Space geodetic activities, from the early days to present, with focus on the northeastern Adriatic

It has become of greatest importance to monitor and understand how the dynamics of the System Earth works. Geodesy has gone far beyond the provision of a static knowledge of the Earth’s geometric and physical parameters and with the development of high-accuracy satellite and space techniques and increased measurement capability, this discipline is now providing observations of changes in the Earth’s shape, gravity field and rotation which are essential for Earth system science. In a short historical excursus of the main space geodetic techniques, we review achievements in the determination and study of Earth’s crustal deformation and sea-level change/variations. Focus is given to geodetic research activities developed in northeastern Italy.