Fundamental triangulation networks in Denmark

The first triangulation activity on Danish ground was carried out by the astronomer Tycho Brahe who resided on the island Hven. He wanted to determine the longitude difference of his observatory Uraniborg to Copenhagen. A by-product was a map of his island made in 1579. In 1761 the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters initiated a mapping project which should be based on the principle of triangulation. Eventually 24 maps were printed in varying scales, predominantly in 1:120 000. The last map was engraved in 1842. The Danish GradeMeasurement initiated remeasurements and redesign of the fundamental triangulation network. This network served scientific as well as cartographic purposes in more than a century. Only in the 1960s all triangulation sides were measured electronically. A combined least-squares adjustment followed in the 1970s