geodesy

noun

ge·​od·​e·​sy jē-ˈä-də-sē 

: a branch of applied mathematics concerned with the determination of the size and shape of the earth and the exact positions of points on its surface and with the description of variations of its gravity field

geodesist

jē-ˈä-də-sist 

noun

Examples of geodesy in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The magnetic field offers a glimpse of the planet’s interior and a snapshot of its history, hinting at how far the whirling insides have decelerated over billions of years, says Antonio Genova, an aerospace engineer who studies planetary geodesy and geophysics at the Sapienza University of Rome. —Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Apr. 2024

Her work on satellite geodesy and satellite measurements contributed to the accuracy of GPS, which impacts phones and is widely used in automobiles. —Amritpal Kaur Sandhu-Longoria, USA TODAY, 8 Mar. 2023

This is a major deal for the science of geodesy, which measures Earth’s shape and gravitational influence. —Bill Andrews, Discover Magazine, 28 Nov. 2018

That spells bad news for the regional tourism industry that relies on the glaciers, said Christoph Mayer, a senior scientist in the geodesy and glaciology group at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities in Munich. —Victoria Milko, Anchorage Daily News, 10 Nov. 2021

But subsidence, or the gradual sinking of land, likely would not on its own cause a building to collapse, according to Wdowinski, whose expertise is in space geodesy, natural hazards and sea level rise. —Laura Romero, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2021

Word History

Etymology

Greek geōdaisia, from geō- ge- + daiesthai to divide — more at tide entry 1

First Known Use

1853, in the meaning defined above