Statistical estimation of absolute gravity values

Abstract

Gravity measurements at stations in northwestern Nigeria were assumed to be random variables. Gravity data collected was used to illustrate the gravity network adjustment theories. Residuals of the network were inspected to detect gross errors by standardizing the residuals. Computed standard deviation for unit weight was used to determine the standard confidence interval which is one of the most important aspects of the least squares adjustment used for control surveys specifications, and for classifying surveys. The adjustment was carried out using the least-squares option to obtain estimated values for gravity for all the stations together with their accuracy estimates.

Key words: Statistical-estimation, observation, variable, least squares, accuracy