Robust estimation of geodetic datum transformation

The robust estimation of geodetic datum transformation is discussed. The basic principle of robust estimation is introduced. The error influence functions of the robust estimators, together with those of least-squares estimators, are given. Particular attention is given to the robust initial estimates of the transformation parameters, which should have a high breakdown point in order to provide reliable residuals for the following estimation. The median method is applied to solve for robust initial estimates of transformation parameters since it has the highest breakdown point. A smooth weight function is then used to improve the efficiency of the parameter estimates in successive iterative computations. A numerical example is given on a datum transformation between a global positioning system network and the corresponding geodetic network in China. The results show that when the coordinates are contaminated by outliers, the proposed method can still give reasonable results. Received: 25 September 1997 / Accepted: 1 March 1999