The Baltic Sea Chart Datum 2000 (BSCD2000) is a geodetic reference system adopted for the Baltic Sea water level information and effective use of GNSS methods for accurate navigation and real-time offshore surveying (Schwabe et al. 2020). The BSCD2000 will be realized through GNSS and quasigeoid modeling and is compatible with the European Vertical Reference System (EVRS) associated national height system realizations of the Baltic Sea countries. Since BSCD2000 will be realized through quasigeoid modeling, it is essential to validate the modeling results using, for instance, GNSS-leveling control points.

This data publication consists of the Estonian high precision GNSS-leveling control points used to validate the BSCD2000 solutions but can be employed similarly to validate any other quasigeoid model. The data made available is specified in three versions:

• (A) Geodetic coordinates and ellipsoidal heights in the ITRF2008 reference frame using the zero-tide permanent tide concept (Mäkinen and Ihde 2009), temporal changes due to the postglacial land uplift in the Baltic Sea region have been reduced to the epoch 2000.0; leveled normal heights of the national EVRS realization (EH2000) using the zero-tide concept, temporal height changes due to the postglacial land uplift in the Baltic Sea region have been reduced to the epoch 2000.0 (RT I, 28.10.2011, 3);
• (B) Geodetic coordinates and ellipsoidal heights in the ETRF2000 reference frame using the zero-tide permanent tide concept with uplift epoch 2000.0; leveled normal heights of the national EVRS realization (EH2000) using the zero-tide concept with uplift epoch 2000.0;
• (C) Geodetic coordinates and ellipsoidal heights of the national ETRS89 realization (EUREF-EST97) using the tide-free permanent tide concept with uplift epoch 1997.56 (Rüdja 1999); leveled normal heights of the national EVRS realization (EH2000) using the zero-tide concept with uplift epoch 2000.0.

Note that the GNSS ellipsoidal heights are given relative to the GRS80 reference ellipsoid. The description of the data columns is provided in the README file.

References:

Mäkinen J, Ihde J (2009). The permanent tide in height systems. In Proceedings of the 2007 International Association of Geodesy General Assembly, Perugia, Italy, 2–13 July 2007.

Rüdja A (1999). A new ETRS89 system for Estonia. In Proceedings of the EUREF 1999 Symposium, Prague, Czech Republic, 2–5 June 1999.

RT I, 28.10.2011, 3. Geodetic System Act (in Estonian). Riigi Teataja 2011.

Schwabe J, Ågren J, Liebsch G, Westfeld P, Hammarklint T, Mononen J, Andersen OB (2020). The Baltic Sea Chart Datum 2000 (BSCD2000) – implementation of a common reference level in the Baltic Sea. International Hydrographic Review, 23, 63–83.