http://wwwhip.obspm.fr/gaia/Gaia2010/Welcome.html June 7-11, 2010, Barcelona, Spain URL: http://www.bc.edu/sites/beacon/ 3rd ISDE Digital Earth SummitJune 12-14, 2010 - Nessebar, Bulgaria URL: http://www.cartography-gis.com/digitalearth/. June 13-19, 2010 - Athens, Greece The Second International Conference on Advances in Satellite and Space Communications (SPACOMM 2010) will be held in Athens, Greece, June 13-19, 2010. All tracks are open to both research and industry contributions. For details please visit the webpage of the conference http://www.iaria.org/conferences2010/SPACOMM10.html. June 15-20, 2010 - Nessebar, Bulgaria URL: http://www.cartography-gis.com/.
June 16-18, 2010 - Calgary, Canada IAG WG SC4.1 "Mobile Multi-Sensor Systems is organizing a session at the ISPRS Com. I Symposium in Calgary Canada June 16-18. Session chairs: Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska and Guenther Retscher. The webpage of the Symposium is http://sensorweb.geomatics.ucalgary.ca/isprs/symposium/. June 20-26, 2010 – Albena Resort, Bulgaria The International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference & EXPO – SGEM strengthened its position as one of the largest and successful geoscientific forums in Europe, with popularity exceeding the boundaries of the European Union. It offers the opportunity to share knowledge and experience in the fields of the geosciences. The webpage of the conference is http://www.sgem.org/. June 22-25, 2010, Taipei, Taiwan URL: http://www.agu.org/meetings/wp10/ June 28 – July 2, 2010, Bergen, Norway URL: http://www.congrex.nl/10a04/ July 25-30, 2010, Honolulu, Hawaii URL: http://www.igarss2010.org/ 2010 The Meeting of the AmericasAugust 8-13, 2010, Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil URL: http://www.agu.org/meetings/ja10/ September 1-11, 2010, Slettestrand, Denmark URL: http://www.munich-satellite-navigation-summerschool.org/ September 20-24, 2010, Istanbul, Turkey First International Geoid School on the KTH Approach will take place on September 20-24, 2010, at Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey. Detailed information and registration form can be found on the webpage of the conference http://www.infra.kth.se/geo/events/geoidschool.html. September 20-22, 2010, Guangzhou, China The 7th International Symposium on LBS & TeleCartography will be held at Spatial Information Research Center (SIRC), in the campus of South China Normal University (SCNU) on 20th - 22nd Sept, 2010, Guangzhou, China. The symposium will bring together experts from around the world to present the latest research results and developments with focus on Location Based Services in the fields of Cartography, Geoinformation, Computer Sciences, Ubiquitous and Pervasive Computing, Telecommunication, Geodesy, and Geomedia Techniques. Official Web Site: http://www.lbs2010.org/. September 21-24, 2010, Portland, Oregon, USA URL: http://www.ion.org/meetings/gnss2010cfa.cfm October 5-7, 2010, Köln, Germany October 11-13, 2010, Reno, Nevada, USA URL: http://www.igcp565.org/workshops/Reno_2010/introduction.php October 18-22, 2010, Lisbon, Portugal URL: http://www.aviso.oceanobs.com/ October 25-27, 2010, International Hydrographic Bureau, Monaco An international conference on "Contentious Issues in UNCLOS - Surely Not?", will be organised by ABLOS, in Monaco, at the International Hydrographic Bureau, on 25-27 October 2010. URL: http://www.gmat.unsw.edu.au/ablos/index.html#ABLOS10 November 2-5, 2010, San Jose, CA, USA The 18th ACM SIGSPATIAL International Conference on Advances in Geographic Information Systems provides a forum for original research contributions covering all conceptual, design, and implementation aspects of GIS ranging from applications, user interfaces, and visualization to storage management and indexing issues. This conference is the premier annual event of the ACM Special Interest Group on Spatial Information (ACM SIGSPATIAL). URL: http://acmgis2010.cs.ucsb.edu/. November 8-10, 2010, Lima, Peru November 11-12, 2010, Lima, Peru December 13-17, 2010, San Francisco, USA URL: http://www.agu.org January 17-22, 2011, Concepción, Chile URL: http://www.iers.org/ April 3-8, 2011, Vienna, Austria URL: http://meetings.copernicus.org/ April 11-13, 2011, Munich, Germany Contact: jurse2011@bv.tum.de April 13-15, 2011, Munich, Germany URL: http://www.pf.bv.tum.de/eogc2011/ 7th International Symposium on Mobile Mapping TechnologyJune 13-16, 2011, Krakow, Poland The Symposium MMT’ 2011 will be held on 13 – 16 June 2011, in the Sheraton hotel Cracow, Poland. We strongly invite and encourage all professionals, researchers and academics, business and industry partners, students to participate in this important event. Science Chair: Dorota Grejner-Brzezinska. The MMT2011 web site is up and running: http://www.mmtcracow2011.pl/. June 15-17, 2011, Gdynia, Poland URL: http://transnav.am.gdynia.pl/
IAG Sister Societies’ General AssembliesJune 27 – July 8, 2011, Melbourne, Australia
Paul Murdin: Full Meridian of Glory, Perilous Adventures in the Competition to Measure the Earth
Title: Full Meridian of Glory, Perilous Adventures in the Competition to Measure the Earth Author: Paul Murdin Publisher: Springer ISBN 978-0-387-75533-5 Year: 2009 Price: €19.95, $27.50, CHF 31.00, GBP 15.99 Pages: 187 Size: 16 ´ 24 cm Details: hard cover
Paul Murphy is treasurer of the Royal Astronomical Society and Senior Fellow at Cambridge University. He also used to be an astronomer at the Royal Greenwich Observatory. This book provides an historical point of view on the adoption of the origin of Longitudes, leading to a know rivalry between England and France. While, the Greenwich Meridian is now fully adopted worldwide, the Paris Meridian is still known in France. Remaining geodetic markers can still be found in Paris and a list is provided in this book, inviting tourists for a new way to visit Paris. Recently, on Bastille Day (July 14, 2000), a large open-air lunch, the Incredible Picnic, was organized along the Paris Meridian. The "Green Meridian" also recently led to more than 10,000 tree planted along this fictitious line. This book provides a vivid description of the major historical events, which led to the adoption of the Greenwich Meridian as an international standard. Short biographies of key peoples are available, and the French Expeditions, organized by the Academy of Sciences, in Lapland and in Ecuador are presented in a lively manner. The author used the help of the Paris Observatory to provide proper historical background and check the historical material. While the historical part really shows new insight in French history, the more modern chapters related to GPS and terrestrial reference frame could have benefited from some expert advices. In any case, this historical quest to measure the Globe and the French point of view provided by a British colleague is unique and clearly worth reading.
Pascal Willis Institut Géographique National Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris
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