International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS) Service International de la Rotation de la Terre et des Systèmes de Référence IERS Annual Report 2012 Verlag des Bundesamts für Kartographie und Geodäsie Frankfurt am Main 2014 IERS Annual Report 2012 Edited by Wolfgang R. Dick and Daniela Thaller International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service Central Bureau Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie Richard-Strauss-Allee 11 60598 Frankfurt am Main Germany phone: ++49-69-6333-273/261/250 fax: ++49-69-6333-425 e-mail: [email protected] URL: www.iers.org ISSN: 1029-0060 (print version) ISBN: 978-3-86482-058-8 (print version) An online version of this document is available at: http://www.iers.org/AR2012 Druckerei: Bonifatius GmbH, Paderborn © Verlag des Bundesamts für Kartographie und Geodäsie, Frankfurt am Main, 2014 Table of Contents 1 Foreword.................................................................................................................. 5 2 The IERS 2.1 Structure........................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Directing Board................................................................................................. 9 2.3 Associate Members.......................................................................................... 10 3 Reports of IERS components 3.1 Directing Board.................................................................................................... 11 3.2 Central Bureau..................................................................................................... 29 3.3 Analysis Coordinator............................................................................................. 32 3.4 Technique Centres 3.4.1 International GNSS Service (IGS).......................................................... 39 3.4.2 International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS)........................................... 46 3.4.3 International VLBI Service (IVS)............................................................. 56 3.4.4 International DORIS Service (IDS)......................................................... 61 3.5 Product Centres 3.5.1 Earth Orientation Centre............................................................................. 70 3.5.2 Rapid Service/Prediction Centre................................................................. 79 3.5.3 Conventions Centre.................................................................................... 94 3.5.4 ICRS Centre.............................................................................................. 96 3.5.5 ITRS Centre................................................................................................ 112 3.5.6 Global Geophysical Fluids Centre............................................................... 114 3.6 ITRS Combination Centres 3.6.1 Deutsches Geodätisches Forschungsinstitut (DGFI)............................. 116 3.6.2 Institut National de l’Information Géographique et Forestière (IGN)................................................................................. 122 3.7 IERS Working Groups 3.7.1 Working Group on Site Survey and Co-location......................................... 124 3.7.2 Working Group on Combination at the Observation Level..................... 127 3.7.3 Working Group on SINEX Format........................................................... 130 3.7.4 Working Group on Site Coordinate Time Series Format 132 Table of Contents 4 GGFC Workshop 134 Appendices 1 Terms of Reference.................................................................................................... 137 2 Contact addresses of the IERS Directing Board.................................................. 143 3 Contact addresses of the IERS components....................................................... 148 4 Electronic access to IERS products, publications and components.................... 154 5 Acronyms............................................................................................................. 