19.05.2014 | Friedrichshafen: Today, a measurement campaign of the GFZ with a Zeppelin NT over Lake Constance begins. In this investigation, the GFZ working group "GNSS Remote Sensing" analyses GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) satellite signals reflected from the lake in order to register height anomalies of the lake surface. The main objective is to define the coverage and accuracy with which water surfaces can be scanned. The target is a measurement resolution in the centimeter range. In the long run, the existing method shall be further developed in order to be applicable for space-based measurements, e.g., on board the ISS (International Space Station).

The measurement campaign will complement previous successful measurement campaigns of 2010 and 2012. In addition, a new signal receiver is tested. The device named "OpenBiStro" allows data analysis based on an open source algorithm: Unlike commercial GNSS receivers, the computer-based data analysis is freely accessible and can be applied to different satellite navigation systems such as GPS or the European Galileo system.

Provided the weather cooperates, the Zeppelin-based measurements conducted by GFZ will be combined with measurements from a ship conducted by ETH Zurich. This combination offers a valuable technique to validate the water levels gained.