Inventory of standards and conventions used for the generation of IAG/GGOS products

Abstract:

The Bureau of Products and Standards (BPS), a redefinition of the former Bureau for Standards and Conventions (BSC), supports the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) in its goal to obtain geodetic products of highest accuracy and consistency. In order to fully benefit from the ongoing technological improvements of the observing systems contributing to GGOS, it is essential that the analysis of the precise space geodetic observations is based on the definition of common standards and conventions and a unique representation and parameterization of the relevant quantities. This is of crucial importance for the establishment of highly accurate and consistent geodetic reference frames, as the basis for a reliable monitoring of the time-varying shape, rotation and gravity field of the Earth.

A major focus was on the compilation of an inventory based on the evaluation of the standards and conventions currently in use by the IAG Services and their contributing analysis centres and for the generation of geometric and gravimetric products, such as geodetic reference frames, Earth orientation parameters, gravity field models and satellite orbits. This product-based inventory presents the current status concerning standards and conventions, indicating that there are several inconsistencies. As a major outcome of this inventory, the BPS will provide recommendations on how to resolve inconsistencies and gaps. In this presention we will briefly report on the mentioned activities and we summarize the most important findings.