GroundBased

Groundbased, often written ground-based, is an adjective describing systems, measurements, or research located on or interacting with the Earth's surface, as opposed to space-based or airborne platforms. It is used across disciplines such as astronomy, meteorology, and remote sensing to specify the physical location of equipment or observations.

In astronomy, ground-based observatories collect light and other radiation from celestial sources from the Earth's surface. They contend with atmospheric turbulence, absorption, and weather, which affect resolution and sensitivity. Mitigation approaches include adaptive optics and active optics, careful site selection in high, dry locations, and calibration. Ground-based facilities range from small optical telescopes to large observatories and wide-field survey instruments, and they complement space-based assets by offering larger apertures or longer observing campaigns at lower cost, while space missions avoid atmospheric limits.

In meteorology and Earth observation, ground-based measurements include weather stations, radar, lidar, rain gauges, and seismic networks. These data underpin forecasts, climate research, and hazard monitoring, but distribution can be uneven and weather constraints remain a challenge.

In communications and defense, ground-based systems refer to terrestrial transmitters, radar networks, and sensors that operate without satellites or aircraft. They influence latency, maintenance needs, and resilience.

Note: The hyphenated form ground-based is standard in most modern usage; groundbased may appear in filenames, datasets, or programming contexts.