The subject of geomathematics focuses on the interpretation and classification of data from geoscientific and satellite sources, reducing information to a comprehensible form and allowing the testing of concepts. Sphere oriented mathematics plays an important part in this study and this book provides the necessary foundation for graduate students and researchers interested in any of the diverse topics of constructive approximation in this area. This book bridges the existing gap between monographs on special functions of mathematical physics and constructive approximation in Euclidean spaces. The primary objective is to provide readers with an understanding of aspects of approximation by spherical harmonics, such as spherical splines and wavelets, as well as indicating future directions of research. Scalar, vectorial, and tensorial methods are each considered in turn. The concentration on spherical splines and wavelets allows a double simplification; not only is the number of independent variables reduced resulting in a lower dimensional problem, but also radial basis function techniques become applicable. When applied to geomathematics this leads to new structures and methods by which sophisticated measurements and observations can be handled more efficiently, thus reducing time and costs.

Based on the IV Hotine-Marussi Symposium held in Trento, the volume covers three important topics: boundary value problems, satellite geodesy and stochastic methods in geodesy. The first part deals with boundary value problems which are tackled from both the theoretical and the numerical point of view. The part on satellite geodesy deals with the simulation of the GOCE mission, the integration of satellite gradiometry and airborne gravity for gravity-filed recovery, satellite-to-satellite tracking and orbit sensitivity analysis. Various applied and theoretical contributions are devoted to the stochastic methods applied to geodesy. The book presents the state-of-the-art of the main topics in the theoretical and methodological aspects of geodesy.