A Precise Look at the Stars

In a joint project, Fabrimex Systems AG and mylab elektronik GmbH further developed a high-precision zenith camera for geoid determination for the Swiss Federal Office of Topography (swisstopo). An exo342MU3 industrial camera from Allied Vision provides precise image acquisition.

Geodesy is the science of measuring and mapping the Earth’s surface. One of the most important foundations of geodesy is the calculation of the geoid. It serves to establish a precise and uniform vertical reference system. So-called zenith cameras are used to determine this physical quantity, explains Dr. Daniel Willi, Head of National Geodetic Survey at swisstopo. “For a long time, Germany was a leader in the field of analogue zenith cameras, including at Leibniz University Hannover. The Swiss system «CODIAC» (for COmpact DIgital Astrometric Camera) was inspired by this German camera. It was developed at ETH Zurich in 2019 and, with an accuracy of approximately 0.05 arcseconds for the deflection of the vertical, is one of the most precise instruments of its kind.” In 2019, swisstopo took over the two only existing CODIAC prototypes from ETH Zurich on permanent loan and has since been maintaining and operating the systems, including the software used, independently.

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