In Memoriam - Prof. Willem Baarda (1917 - 2005)
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Prof. dr. ir. Willem Baarda, one of the great
geodesists in the second half of the 20th century, died on January 2nd,
2005. Willem Baarda was born on July 20th, 1917. in Leeuwarden,
Netherlands. He got is professional education at the Technische
Hogeschool in Delft, where he received diplomas in surveying (1939) and
in geodetic engineering (1950), and which became his scientific home
after the appointments as reader (1946) and as professor (1951) in
land-surveying, levelling and geodesy. Preceding his university career
was a six years practical work as appointed surveyor of the Cadastre,
and his first publications consequently concentrate on technical
problems at the development and maintenance of a modern land
registration system. |
Following Prof Tienstra, he continued and extended the word-wide
acknowledged investigations of the Delft school in the field of error theory
and adjustment procedures, based on statistical methods. He was the first to
develop a systematic framework of statistical quality control for geodesy,
and the famous “data snooping”, among others, since many years is part of
testing procedures applied in geodesy and surveying. The introduction of
criterion matrices for testing a network precision also goes back to him, as
well as the invention of the reliability concept, now at widespread use. In
this context, the invention of S-transformations also has to be mentioned,
which is nowadays employed at “free-network” adjustments. At the end of the
1970’s, Prof. Baarda even extended his broad field of interest, looking from
a very profound point of view closer on the links between geometric and
physical geodesy. The coupling and interaction between these two sides of
the same coin , which for many decades were considered rather separately,
became the topic of some outstanding publications, even after his honourable
retirement in 1982. In this connection, he attacked some fundamental
problems raised by the introduction of geodetic space techniques, and a
discussion study “Over coördinaten, lengte, tijd en potentiaal”,
published only in 2000, contains numerous examples of his original thinking.
It was only natural, that Prof. Baarda, in addition to the many functions
hold at his university and at the Netherlands Geodetic Commission, strongly
engaged himself in the two international organisations representing geodesy
and surveying. By actively participating in FIG in the 1950’s, he made the
surveyor known with the employment of statistical methods in surveying
engineering, and he demonstrated his management abilities by serving as FIG
Secretary General from 1955 to 1959 when he was appointed FIG Honorary
Member. Since the 1960’s, Prof. Baarda concentrated on IAG, by collaboration
in several Special Study Groups representing the forefront of the
Association’s scientific work. He was member of the study groups on “Numerical
Computations of Large Triangulation Networks”, “Computer Techniques
in Geodesy”, and “Mathematical Structure of the Gravity Field”,
and he chaired the Special Study Group on “Statistical Methods as applied
to the Specification of Networks” over the long time span from 1963 to
1979. As a member of the IAG Subcommission on “Continental Networks”
he contributed to the long standing IAG attempts to unify the geodetic
systems in Europe. Again, his capabilities in science organisation were
demanded, by collaboration in two Cassinis Committees, regularly established
for reviewing the structures of IAG. In 1995, IAG awarded the Levallois
Medal to Professor Baarda “in recognition of distinguished service to
the Association and the science of geodesy in general”. Finally it
should be mentioned that Prof. Baarda, as a highly engaged University
Professor, exceptionally contributed to the organisation and improvement of
geodetic and surveying engineering education, in his own university studies
as well as a member of the IAG Commission on Education.
Professor Baarda’s outstanding contributions to the fundamentals of our
science and his successful endeavours to introduce new concepts into all
fields of the practice of our profession have been appreciated by a number
of national and international institutions. In addition to the honours given
by FIG and IAG, we mention the appointment as Officer in the Order of Oranje
Nassau by the Queen of the Netherlands (1956), the honorary membership of
RICS, Great Britain (1968), the membership of the Dutch Royal Academy of
Sciences (1971), the corresponding membership of the German Geodetic
Commission at the Bavarian Academy of Sciences (1979), and the honorary
doctor degree from the University of Stuttgart (1982).
The geodetic community has lost one of its outstanding personage, which
significantly formed the transition from classical to modern geodesy.
Colleagues and scholars who had the chance to talk or to work with Professor
Baarda, will remember his scientific curiosity, his deep-going trains of
thought, but also his kind attitude and understanding of others. The
community will keep him in mind through his scientific achievements and
through the personal remembrance of many geodesists and surveyors.
Prof. (em.) Dr.-Ing Wolfgang Torge
Institut für Erdmessung
Universität Hannover
30 January 2005 |
