[IGSMAIL-323] IAG Approval of IGS Proposal

[G.]

IGS Electronic Mail       23-AUG-1993 10:49:43       Message Number 323
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>From: G. Beutler
Subj: IAG Approval of IGS Proposal
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Dear Colleagues,

Today I received the letter from the IAG President, Prof.  Torge, answering
our request concerning the establishment of the International GPS Service
for Geodynamics (IGS). It is my pleasure to inform you that the IAG Bureau
accepted the IGS Proposal with only minor modifications at its meeting on
Friday, 13th August 1993 (!) in Beijing.  The modifications concern the
Governing Board of IGS which was enlarged by five non-voting members in
order to guarantee a better representation of the participating
organizations and of the geographical regions.  At the same meeting Prof.
Ivan I.  Mueller was nominated as the voting member of the IAG in the
Governing Board.

In order to start the official International GPS Service for Geodesy (IGS)
on 1 January 1994 we envisage the following procedure:

 - After the receipt of the official letter of approval

    - the IERS will be asked to appoint its voting member for the IGS
      Governing Board,
    - the IGS Oversight Committee Board and the voting members of the
      Governing Board will be informed in detail by the chairman of the IGS
      Oversight Committee concerning the modified terms of reference.
    - The voting members of the GB are asked for a formal approval of the
      modified terms of reference.

 - Prof. Ivan I. Mueller as the IAG representative calls the first meeting
   of the nine voting members of the IGS Governing Board for October 1993.

 - At this first meeting

    - the Chairman of the GB will be elected
    - the non-voting GB members will be appointed,
    - the necessary decisions for the start of the service on 1 January
      1994 will be taken.

In the unlikely case that the Governing Board would not approve the
modified terms of reference new discussions with the IAG would be
necessary, the service would have to be established at a later time.

It seems incredible that this new service could be established with a test
period of only 1.5 years; I believe that nobody attending the first
Oversight Committee Meeting in October 1991 at Goddard SFC expected this
rapid development at that time (there even were attempts to postpone the
1992 IGS Test Campaign at that meeting !).  Let me express my gratitude to
the IGS Oversight Committee and to all participants of the 1992 Test
Campaign, of Epoch'92, and of the IGS Pilot Service whose dedication led to
this rapid proof of concept.  It was an honour for me to be the chairman of
this fascinating International experiment.

                                                    Gerhard Beutler
                                                    Chairman,
                                                    IGS Oversight Committee