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Directory Title: Mexico Geoid Heights (MEXICO97)
Principal Investigator: Dr. Dru A. Smith

Contributing Organization: NOAA, National Geodetic Survey, N/NGS5
1315 East-West Highway, Room 9316
Silver Spring, MD 20910

Summary: This 2' geoid height grid for Mexico, and North-Central America, is the MEXICO97 geoid model. The computation used about one million terrestrial and marine gravity measurements held in the NGS database as of March 1997. These gravity measurements were augmented by data contributions from NIMA, and satellite altimeter-derived gravity anomalies computed by Sandwell and Smith (1997). Large data gaps south of 20 degrees North latitude were filled with 15'x15' gravity values derived from the EGM96 global geopotential model. This helped control interpolation errors across the data gaps during the gridding of terrain corrected Bouguer anomalies. After gridding of the Bouguer anomalies, the Bouguer plate was restored, a degree 360 model of gravity anomalies (from EGM96) was removed, and the residual free-air anomalies in the data gaps (south of 20 degrees North Latitude) were zeroed. (This zeroing was found to be the best way currently available to yield a reasonable geoid in the data gaps). The residual Faye anomalies were converted to residual co-geoid undulations through a 1-D FFT formulation of Stokes' integral, and finally the EGM96 undulation model was restored, and the indirect effect applied. This means that in the data gaps, long wavelength information is provided by EGM96, short wavelength information is provided by the 2'x2' DTED (during the application of the indirect effect), but medium wavelength information (usually provided by gravity measurements) is missing altogether. Although the exact accuracy of the geoid in the data gaps is difficult to ascertain, the quoted accuracy for EGM96 (which is the primary source of geoid information in the data gaps) is below 50 cm in these areas. The gravity values are based on the International Gravity Standardization Net 1971 (IGSN71). The geoid heights are referred to the Geodetic Reference System 1980 (GRS80) ellipsoid, centered at the origin of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame 1994 (ITRF94(1996.0)).

Additional information is available at: http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/GEOID/MEXICO97/

We are particularly grateful to NIMA for their assistance and their data contributions.

As an aid to the user, an ASCII map of the western portion of the data coverage is given below:

This is an ASCII map of file:
mex97.ns8.released.b
It is bounded in latitude by: 14.0 to 33.0 N(degrees) and in longitude by: 241.0 to 274.0 E(degrees)
Cell sizes mapped are 30.0 minutes in lat and 30.0 minutes in lon
For a cell to have an X, instead of a space, it must contain a minimum of 13.0 points
and a maximum of 999999.0 points.
There are a total of 38 cells in latitude and 66 cells in longitude.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX  XX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX   XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX   XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX   XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  XXXXX  XX  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX   X  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  X  XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX        XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX   XX XX  X XXXXXX  XXXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX   XX XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  XXX  XXXXX XX       XXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX XXXX   X   XXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX  X       XXXXX

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XX      XXXXX

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(As an example on reading the above map, the cell which is bounded on the north by 17.0 degrees, on the south by 16.5 degrees, on the west by 269.5 and on the east by 270.0 degrees has an “X”, but all 8 surrounding cells do not. This cell is in central Guatamala.)

More detailed coverage information is available from the companion grid: “Mexico Gravity Data per 2 min Cell” (n97mx).


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