Results from FALCON Airborne Gravity Gradiometer Surveys over the Kauring AGG Test Site

Abstract

The Kauring Test Site in Western Australia was established in 2009 to provide a public benchmarking and comparison venue for new and existing airborne gravity and airborne gravity gradiometry (AGG) technology. Fugro Airborne Surveys flew the fixed-wing FALCON® AGG system over the Kauring AGG Test Site over three periods in July 2011, November 2011 and February 2012. Comparison between the FALCON AGG survey data and the high resolution ground gravity data over the Kauring AGG Test site indicates that the FALCON vertical gravity gradient, GDD, has an error of +/- 5.6 Eo, and that the FALCON vertical gravity, gD, has an error of +/- 0.18 mGal,. Comparison between the digital elevation model (DEM) derived from the fixed wing FALCON survey laser scanner data, and a high-resolution third party DEM, indicates that the error of the vertical position of the FALCON differential GPS is less than 0.5m. At 60m terrain clearance this corresponds to a subsequent error in AGG terrain correction of less than 2 eotvos. This terrain correction error is well within the Kauring AGG Test Site FALCON survey noise envelope of 5.6 Eo.