The three pillars of geodesy, i.e. the geometry, rotation and gravity field of the Earth contribute to Earth system monitoring and will be considered here. 1) Earth rotation: theory, estimation and interpretation; 2) Gravity field: satellite missions, theory, estimation and interpretation; 3) Geodynamics (geometry): plate tectonics, earthquake cycle, isostasy and uplift rates.

Physical geodesy deals with the measurement and modeling of the Earth's gravity field. In addition to the physical consideration, kinematic measuring methods will be introduced to describe the movement of objects. Above all, inertial technology and the combination of kinematic observations using a Kalman filter will be discussed.