ts
5
all points on all the air bases below a horizontal datum instead
of below the isobaric surface. Once these distances were known it
was then a simple matter to add them to the depths of the model
points below the air base to deternine the depths of the model
points below an elevated ho orizontal.
The Smoothing Correction
It was now necessary to perform à smoothing operation to remove
small de pth residuals between points common to adjacent models.
These residuals are occasioned partly by the limiting accuracy of the
radar altimeter measures, and partly by small residual errors which
ind the shape of individual models. The smoothing operation
followed the method of Blachut which will not again be described,
d the main depth traverses
At this stage of the proceedings true depths had been computed
for all points lying ions the central sections of the strips, the
depths to points off these central sections being still subject to
errors due to the lateral tilt of the mode 18 The depths, however,
were not all with relation to the same ho ntal datum. 'In parti-
cular the tie strips were flown at a e ne lower height than the main
strips so that there was a large difference equal to about 8,500 ft
between the datums of the tie strips and those of the main strips.
The next process was, therefore, to correct &ll depths to the
reference of the same horizontal datum. The datum of the middle
tie strip was accepted for this purpose.
There were common points where the central sections of the main
strips orossed the central sections of the tie strips. The datum of
the main strips were thus lowered bodily by subtracting a constant
amount from all depths on each individual main strip to make the
depths of these common points the same on the main strips as they
vere on the central tie strip. When this ad been done the depth
residuals between the central sections of the main strips and the
central sections of the North and South tie strips were as follows:
A
Along the North tie strip: Strip
Strip
Stri p
Strip
and along the South tie strip: Strip
I
four feet shorter
thirteen feet longer
one foot shorter
eight feet shorter
ei ght feet shorter
fo ur feet longer
five feet longer
no residual.
e
M
=
Strip
Strip
Strip
RO IQ
>
+
M
LJ
These residuals were removed by a sinple linear closing procedure,
The lateral tilt Correction
at this stage still subject to lateral tilt errors, but these errors
] places where the central sec-
1s of the tie strips crossed the ral edges of the main strips,
the values from the central sections of the tie iris being clearly
the right ones, Corrections were, therefore, made to the main
strips at these place 3 the same sections, the
corrections were proportionately restes back to a value of zero at
the strip centres. At other sections across the main stri Ps where no
tie strips had been flown the cor rections were supplied by simple
interpolation between those sections where tie Siri had been flown,
It was found, however, that it was not possible to extrapolate these
corrections beyond the north of the north tie strip or the south of
the south tie strip and it was necessary to use the coast line at
these places for application jf the lateral tilt correction in lieu
of tie strips.
>
4
f
-
U
*
MH
ps
C
He
px
TJ
ct
Depths of points off the central sections of the main strips were
at x temm