Datum Transformations By Iterative Solution Of The Abridging Inverse Molodensky Formulae

Abstract

Maps from different sources defined on different spheroids, projections, and origin points (datums), are often difficult to integrate because of the non-availability of needed transformation parameters to convert them accurately into a common datum frame. A
software solution has been developed through the iterative solution of the inverse Molodensky equations. The solutions require ground-control input for at least three (3) points in WGS84 (latitude, longitude and ellipsoidal heights) and in the local spheroid
(latitude and longitude only). Since most local datum coordinates are only two dimensional, documenting only latitude and longitudes, their ellipsoidal heights are determined from the solution of the inverse Molodensky formulae which also yields the shift parameters.

Keywords: Spheroid, ellipsoidal heights, inverse Molodensky, WGS84, Transformation parameters

Journal of the Ghana Institution of Engineers Vol. 5 (1&2) 2007: pp. 21-24