Impact of Height Datum Parameters on Height Reference System Realizations: Case Study in Croatia

Abstract

The Croatian Height Reference System for the epoch 1971.5 (HVRS71) is the official height reference system of the Republic of Croatia, newly established after Croatia’s independence. By using the network of the Second High Accuracy Leveling Network (IINVT) inherited from the former Yugoslavia after Croatia’s independence, which is the reference frame of HVRS71, several alternative realizations of the height reference system were performed. The alternatives are based on different realizations of height datums compared to the official Croatian Height Datum for the epoch 1971.5 (HVD71). Comparative analysis of the alternative height reference systems has been performed by comparing the absolute height accuracy criteria of the IINVT node benchmarks and the distribution of their height accuracy, i.e., by comparing the level of realized height positioning quality that the systems offer to the end users. The results show to what extent the concept of height reference system realization has an impact on the absolute height accuracy within the system using HVRS71 as a benchmark for comparison.