Petr Vaníček (born 18 July 1935) is a Czech Canadian geodesist and theoretical

geophysicist Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' som ...

who has made important breakthroughs in theory of spectral analysis and geoid computation.

Main contributions

Research

One of Vaníček's main contributions of general relevance is least-squares spectral analysis, also called the Vaníček method, a frequency spectrum computation method published in 1969 and 1971. The method is based on a least-squares fit of

sinusoid A sine wave, sinusoidal wave, or just sinusoid is a mathematical curve defined in terms of the ''sine'' trigonometric function, of which it is the graph. It is a type of continuous wave and also a smooth periodic function. It occurs often in ma ...

s to the data samples, and mitigates the drawbacks of applying

Fourier analysis In mathematics, Fourier analysis () is the study of the way general functions may be represented or approximated by sums of simpler trigonometric functions. Fourier analysis grew from the study of Fourier series, and is named after Josep ...

for analyzing long incomplete data records such as most natural datasets. Unlike with Fourier analysis, data need not be equally spaced to use Vaníček analysis. His discoveries in theoretical geophysics, the "precise geoid solution" in particular, enable millimetre-to-centimetre accuracy in geoid

computation Computation is any type of arithmetic or non-arithmetic calculation that follows a well-defined model (e.g., an algorithm). Mechanical or electronic devices (or, historically, people) that perform computations are known as ''computers''. An es ...

, an-

order-of-magnitude An order of magnitude is an approximation of the logarithm of a value relative to some contextually understood reference value, usually 10, interpreted as the base of the logarithm and the representative of values of magnitude one. Logarithmic dis ...

improvement from previous solutions.

Service

Vaníček initiated the establishing of the Canadian Geophysical Union in 1974, and served as the Union's president between 1987 and 1989. He was the first chairperson of the United Nations committee for Geodetic Aspects of the Law of the Sea (GALOS), founded in Edinburgh, Scotland, by th
International Association of Geodesy
(IAG) in

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

. This and other activities led to creation of the technical supplement to the Law of the Sea, TALOS (''Manual on Technical Aspects of the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea'') in 1982, which is on a regular re-issuing schedule by the UN. The ''Geodetic Commentary to the TALOS Manual'', largely prepared by Vaníček and published by the International Hydrographic Organization in 1996, was incorporated into the Manual. The book ''Geodesy: The Concepts'',''Geodesy: The Concepts.'' Petr Vanicek and E.J. Krakiwsky. Amsterdam: Elsevier. 1982 (first ed.): , . 1986 (third ed.): , . . by Vaníček and Krakiwsky, now translated into several languages, is a standard text for both undergraduate and graduate courses in

geodesy Geodesy ( ) is the Earth science of accurately measuring and understanding Earth's figure (geometric shape and size), orientation in space, and gravity. The field also incorporates studies of how these properties change over time and equivale ...

worldwide. Vaníček also served as editor-in-chief and peer-reviewer for several

scientific journal In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. Content Articles in scientific journals are mostly written by active scientists such as s ...

s as well as on numerous scientific boards and committees.

Awards and recognitions

International

Petr Vaníček is a fellow of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, of the American Geophysical Union, and of the Czechoslovak Society of Arts and Sciences (SVU). He was the first Canadian awarded the Senior Distinguished Scientist Fellowship by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, and was a Senior Visiting Scientist with the U.S.

National Academy of Sciences The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...

. Over the course of his career, he taught or performed research at universities and labs across six continents, including the

Royal Institute of Technology The KTH Royal Institute of Technology ( sv, Kungliga Tekniska högskolan, lit=Royal Institute of Technology), abbreviated KTH, is a public research university in Stockholm, Sweden. KTH conducts research and education in engineering and technolo ...

and the USGS.

National

Petr Vaníček was awarded the

J. Tuzo Wilson Medal The J. Tuzo Wilson Medal is given out annually by the Canadian Geophysical Union to recognize scientists who have made an outstanding contribution to the field of geophysics in Canada. Factors taken into account in the selection process include e ...

in 1996, the highest recognition by the Canadian Geophysical Union, for his outstanding contributions to Canadian geophysics.

Personal life

Since he was born into a typical

bourgeois The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. They ...

family, Petr Vaníček's wife and children requested to leave Communist Czechoslovakia during the brief but liberal times of

Prague Spring The Prague Spring ( cs, Pražské jaro, sk, Pražská jar) was a period of political liberalization and mass protest in the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic. It began on 5 January 1968, when reformist Alexander Dubček was elected First Sec ...

. They were granted exit visa just before the Soviet invasion of 1968. The family reunited in England where he was staying on a 1967 Senior Research Fellowship at the University of Liverpool. Together, they immigrated to Canada in 1969. He has one daughter and two sons. He retired as Professor Emeritus in 2002, after more than thirty years of teaching at the University of Toronto and the University of New Brunswick. He lives in

Fredericton Fredericton (; ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of New Brunswick. The city is situated in the west-central portion of the province along the Saint John River, which flows west to east as it bisects the city. The river is the do ...

, Canada.

References

External links

On-line geodesy resourcesHonoring the Academic Life of Petr Vaníček
(2002)

Accessed: 2 October 2007
Vaníček P., Krakiwsky E.J. Geodesy: the Concepts
pp. 714, Elsevier (1986)
Vaníček P., Christou N.T. Geoid and its Geophysical Interpretations
pp. 370, CRC Press (1993)

at the University of New Brunswick, Canada, Accessed: 2 October 2007 *''Online Tutorial in Geodesy'' by Petr Vaniče

From: ''Associated Press Encyclopedia of Science & Technology'' (2001) {{DEFAULTSORT:Vanicek, Petr 1935 births Canadian physicists 20th-century Canadian scientists 21st-century Canadian scientists Presidents of the Canadian Geophysical Union University of New Brunswick University of New Brunswick faculty University of Toronto faculty KTH Royal Institute of Technology faculty Living people Geophysicists Geodesists Fellows of the American Geophysical Union Canadian educators People from Sušice Scientists from New Brunswick Canadian geophysicists Wilson Medal recipients Earth scientists 20th-century earth scientists 21st-century earth scientists Fellows of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics Canadian academics Canadian people of Czech descent Czech emigrants to Canada Naturalized citizens of Canada