[IGSMAIL-1178] CFP for IGS RNAACs (Regional Network Associated Analysis Center)

[G.]

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IGS Electronic Mail      Thu Jan 11  6:22:31 PST 1996      Message Number 1178
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Author: G. Beutler, J. Kouba
Subject: CFP for IGS RNAACs (Regional Network Associated Analysis Center)

   
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      CALL FOR PARTICIPATION AS IGS REGIONAL NETWORK ASSOCIATE ANALYSIS CENTERS
            (RNAAC) FOR REGIONAL STATION POSITION ANALYSES
                  Deadline for Proposals: March 1, 1996
                           11-Jan-1996
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    Subject :Participation in the IGS Pilot Project DENSIFICATION OF THE ITRF
    THROUGH REGIONAL GPS ANALYSES as IGS REGIONAL NETWORK (TYPE 1) ASSOCIATE
    ANALYSIS CENTERS (RNAAC)

    Dear colleagues,

    The IGS terminology, consistent with the IGS Terms of Reference, evolved to
    include the following types of Analysis Centers:

    IGS ANALYSIS CENTERS (ACs), which operate routinely, producing orbital
    parameters and Earth rotation parameters in the standard International
    Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF), and annually producing a GPS global
    network solution which is submitted to the International Earth Rotation
    Service (IERS) for subsequent improvements of the ITRF. As you will see
    below some of the existing ACs also produce weekly free-network solutions.

    IGS REGIONAL NETWORK (TYPE 1) ASSOCIATE ANALYSIS CENTERS (RNAAC) will
    analyze specific regional cluster(s) of stations following IGS standards
    and guidelines. They provide free network solutions to IGS Global Network
    (Type 2) Associate Analysis Centers (GNAAC), described below, to be
    incorporated in a global network solution. RNAACs are of course free to
    impose any constraint they wish for their own internal purposes. IGS could
    provide the means to impose meaningful constraints (e.g. based on GNAAC
    results) for this purpose.

    IGS GLOBAL NETWORK (TYPE 2) ASSOCIATE ANALYSIS CENTERS (GNAACs) take the
    weekly free-network solutions from all ACs and the future RNAACs, and
    produce combined "dense" network solutions.   

    The IGS Pilot Project DENSIFICATION OF THE ITRF THROUGH GPS STATION
    ANALYSES, started in September 1995 and made good progress since that time:

    - Six IGS Analysis Centers (CODE, EMR, GFZ, JPL, NGS, and SIO) are
    producing regular weekly SINEX (Solution INdependent EXchange Format)
    solutions, which include all the necessary apriori information to
    reconstruct the respective free-network solutions.

    - Three IGS Global Network Associate Analysis Centers ( JPL, MIT,
    University of Newcastle) compare the SINEX files of the individual ACs,
    assess their quality, and, in the case of the latter two, also produce
    combined weekly solutions of all six SINEX contributions.  The GNAAC
    results in SINEX format are in turn made available to all IGS users and, as
    mentioned above, will include the proposed RNAAC regional station
    positions. The GNAAC analyses and results are described and summarized in
    weekly IGS summary reports, distributed by IGS electronic Mail and are also
    archived in the three IGS Global Data Centers (CDDIS, IGN, SIO).

    More details and principles of the RNAAC analyses and their integration
    into the IGS network may be found in "Densification of the IERS Terrestrial
    Reference Frame through Regional GPS Analyses", Workshop Proceedings,
    November 30 - December 2, 1994, J.F. Zumberge and R. Liu ed.-s, IGS Central
    Bureau.



    Institutions or organizations wishing to participate as IGS RNAACs are
    invited to submit proposals containing the following information:

    - Description of institutional resources available for the participation in
    the Pilot Project.

    - Rationale of the planned processing (IGS stations included, "new"
    stations, the software and strategy to be used, expected delays between
    observation and processing, any deviations from the approach proposed in
    the above reference, etc.).

    - Description of the network of continuously observing stations which are
    planned to be routinely and timely analyzed (at least 3 IGS global stations
    should be included in the regional network; weekly analyses are
    anticipated).

    - Commitment for the duration of the Pilot Project phase (1 April -31
    December 1996), including an indication for possible future commitments
    following the Pilot Project phase.


    Please forward your proposals before March 1, 1996  to the IGS Analysis
    Center Coordinator,

    Dr. Jan Kouba,
    Geodetic Survey, NRCan,
    615 Booth Street, Ottawa, Canada,
    K1A 0E9
    fax:    (613) 995-3215
    e-mail: kouba at geod.emr.ca


    We are looking forward to receiving your proposals,

                                 Yours sincerely

                      Jan Kouba                   Gerhard Beutler

               Analysis Center Coordinator    Chair, IGS Governing Board



[Mailed From: Jan Kouba <kouba at geod.emr.ca>]