Gravity and Geoid 2002

Preface by I.N. Tziavos
The 3rd Meeting of the International Gravity and Geoid Commission (IGGC) took place in Thessaloniki, Greece, from August 26 to 30, 2002. This symposium continued the tradition of the joint symposia of the International Geoid and Gravity Commissions (“1st Joint Meeting of the International Gravity Commission and the International Geoid Commission”, Graz, Austria, Sept. 11-17, 1994 and “2nd Joint Meeting of the International Gravity Commission and the International Geoid Commission”, Trieste, Italy, Sept. 7-12, 1998). The symposium primarily aimed and succeeded at bringing together geodesists and scientists from different branches of geosciences working in the general areas of gravity, geoid and geodynamics.
Besides covering the traditional research areas of Gravimetry and geoid determination, special attention was paid to the use of airborne surveys, satellite altimetry, dedicated gravity satellite missions, mathematical methods for the processing and integration of heterogeneous data, vertical datum definition and geodetic methods for geodynamics and temporal variations of the gravity field. The Scientific Committee members (Athanasios Dermanis, Dimitrios Arabelos, Bernhardt Heck, Fernando Sanso, Michael Sideris and Martin Vermeer) are sincerely thanked for selecting the session topics, which resulted in such an important scientific event.
The following seven sessions were organized in the frame of the GG2002 conference:

1. Gravimetry and gravity networks
   Rene Forsberg, National Survey and Cadastre, Denmark
   Jacques Liard, Geodetic Survey Division – Natural Resources Canada, Canada
2. Precise geoid determination
   Will Featherstone, Curtin University of Technology, Australia
   Heiner Denker, Institut für Erdmessung, Germany
3. Dedicated gravity satellite missions
   Peter Schwintzer, GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, Germany
   Nico J. Sneeuw, University of Calgary, Canada
4. Satellite altimetry
   Jaroslav Klockocnik, Astronomical Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Republic
   Martin Vermeer, Finnish Geodetic Institute, Finland
5. Numerical methods and integrated processing of heterogeneous data
   Dimitrios Arabelos, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
   Gabriel Strykowsky, National Survey and Cadastre, Denmark
6. Vertical datum definition and unification
   William Kearsley, The University of New South Wales, Australia
   Ambrus Kenyeres, FOMI Satellite Geodetic Observatory, Hungary
7. Geodynamics, tides and temporal gravity variations
   Luisa Bastos, University of Porto, Portugal
   Detlef Wolf, GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam, Germany

The conveners are responsible for the high number and high quality of the papers presented at the symposium. In fact, there were approximately 130 oral and poster presentations, from 150 participants from 35 countries around the world. This volume contains a representative sample of 70 peer reviewed papers from all sessions. Very special thanks are due to all conveners for organizing their sessions and for overlooking the review process for the manuscripts submitted for the proceedings.
Certainly the symposium could not have been organized and completed without the dedication of the members of the Local Organizing Committee, i.e., Vassilios Andritsanos, Dimitrios Arabelos, Athanasios Dermanis, Chris Kotsakis, Dimitrios Tsoulis and Georgios S. Vergos.
Sponsors played also a major role in the success of GG2002 by promoting the symposium and supporting social events as well as students and colleagues from developing countries. Special thanks are thus due to the International Association of Geodesy (IAG), the Technical Chamber of Greece, the Technical Chamber of Greece – Branch of Central Macedonia, the Research Committee of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Polytechnic School of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, the Hellenic Association of Rural and Surveying Engineers, Marathon Data Systems and Ziti Editions. In particular the Technical Chamber of Greece is thanked for its generous financial contribution.
Finally, sincere thanks are due to my graduate student, Georgios S. Vergos, for the endless hours he put in collecting and organizing the manuscripts and preparing both the web site material and the reviewed proceedings.

Volume Editor
Professor Ilias N. Tziavos
Department of Geodesy and Surveying
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Univ. Box 440
GR 54124
Thessaloniki, Greece

Scientific Committee
Prof. I.N. Tziavos (chair)
Prof. D. Arabelos
Prof. B. Heck
Prof. F. Sanso
Prof. M.G. Sideris
Prof. M. Vermeer

Organizing Committee
Prof. A. Dermanis (chair)
Prof. D. Arabelos
Prof. I.N. Tziavos
Dr. V.D. Andritsanos
Dr. C. Kotsakis
Dr.-Ing. D. Tsoulis
Dipl. Eng., M.Sc. G.S. Vergos