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<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;
font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">Dear Colleagues,<br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;
font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">Our Governing Board started
into the new year with a new composition.<br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;
font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">I warmly welcome Shailen
Desai as new voting member of our Board as Analysis Center
Representative. He is
Group Supervisor and Principal Engineer of JPL's Orbiter and
Radio Metric
Systems Group, manager of JPL’s GIPSY-OASIS Software and primary
contact for
the JPL Analysis Center
of the IGS. Shailen takes the place of Bob King who is leaving
the Board. Bob
was Analysis Center Representative since 2008 and Chair of the
Scientific
Organizing Committee of our very successful past 2010 Workshop
in Newcastle. He currently
serves in the SOC for the upcoming Workshop 2012 in Olsztyn,
making his expertise available for a
success of also our next workshop. I warmly thank him for his
deep engagement
in the Board and his professional support of the scientific
organization of two
of our workshops.<br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;
font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">During the course of this
year Yamin Dang was appointed by the GB as a new member. Yamin
Dang is a professor
of geodesy and director of the Institute
of Geodesy and Geodynamics at the
Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping
in the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping of China. With his
experience and his
insight into GNSS research activities in China
he is a very welcome Board member in view of the current rapid
developments
concerning GNSS in China.
I warmly welcome him in our round.<br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;
font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">Yoaz-Bar Sever left our
Board in the course of this year as he transferred the Chair of
the Troposphere
Working Group and the generation of the IGS Troposphere Product
to Christine
Hackman from US Naval Observatory who joined the Board as a new
member. I thank
Yoaz for chairing the Troposphere WG since 2003, for his strong
engagement in
the Board and for sometimes initiating discussions on topics
that only seemed
clear without really being clear.<br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;
font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">An important change in the
GB concerns the position of the Analysis Center Coordinator, one
of the most
important positions in the IGS. As planned four years ago, when
Jim Ray took
over the responsibility as ACC from Gerd Gendt, he terminates
his term and Jake
Griffiths takes over his responsibilities as NGS continues its
significant
involvement with support of the ACC function. I want to thank
Jim for his
excellent work and unwavering effort enabling the IGS to provide
the highest
standard products to users without any interruption. See IGS
Mail 6513 for a
more detailed acknowledgement of Jim's work.<br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;
font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">Geoff Blewitt left the
Governing Board this summer. Geoff joined the Governing Board in
1996 as
Analysis Center Representative. With a short gap he served the
Board for a
total of 14 years. He was IAG Representative in the IGS GB since
2003 and he
served in the Executive Committee. I thank him for making his
expertise
available to the IGS GB over these many years and for often
illuminating a
discussion topic from an alternative point of view. The new IAG
Representative
is Zuheir Altamimi who was a regular guest in our meetings and I
now warmly welcome
in the Board as a voting member. As the contribution to the ITRF
is one of the
major IGS products I am glad to have the Head of the ITRF
Product Center in our Board.<br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;
font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">As immediate past Chair also
John Dow left the Governing Board by the end of last year. He
served the IGS
since its start on January 1, 1994, i.e., for a total of 18
years! He directed
the IGS as GB Chair from 2003-2010 and owns the credits for a
major share of
the current healthy shape of the IGS. I also thank him for
discretely
supporting my work during my first year as the Chair and calling
my attention
if I would again have forgotten an important action or comment.<br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;
font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US"></span><span style="font-size:
10pt; font-family: Arial; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0%
yellow;" lang="EN-US"></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;
font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">Finally, and most
unbelievable, Gerhard Beutler left the Governing Board after
shaping the IGS
from its very beginning. He contributed a very significant share
to the success
of our Service. The IGS would not be where it is without the
directions given -
and the hard work contributed - by Gerhard over these many
years. Certainly it
is difficult not only for me to imagine our meetings without his
concise and
diplomatic comments helping focusing our discussions and
sharpening our
directions, and without his famous sense of humor. I am glad
that I am still
easily able to get Gerhard's advice on issues concerning the IGS
using our
common secret (Swiss) language.<br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;
font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">On behalf of the IGS I
sincerely thank all leaving Governing Board members for their
work, effort and
expertise dedicated to the steering body of the IGS, thus
shaping the
direction, strategy and development of our Service. I look
forward to still
receive their comments and advise concerning the IGS. Their
engagement was honored
at the GGOS reception immediately after the IGS Governing Board
meeting in San Francisco.<br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;
font-family: Arial;" lang="EN-US">With best regards and best
wishes for the new year<br>
Urs Hugentobler<br>
Chair, IGS Governing Board</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 10pt;
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