Karl Ramsayer

Karl Ramsayer (* 1911 Germany, † 1982 near Stuttgart) was a german geodesist and is well known as one of the most important scientists in geodetic astronomy and in electronicnavigation.

In the fifties Ramsayer became professor at the Geodetic Institute of the University Stuttgart. In the following years he founded the "Institut für Navigation" which he developed to a leading research institute in the fields of avionics. Many patents in automatic positioning methods and air guidance systems have their origin in Stuttgart research projects.

R&D in Navigation and Geodesy

Special developments of Ramsayer concern dead reckoning, automatic navigation maps based on Doppler radar, and improvements in astro navigation. Long series of NATO test flights could show the advantages of combining different positioning methods (integrated navigation). He is author of some hundred special articles in scientific journals and (co)author of some dozen research reports.

In Geodesy and geosciences Karl Ramsayer's priority was the integration of electronic and astronomic observation methods to improve the mutual quality and the strengthness of networks. Another focus were analyses of the interdependence of accuracy and systematic errors. A main work of his last decennium was volume IIa of "Handbuch der Vermessungskunde", Geodätische Astronomie, published in 1968.

Prof. Ramsayer retired from the geodetic institute in May 1980 and from Flugnavigation in 1981. His successors were Erik Grafarend (geodesy, espec. mathematic methods) and Philipp Hartl (navigation, espec. GPS). Ramsayer was honoured by several academic prices and Dr. h.c; in 1982 he got the most important price of the austrian geodesy, the Friedrich Hopfner medal.

Important publications and sources

* Geodätische Astronomie (1969): Volume IIa of "Handbuch der Vermessungskunde" (900 p.), J.B. Metzler/ Stuttgart
* TACAN and Doppler radar; Automatische Koppelkarte; Integrated Geodesy. NATO research papers, 1965-1970
* Festkolloquium 9 May 1980 on the occasion of retirement of o. Prof. Dr-Ing. Karl Ramsayer. Geodätisches Institut der Universität Stuttgart, DGK Reihe E/19, Munich 1981, ISBN 3-7696-9664-6
* Festvortrag (Ceremonial address) at the TU Vienna (1982), and overview on Ramsayers scientific work: Österr. Zeitschrift für Vermessungswesen und Photogrammetrie (ÖZfVuPh) Vol.70, p.231-233, Verlag Rohrer, Baden bei Wien.