大地水准面（Geoid）是一个假想的由地球自由静止的海水平面扩展延伸而形成的闭合曲面。通常是被认为是地球真实轮廓。它所包围的形体成为大地体。因为大地体的形状和大小非常接近自然地球的形状和大小，并且位置比较稳定，因此，在大范围的区域内，一般选取大地水准面作为外业测量成果的共同基准面。大地水准面这一概念最早在1873年由德国数学家利斯廷（Johann Benedict Listing）提出。

The geoid is the shape that the surface of the oceans would take under the influence of Earth's gravitation and rotation alone, in the absence of other influences such as winds and tides. This surface is extended through the continents (such as with very narrow hypothetical canals). All points on the geoid have the same gravity potential energy (the sum of gravitational potential energy and centrifugal potential energy). The force of gravity acts everywhere perpendicular to the geoid, meaning that plumb lines point perpendicular and water levels parallel to the geoid.