[IGSMAIL-8411] IGS -- Happy Birthday

[Rolf Dach]

Dear colleagues,

January 1st, 1994 did mark the official starting point of the IGS as an 
operational service of the IAG. So we can celebrate today the 30th 
anniversary of the IGS.

A lot of things have been achieved within the IGS (see for instance the 
plot on the GPS orbit combinations: 
http://acc.igs.org/media/Gmt_sum_final_all_orb_smooth_ALL.gif); we have 
not just a final but meanwhile a rapid, ultra-rapid and even a real-time 
product line. We have made progress in the inclusion of more and more 
systems into our operational product lines. With the regular 
reprocessing efforts the IGS strongly contributes to the ITRF solutions 
and allows the user community a direct access via the PPP approach. I 
know that this list of achievements is quite incomplete but I should 
resist to make the mail too long by listing all achievements of the last 
30 years.

It is a good point to thank all people and their institutions supported 
the activities of the IGS in the past, present and in future for their 
contributions to the success story of this community. I had the pleasure 
to join many of the IGS workshops in the past and it was like a "come 
together event" of a big family in the scientific spirit of the 
"friendly competition".

All contributions to the community are important to keep the IGS a 
successful organization also in the future. Often only the big 
contributions like the central bureau, the data and analysis centers are 
very visible but each station or active participation in a working group 
(most of them became product committees with the most recent revision of 
the Terms of References) is important as well.

For the future I hope that we can continue our path of success with new 
groups and people getting involved (e.g., we are happy to welcome a new 
analysis center hosted by JAXA and GSI). This confirms that the IGS is 
still a field of interesting scientific work. We are seeking all the 
time for new people with new ideas to further develop the idea of the 
IGS and advance the quality of the products.

In this sense I'm looking forward to our next in person meeting at the 
IGS Symposium and workshop planned for the week from July 1st to 5th, 
2024 (https://igs.org/workshop/2024/) where we are going to celebrate 
the IGS for Three Decades of Service to Science and Society.

I wish all the IGS contributors and friends of the IGS a good start into 
the new year 2024 -- the 31st year of the IGS.

Best regards

Rolf Dach
(Chair of the IGS GB)


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  Rolf Dach                  Astronomical Institute, University of Bern
  rolf.dach at unibe.ch         Sidlerstrasse 5, CH-3012 Bern, Switzerland
  http://www.aiub.unibe.ch/  Tel: +41 31 684 8593
  ftp://ftp.aiub.unibe.ch/
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