[IGSMAIL-5692]: 31st IGS Governing Board Meeting

[John.Dow at esa.int]

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IGS Electronic Mail      24 Jan 08:52:30 PST 2008      Message Number 5692
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Author: John M. Dow

Dear Colleagues,

I'd like to summarise briefly for you a few highlights of the topics
discussed at the 31st Governing Board Meeting, held in San Francisco on 9
December 2007, and at the same time indicate some of the key activities for
the IGS in 2008. The space devoted to changes in Board membership is for your
information, and is not proportional to the time devoted to this in the
meeting!

- New web address for IGS!
             http://igs.org
Short and easy to remember ... An update of the website content is being
planned by the Central Bureau for this year.

- Strategic Plan
The IGS Strategic Plan 2008-2012 was adopted by the Board in August 2007. A
printed version is in preparation and the core text will be available on the
website. An Implementation Plan for 2008 is in draft. It is intended to
iterate it by means of the GO Forum (see below).

- Changes in Board membership
Due to the completion of their terms as Analysis Centre Representatives (in
both cases two terms of 4 years), Markus Rothacher (GFZ, Germany) and Jim
Zumberge (JPL, USA) leave the Board. Elections (by the IGS Associates) were
held in November. As a result Tim Springer (ESA/ESOC) and Bob King (MIT, USA)
join Urs Hugentobler as AC Representatives.

A handover is currently taking place between Gerd Gendt (GFZ) and Jim Ray
(NOAA/NGS, USA) as Analysis Centre Coordinator. This is expected to be
complete in the first months of 2008. A dedicated meeting of Analysis Centre
representatives was held on 10 December, under the chairmanship of the new
ACC.

Angie Moore leaves her position as Network Coordinator and Deputy Director of
the Central Bureau, as announced in a recent IGS Mail. Angie served in this
position since 1998 and we shall miss her: however, she will continue in a
part-time capacity with the Central Bureau.

A handover of the  ionosphere products  coordination and chairmanship of the
Ionosphere Working Group took place during 2007 between Manuel
Hernandez-Pajares (UPC, Spain) and Andrzej Krankowski (Univ. of Warmia and
Mazury, Poland).

In July 2007 Richard Wonnacott of South Africa confirmed his ability to serve
on the Board.

Stefan Schaer has joined the Board as head of the recently formed Bias and
Calibration Working Group.

The IAG re-appointed Geoff Blewitt as the IAG representative to the Board,
and Gerhard Beutler will also remain as 2nd IAG representative, each for the
next four years until 2011.

Chris Rizos was unanimously re-appointed for a second term to the GB.

The Board approved the Chair's proposal for the 2008 Executive Committee to
consist of Chris Rizos, Urs Hugentobler and Geoff Blewitt, plus the GB Chair
and the Director of the CB,

A reception was held following the GB meeting in honour of retiring Board
members, at which we were able to thank them for their remarkable services to
the IGS.

- Real Time
The Board voted unanimously in favour of proceeding with the Real Time Pilot
Project. All 32 proposal received were accepted (one being subject to
confirmation of availability of funds, without which it will not start). The
project began on 15 January 2008, managed by the Real Time Pilot Project
Committee (formed from the existing RT WG), chaired by Mark Caissey (NRCan,
Canada).

- Workshop
The next IGS Workshop will be held in Miami, Florida from 2-6 June 2008 and
will be organised by NOAA/NGS (Gerry Mader). The next Governing Board meeting
takes place in Miami on 1 June. The programme of the Workshop has been
drafted and will be announced shortly. (And the long-awaited Proceedings CD
from the Darmstadt Workshop should be on your desk by now!)

- GO Forum
A wiki site for IGS information exchange has been set up at the Central
Bureau. Dedicated areas are available for the Governing Board and for IGS
Working Groups, which are encouraged to take advantage of this. Contact the
Central Bureau for further information.

- Antenna WG initiated
Urs Hugentobler has drawn up draft Terms of Reference for an Antenna Working
Group. The membership list is being finalised. The Board gave the go-ahead to
propose a chairperson from the membership and initiate the activity.

- SMOS support
A request was received from the ESA SMOS (Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity
Explorer) project to provide ionosphere maps (predicted and determined)  in
support of this mission. The Board has agreed to support this request.

- IGS external relations
The IGS has been active in the past year in a number of different
international initiatives. The 2nd Meeting of the International Committee on
GNSS (ICG) took place in Bangalore, India in September 2007. Membership of
this Committee is limited to GNSS system providers, with user and other
non-government bodies, such as IGS, IAG and BIPM as Associate Members. Our
community gave particular emphasis to standardisation of reference frame
(space and time), as well as standards for GNSS ground sites. A Reference
Frame WG will be initiated in the ICG, led by IGS/IAG. The 3rd full meeting
of the ICG will take place in Pasadena in December 2008. The 33rd IGS
Governing Board meeting will also be held at that time.

The IGS, in particular all European GB members, played a leading role in the
geodesy and orbits sessions at the First Colloquium on Scientific
Applications of the Galileo Programme, held in Toulouse in October 2007.

- JoG special issue
A special issue of the Journal of Geodesy devoted to the IGS is in
preparation, with Prof. Chris Rizos as chief editor. Agreed contributions are
due this month.

I would like to sincerely thank all participants and supporters of the IGS
for all that was achieved in the past year.

All best wishes for 2008!

John M. Dow
Chair, IGS Governing Board