Thaddeus Vincenty
Encyclopedia
Thaddeus Vincenty was a Polish American
geodesist who worked with the U.S. Air Force and later the National Geodetic Survey to adapt three-dimensional adjustment techniques to NAD 83.
He's best known for the Vincenty's formulae
, a geodesic
calculation technique published in 1975 and known for their extreme accuracy — about one-half millimeter.
Vincenty's studies were interrupted by World War II
, and he eventually arrived in a displaced persons camp. He arrived in to the United States in 1947, and took his father's first name as his surname. Within months, he enlisted in the Air Force, and only became involved in computer programming and surveying in 1957. After studying via correspondence courses, he published his first research paper in 1963. After 30 years in the Air Force, he left Cheyenne, Wyoming, and took a position at National Geodetic Survey.
His contributions to the NAD 83 include the introduction of three dimensional Earth centered coordinates, which unifies locations on Earth with locations in space, an essential development for GPS.
Vincenty received the Department of Commerce Medal for Meritorious Service in 1982.
Vincenty and his wife
Barbara had one daughter, two sons, and three grandchildren at the time of his death.
Polish American
A Polish American , is a citizen of the United States of Polish descent. There are an estimated 10 million Polish Americans, representing about 3.2% of the population of the United States...
geodesist who worked with the U.S. Air Force and later the National Geodetic Survey to adapt three-dimensional adjustment techniques to NAD 83.
He's best known for the Vincenty's formulae
Vincenty's formulae
Vincenty's formulae are two related iterative methods used in geodesy to calculate the distance between two points on the surface of a spheroid, developed by Thaddeus Vincenty They are based on the assumption that the figure of the Earth is an oblate spheroid, and hence are more accurate than...
, a geodesic
Geodesic
In mathematics, a geodesic is a generalization of the notion of a "straight line" to "curved spaces". In the presence of a Riemannian metric, geodesics are defined to be the shortest path between points in the space...
calculation technique published in 1975 and known for their extreme accuracy — about one-half millimeter.
Vincenty's studies were interrupted by World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and he eventually arrived in a displaced persons camp. He arrived in to the United States in 1947, and took his father's first name as his surname. Within months, he enlisted in the Air Force, and only became involved in computer programming and surveying in 1957. After studying via correspondence courses, he published his first research paper in 1963. After 30 years in the Air Force, he left Cheyenne, Wyoming, and took a position at National Geodetic Survey.
His contributions to the NAD 83 include the introduction of three dimensional Earth centered coordinates, which unifies locations on Earth with locations in space, an essential development for GPS.
Vincenty received the Department of Commerce Medal for Meritorious Service in 1982.
Vincenty and his wife
Wife
A wife is a female partner in a marriage. The rights and obligations of the wife regarding her spouse and others, and her status in the community and in law, varies between cultures and has varied over time.-Origin and etymology:...
Barbara had one daughter, two sons, and three grandchildren at the time of his death.
External links
- Selected publications
- Closed formulas for the direct and reverse geodetic problems, Pages 241-242,Journal of Geodesy, Volume 51, Number 3 (September, 1977).
- Height-controlled three-dimensional adjustment of horizontal networks, Pages 37–43,Journal of Geodesy, Volume 54, Number 1 (March, 1980).
- Methods of adjusting space systems data and terrestrial measurements, Pages 231-241, Journal of Geodesy, Volume 56, Number 3 (September, 1982).
- On the meaning of geodetic orientation, Pages 189-199, Journal of Geodesy, Volume 59, Number 2 (June, 1985).