The October 21, 2025 episode of the “Geology Bytes” podcast featured ERL/EAPS Prof. Tom Herring on high-precision geodesy.
https://www.geologybites.com/tom-herring
“There are three main types of geodetic measurement systems — satellite-based systems such as GPS, very long baseline interferometry (VLBI), and interferometric synthetic-aperture radar (InSAR). While each type of systems has its particular strengths, the cost of satellite-based receivers has plummeted. Millimeter-level accuracy will soon be incorporated into phones. This has broadened the kinds of geological questions we can now address with such systems. In the podcast, Tom Herring describes impressive geological applications as well as applications in civil engineering, such as dams and tall buildings, and agriculture.
Herring is a pioneer in high-precision geodetic analytical methods and applications for satellite-based navigation systems to study the Earth’s surface. He is a Professor in the Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The image shows Herring in front of a dam near the DMZ in South Korea where the concern was to be prepared for North Korea to breach dams on their side of the border in an attempt to flood South Korean infrastructure.”