GOCO: Gravity Observation Combination

The main objective of the GOCO initiative is to compute high-accuracy and high-resolution global gravity field models from complementary gravity data sources:

• satellite gravity missions GOCE, GRACE and CHAMP, and SLR data (satellite-only models of the GOCO-S series)
• plus terrestrial gravity field and satellite altimetry data (combined models GOCO-C)

The combination is done by superposition of full normal equations and applying optimized relative weighting strategies.

GOCO has been initiated in the frame of ESA's GOCE Data AO (project no. 4248), with the project partners responsible for the GOCE-only time-wise (TIM) models as the nucleus.

The GOCO consortium is composed of the following institutions, co-ordinated by the IAPG:

• TU München, Institute of Astronomical and Physical Geodesy
• University of Bonn, Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformation
• Graz University of Technology, Institute of Geodesy
• Austrian Academy of Sciences, Space Research Institute
• University of Bern, Astronomical Institute

 More information and download of data at ifg.tugraz.at/GOCO or  goco.eu.