NKG2020 transformation: An updated transformation between dynamic and static reference frames in the Nordic and Baltic countries

Abstract

Coordinates in global reference frames are becoming more and more common in positioning whereas most of the geospatial data are stored in registries in national reference frames. It is therefore essential to know the relation between global and national coordinates, i.e., the transformation, as accurately as possible. Officially provided pan-European transformations do not account for the special conditions in the Nordic and Baltic countries, namely crustal deformations caused by Glacial Isostatic Adjustment. Therefore, they do not fulfill the demands for the most accurate applications like long-term reference frame maintenance. Consequently, the Nordic Geodetic Commission (NKG) has developed customized and accurate transformations from the global ITRF to the national ETRS89 realizations for the Nordic and Baltic countries. We present the latest update, called the NKG2020 transformation, with several improvements and uncertainty estimates. We also discuss its significance and practical implementation for geodetic and geospatial communities.

RTK+OSNMA Positioning for Road Applications: An Experimental Performance Analysis in Finland

“…The Nordic Geodetic Commission (NKG) has developed the NKG coordinate transformation methodology that considers both the rigid Eurasian plate motion and the intraplate deformations [ 42 ]. In this study, we have used the NKG2020 transformation, which is the latest version of this methodology at the time of this writing and enables an accuracy of a few millimeters [ 43 ].…”