- Helmert-Wolf blocking
The Helmert-Wolf blockingfn|1 (HWB) is a
least squares solution [http://fkf.net/Wolf.gifmethod] for a sparse [http://fkf.net/equations.gifcanonical block-angular] (CBA) system oflinear equation s.Friedrich Robert Helmert (1843-1917) reported on the use of such systems forgeodesy in his book "Die mathematischen und physikalischen Theorieen der höheren Geodäsie, 1. Teil" published in Leipzig, 1880. [http://www.fkf.net/Wolf.html Helmut Wolf] (1910-1994) published his direct [http://www.fkf.net/Wolf.jpgsemianalytic solution] fn|2 based on ordinaryGaussian elimination in matrix formfn|3 in his paper "The Helmert block method, its origin and development", Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Problems Related to the Redefinition of North American Geodetic Networks, Arlington, Va.April 24 -April 28 ,1978 , pages 319-326. The HWB solution is really fast to compute but it is optimal only if observational errors do not correlate between the data blocks. Fortunately, thegeneralized canonical correlation analysis (gCCA) is the statistical method of choice for making those harmful cross-covariances vanish. This may, however, become quite tedious depending on the nature of the problem.Notes
*fnb|1 see [http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/GRD/GPS/DOC/gpscom/mca.html GPScom Software Documentation] from Geoscience Research Division of NOAA.
*fnb|2 see formulas (15.56-58) on pages 507-508 of Strang, G. and Borre, K. (1997): "Linear Algebra, Geodesy, and GPS", Wellesley-Cambridge Press.
*fnb|3 see the HWB formula (unnumbered) at the end of page 508 of Strang, G. and Borre, K. (1997): "Linear Algebra, Geodesy, and GPS", Wellesley-Cambridge Press.
Applications
The HWB method is a "must" in Satellite Geodesy and similar large problems. The HWB method can be extended to
fast Kalman filter ing (FKF) by augmenting itslinear regression equation system to take into account information from numerical forecasts, physical constraints and other ancillary data sources that are available in realtime. Operational accuracies can then be computed reliably from the theory of minimum-norm quadratic unbiased estimation (Minque ) ofC. R. Rao (1920- ).References and external links
*http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/GRD/GPS/DOC/gpscom/mca.html
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.