[IGSMAIL-3657]: IERS Analysis Campaign

[Markus Rothacher]

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IGS Electronic Mail      23 Dec 07:55:02 PST 2001      Message Number 3657
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Author: Markus Rothacher


          IERS Analysis Campaign to Align EOPs to ITRF2000 / ICRF

                         Call for Participation


Objective:
----------
The intention is to create EOP series with highest possible consistency
with ITRF2000 / ICRF and to achieve an overall accuracy of 0.1 mas. This
will lead to an intermediate solution until a rigorous combination of
EOP, ITRF and ICRF is possible. Therefore, we have to analyse and
understand the origin of systematic errors due to the reference frame
realization. This campaign will be organized in two major steps:
   1. Generation of EOP series that are aligned to ITRF2000 / ICRF by
the
      Analysis Center of the individual techniques (Technique Centers)
or
      other interested groups.
   2. Analysis of the aligned series by the Combination Research Centers
      or other interested groups.

Generation of EOP series (step 1):
----------------------------------
In the first step of this campaign, the Technique Centers or other
interested groups are asked to produce EOP series using the ITRF2000 /
ICRF as reference frame. Solutions with different constraints on
ITRF2000 (ICRF) should be generated as follows:
   - heavily constrained coordinates + velocities
   - constraining with formal uncertainties
   - minimal constraints (NNR, ...)
   - selected set of sites / quasars for constraints

The submitted series will be archived and made available to all
participating groups for the second step, the analysis.

Analysis of EOP series (step 2):
--------------------------------
The analysis should consist of:
   - comparisons with official IERS / EOP series
   - study consistency of the series and make improvements if necessary
   - recommendations for future realizations of reference frames


The first results may be presented at the EGS General Assembly in Nice,
France in April 2002.

If you are interested in producing and / or analysing such EOP series or
contribute to this campaign in another way, please download the call for
participation form from

   http://www.iers.org/iers/about/ac/campaign.pdf

or send a request for the form to central_bureau at iers.org .

Please submit your proposal by January 18, 2002.

Markus Rothacher
IERS Analysis Coordinator
<markus.rothacher at bv.tum.de>

Munich, December 20, 2001