IMPLEMENTATION OF THE

NEW IAG STRUCTURE

Gerhard Beutler

Astronomical Institute

University of Berne

Sidlerstrasse 5, CH - 3012 Bern

gerhard.beutler@aiub.unibe.ch

IAG CouncilTuesday, July 1, 2003Hotel Royton, Sapporo

Contents• Review of the IAG restructuring process

– Motivation– Development– Commissions and Services– Inter-commission Committees– Membership, Outreach – IGGOS

• Initial IGGOS Structure

• In particular: new chair!

• IGGOS Schedule 2003-2005

Motivation for a new IAG

• General Johann Jacob Baeyer (1794-1885) is the “founder” of IAG.

• He urged the establish-ment of the European Arc Measurement -- for scientific reasons!

• In 1899 the ILS was founded by IAG!

Motivation for a new IAG

• Geodesy went through a (r)evolution in the 2nd half of the 20th century:– space age & space geodesy

– age of computers

– new understanding of IAG services (IGS, IERS)

• IAG Structure in essence stable since 1951!

Development of New IAG• Section II Symposium in 1998 in Munich

• IUGG General Assembly in Birmingham in 1999: Symposium “Geodesy beyond 2000”.

• K.P. Schwarz et al. ask for a restructured IAG with a focus; The IAG Review Committee was created with the members:– F. Brunner, J. Dickey, M. Feissel, R. Forsberg, I.I.

Mueller, R. Rummel, F. Sanso, K.P. Schwarz

• IAG Retreat 2000 was organized, new Statutes and ByLaws were created.

Development of new IAG• The new IAG Statutes and Bylaws were

accepted at IAG Scientific Assembly in Budapest (September 2001).

• New elements:– Sections abandoned, four Commissions– IAG Services on same level as Commissions,

represented in IAG EC– IAG project(s)– IAG Outreach Branch– Inter-commission Committees, Individual

membership

The new IAG structure• IAG Bureau (Tscherning, Beutler, Sideris)

• Commission 1: Reference Frames: Drewes, Shum (VP)

• Commission 2: Gravity field : Jekeli

• Commission 3: Earth rotation and geodyna-mics: V. Dehant

• Commission 4: Positioning and Applications Rizos, Willis (VP)

• Service reps. in IAG EC: Neilan, Rothacher, Schuh, at large: Fortes, Merry.

The new IAG structure

• Inter-commission Committees (ICCs) shall handle well defined, important and permanent tasks.

• ICCs have a steering committee with Presi-dent, Vice-President appointed by IAG EC

• The establishment of an ICC has to be has to be approved by the Council (ByLaws 2.3.g)

The new IAG structure: ICCs• ICC on Theory (ICCT):

– President Peiliang Xu– Steering committee (to be set up)– Broader advisory committee as interface to

other communities– Working groups of type 1: Joint with

Commissions– Working groups of type 2: Internal working

groups

The new IAG structure: ICCs• ICC on Geodetic Standards (ICCGS):

– President of Planning Group: Bernhard Heck– Mission: platform for models, procedures and

algorithms, investigates the consistency of models & procedures, evaluates the numerical values of constants and parameters and propo-ses current best estimates.

– WGs on Consistency of models and procedures on Product Standards, Fundamental Constants and Parameters proposed.

– Planning Group meeting this week, implement?

The new IAG structure: ICCs• ICC on Planetary Geodesy (ICCPG):

– Presidents of Planning Group: Michael Sideris, Véronique Déhant

– Mission: Use geodetic methods for planetary missions (“race to Mars”) etc.

– Early planning phase– Work is important, should continue– Establishment in 2003 or 2005 (IAG Scientific

Assembly)?

IGGOS Motivation

• IGGOS looks for a long-term stability of global geodetic infra-structure.

• IGGOS is the focal point for IAG acti-vities of this decade.

• IGGOS is based on 3 pillars of geodesy.

IGGOS Definition

• IGGOS stands for Integrated Global Geo-detic Observing System.

• IGGOS monitors the Earth system as a whole through the IAG Services.

• IGGOS is based on the 3 pillars of geodesy– geometry and kinematics,– Earth orientation and rotation, and – gravity field and its variability

IGGOS Vision IGGOS provides the scientific and

infrastructural basis for all geodetic global change research.

IGGOS integrates techniques, models, and approaches in order to achieve consistency, long-term reliability and understanding of geodetic, geophysi-cal, geodynamical and global change processes.

Science Rationale & Plan

• IGGOS has a central theme and a master product.

• Central Theme: – Provide basis for Global-scale mass transfer in the

system Earth and its geodetic conse-quences.

• The master product is a consistent set of the global geometric and gravimetric reference frames.

Initial IGGOS Structure

• These general principles are observed:– IGGOS will be based on the existing IAG

Services. – IGGOS is not taking over tasks of the well

working IAG services.– New IGGOS entities will be established only if

there is a stringent requirement.

Initial IGGOS Structure

• Key elements of the initial IGGOS structure: – IGGOS Program Board as the central oversight

entity.– Working Groups with tasks independent of those

of the IAG services.– Science Council representing the geodetic

community.

Initial IGGOS Structure

Science Council

ParticipatingOrganizations

WG on Strategyand Funding

IGGOSProgram Board

(Members from ParticipatingOrganizations)

WG on UserIntegration: Science Industry Authorities

WG on Copyright,Data Access Policy,

Publishing andCertification

WG on Data,Metadata and

IGGOS ProductStandards

WG on IAGServices

WG onIntegration of

IGGOS in IUGGEntities

IGGOS Schedule 2003-2005• Proposal to Establish the Integrated Global

Geodetic Observing System (IGGOS) as IAG’s first Project was finalized and made available to IAG EC on January 28, 2003, modified June 17, 2003

• The last meeting of the IGGOS Planning Group will take place on Wednesday, July 2, 2003 in Sapporo.

Chair for IGGOS Definition Phase

• Chair of planning committee (Beutler) not available for IGGOS definition phase.

• Prof. Chris Reigber (GFZ, Potsdam) is proposed as new Chair.

• Qualification:– Past chair IGS GB, Past Pres. IERS DB, CSTG,

project manager CHAMP, CO-PI GRACE.– Retirement in 2004, available till 2005 (GFZ).

IGGOS Schedule 2003-2005

• IGGOS Definition Phase 2003-2005– Define structure of the “final” IGGOS Project.– Develop IGGOS Science Plan.

• Approval of IGGOS project by IAG EC at IAG Scientific Assembly 2005.

• Start of IGGOS Project on October 1, 2005.

Decision by IAG Council• Request approval of establishment of ICC

on Theory.

• Request approval of establishment of IGGOS as first IAG Project.

• Approve establishment of ICC on Geodetic Standards?

• Approve ICC on planetary geodesy for 2005 or delay decision to 2005?