Local Quasi-Geoid Refinement Based on Spherical Cap Harmonic Model

The local quasi-geoid model up to centimeter precision has became the basic requirement for the development of modern surveying and mapping science. There are a variety of models can be used for the quasi-geoid refinement, including the spherical cap harmonic model (SCH). This paper studies the theory of SCH to get the spherical cap harmonic expression to fit the height anomaly in the least squares sense, which is to achieve the transformation between the geodetic height and the normal height. We also discuss the selection of the maximum model degree in local region. The practical case is studied to refine the local quasi-geoid model with SCH using GPS/leveling data at 85 points. The results indicate that the local quasi-geoid model can reach 3 centimeter-level at the internal and external fitting precision.