157 4 IERS Annual Report 2012 1 Foreword 1 Foreword In 2012 the IERS took steps to prepare for its future goals and products. The Analysis Coordinator set in motion plans for an IERS Retreat to “focus on maintaining the IERS’s core role of the generation of regular, high accuracy products … [and] to establish directions for IERS over next decade that will ensure this core role is met.” Along with the publication of IERS Technical Note 37 on the analysis and results of ITRF2008, the ITRS Centre began preparations for ITRF2013. To strengthen this work the IERS Directing Board accepted the proposal from JPL to become an ITRS Combination Centre. The GGFC organized a workshop in Vienna “with the goal of allowing the Special Bureau Chairs, the GGFC Product Centers, and the GGFC user community to review the structure and data holdings of the GGFC and to make suggestions for new products”. Several proposals were received in response to a GGFC call, de- monstrating the interest of the community in continuing refinement of IERS products. To provide improved latency the Rapid Service / Prediction Centre began operational distribution of EOP combination and prediction solutions four times per day. In response to a need to facilitate comparison of products the IERS established a new working group on site coordinate time series format to define a common exchange format for coordinate time series of all geodetic techniques. Two developments of potential importance to the IERS should be noted. The ITU Radiocommunication Assembly held in Geneva decided to defer the development of a continuous time standard in order to address the concerns of countries that use the current system of the leap second in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). The IERS should be prepared with the products and processes to proactively address the changes that may be decided in the future. The IAU General Assembly in Beijing established under Division A the working group for the Third Realisation of International Ce- lestial Reference Frame. The IERS should have an active role in the preparation and adoption of future realizations of the ICRF. Finally, the IERS Directing Board elected Brian Luzum to be its new Chair beginning in 2013. His expertise and experience in the work of the IERS will provide a firm foundation for the future. Chopo Ma Chair, IERS Directing Board (2005–2012) IERS Annual Report 2012 5 2 The IERS 2 The IERS 2.1 Structure From 2012 to 2014, the IERS had the following components. For their functions see the Terms of Reference (Appendix 1), for ad- dres ses and electronic access see Appendices 3 and 4. Dates are given for changes between 2012 and 2014. Analysis Coordinator Thomas Herring Central Bureau Director: Bernd Richter (1 January 2001 to 31 March 2013), Daniela Thaller (since 1 April 2013) Technique Centres International GNSS Service (IGS) IGS Representatives to the IERS Directing Board: Steven Fisher (since 1 January 2013), Tim Springer IERS Representative to the IGS Governing Board: Claude Boucher International Laser Ranging Service (ILRS) ILRS Representatives to the IERS Directing Board: Jürgen Müller, Erricos C. Pavlis IERS Representative to the ILRS Directing Board: Bob E. Schutz International VLBI Service (IVS) IVS Representatives to the IERS Directing Board: Chopo Ma, Rüdiger Haas IERS Representative to the IVS Directing Board: Chopo Ma International DORIS Service (IDS) IDS representatives to the IERS: Frank G. Lemoine, Bruno Garayt (until December 2012), Jérôme Saunier (since 1 January 2013) IERS Representative to the IDS Governing Board: Chopo Ma (until 31 December 2012), Brian J. Luzum (since 1 January 2013) Product Centres Earth Orientation Centre Primary scientist and representative to the IERS Directing Board: Daniel Gambis Rapid Service/Prediction Centre Primary scientist and representative to the IERS Directing Board: Brian J. Luzum 6 IERS Annual Report 2012 2.1 Structure Conventions Centre Primary scientists: Brian J. Luzum, Gérard Petit Representative to the IERS Directing Board: Gérard Petit (until 31 December 2012) Brian J. Luzum (since 1 January 2013) ICRS Centre Primary scientists: Ralph A. Gaume, Jean Souchay Current representative to the IERS Directing Board: Jean Souchay (until 31 December 2012), Ralph A. Gaume (since 1 January 2013) ITRS Centre Primary scientist and representative to the IERS Directing Board: Zuheir Altamimi Global Geophysical Fluids Centre Head and representative to the IERS Directing Board: Tonie van Dam Special Bureau for the Oceans Chair: Richard S. Gross Special Bureau for Hydrology Chair: Jianli Chen Special Bureau for the Atmosphere Chair: David A. Salstein Special Bureau for Combination Chair: Tonie van Dam ITRS Combination Centres Deutsches Geodätisches Forschungsinstitut (DGFI) Primary scientist: Manuela Seitz Institut Géographique National (IGN) Primary scientist: Zuheir Altamimi Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) (established in December 2012) Primary scientist: Richard S. Gross Working Groups Working Group on Site Survey and Co-location Chair: Pierguido Sarti (until 31 December 2013), Sten Bergstrand (since 1 January 2014) Co-Chair: John Dawson (since April 2012) IERS Annual Report 2012 7 2 The IERS IERS/IVS Working Group on the Second Realization of the ICRF Chair: Chopo Ma Working Group on Combination at the Observation Level Chair: Richard Biancale Working Group on SINEX Format Chair: Daniela Thaller Working Group on Site Coordinate Time Series Format (established