1.2. A brief historical sketch of the development of geodesy

Geodesy as a science has been formed and developed for thousands of years. Ancient monuments, erected in Egypt and China, indicate that humanity had an idea of ​​measurements on the surface of the earth many centuries before our era. Methods of measurement on the earth's surface were known in ancient Greece, where they received a theoretical justification and laid the foundation for geometry. Geodesy and geometry for a long time mutually complemented and developed one another.

In Russia, the first geodetic works, documented, were carried out in the XI century when Prince Gleb measured the width of the Kerch Strait between Kerch and Taman. The beginning of cartography was laid by the compilation of a map of the entire Muscovite state in the XI century.

The intensive development of geodesy in Russia is associated with the name of Peter I. In 1745, the First Atlas of Russia was published, created on the basis of systematic instrumental topographic survey of the entire state, initiated by the decree of Peter I in 1720. The first astronomical, geodesic and cartographic surveys in Russia work led by I.K. Kirilov.

In 1779, according to the decree of Catherine II, the land surveying school was opened, which in 1819 was transformed into the Konstantinovsky land surveying school, and in 1835 - into the Konstantinovsky land surveying institute, now a major institution of higher education for land surveyors and cartographers of MIIGAiK - Moscow Institute of Geodesy Engineers aerial photography and cartography. In 1809, St. Petersburg was established Institute of the Corps of Railway Engineers, in 1822 - the corps of military topographers, who later carried out most of the topographic and geodetic works in the country.

In 1816, under the direction of the Russian military geodesist K. I. Tenner and astronomer V. Ya. Struve, large astronomic-geodesic works were started in the western border provinces of Russia, which in 1855 ended with the degree measurement of a huge (more than 25 ° in latitude) arc of the meridian extending 30 ° from the mouth of the Danube to the shores of the Arctic Ocean.

The development of geodesy in Russia was greatly influenced by the exploration and construction of railways that began in the 19th century. In the Caucasus, the first experimental land photographs were taken, and in 1898 engineer PI. Shurov used it to explore the line connecting the Manchurian and Trans-Baikal railways. Engineer R.Yu. Tille first introduced the idea of ​​aerial photography in railway surveys. In 1908 - 1909 He published a three-volume work “Photography in Modern Development”, which played a huge role in the development of aerial photography in Russia.

In 1928, the Soviet geodesist F. N. Krasovsky developed a coherent and scientifically based scheme and program for building a geodetic reference network, providing for the creation of an astronomic-geodetic network throughout the USSR. In the course of building this network, the theory, methods and tools of astronomical determinations and geodetic measurements were improved.

In 1940, F.N. Krasovsky and A. A. Izotov defined new dimensions of the Earth's ellipsoid, which are currently used for cartographic and geodetic works in Russia and a number of other countries.