Geodesy as the science which determines the figure of the earth, its orientation in space and its gravity field as well as its temporal changes, produces key elements in describing the kinematics and the dynamics of the deformable body "earth." It contributes in particular to geodynamics and opens the door to decode the complex interactions between components of "the system earth." In the breathtaking development recently a whole arsenal of new terrestrial, airborne as well as satelliteborne measurement techniques for earth sciences have been made available and have broadened the spectrum of...