News and Activities
GGOS IberAtlantic (GGOS IA) functions as a regional node of GGOS, focusing on geodetic activities across the Iberian Peninsula and the Atlantic region. GGOS IA fosters collaboration among geodetic institutions while promoting scientific research and technological development tailored to the region’s unique geophysical characteristics.
IAG ICC on “Geodesy for Climate Research”
IAG, ICCC, 🏛️ Organisation NewsIAG ICC on “Geodesy for Climate Research”
Geodetic Data for Climate
The growing data record from numerous geodetic observation provides a new quantitative view on various variables that are relevant for climate research, such as tropospheric water vapor, thermospheric neutral density, terrestrial water storage, ice sheet and mountain glacier mass , steric and barystatic sea level, sea surface winds, ocean waves, subsurface and surface currents, or sea ice extent and -thickness. Many of these are listed as Essential Climate Variables (ECV) according to the definition by the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS).
Challenges
While it is generally recognized that geodetic data provide invaluable information for studying the planet’s changing climate, programmatic obstacles, technical limitations such as the length of time series, and scientifically open questions have been identified that hamper the broader recognition of geodesy as an important source of information for climate research.
Goals
Specific goals of the ICCC are:
Activities
The activities of the ICC will primarily be carried out through its thematic working and study groups to be set up at the next IAG EC meeting in December. Furthermore, plans of the ICCC comprise the organization of a workshop series to intensify the exchange between different geodetic communities and the climate monitoring and modeling communities, the organization of related sessions at international conferences, and the establishment of links to other climate science related bodies within IUGG and beyond.
More information
Follow the ICCC on Twitter (@iag_climate) and find more information on the ICCC website: https://iccc.iag-aig.org/. Would you like to contribute and/or have any ideas or comments? Please contact Annette Eicker ().
Author: Annette Eicker
To benefit society and science
🌍 Geodesy NewsTo benefit society and science
The inauguration of the observatory coincided with the 10th conference of the International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry, IVS2018 in Longyearbyen, and 110 delegates were invited to participate in the official opening, and were transported to Ny-Ålesund by boat.
“The development of a basic global infrastructure for better Earth observation and for better monitoring of satellites, especially in the High North, is key in order to measure and deal with climate change. It is fundamental for our understanding of sea level change, said Hiim.
The new VGOS twin telescopes surrounded by the Brandal lagoon, Cape Mitra and Kings Fjord, are impressive. Each antenna measures 13.2 metres in diameter and looms 18 metres above the ground.
“Everyone who’s worked on this project is respectful of the job being done, the environment and surroundings we’re working in – and the fact that we’re delivering something which will contribute to better monitoring of changes to the planet.” says Per Erik Opseth, head of the NMA’s Geodetic Institute.
The NMA’s geodetic Earth observatory is Norway’s most important contribution to the United Nations General Assembly resolution “A Global Geodetic Reference Frame for Sustainable Development.
“Norway takes this work seriously. Together with Australia, we chaired the subcommittee that formulated and negotiated the UN resolution. The time has come to provide stability and commitment to the global collaboration on basic global infrastructure”, said State Secretary Hiim.
The NMA’s new geodetic Earth observatory ranks as the northernmost facility of its kind and is a cornerstone of the global infrastructure. It has an estimated cost of about NOK 300 million.
Being delivered by Germany’s MT Mechatronics and its Spanish sub-contractor Asturfeito, the antennas were installed in 2016. Veidekke Arctic was the turnkey contractor for the station site and the new instrumentation building. The first pile was driven in the autumn of 2014.
Inaugurating the Earth observatory ( from left: Per Erik Opseth, Head of the Geodetic Institute, NMA. Lars Jacob Hiim, State Secretary to the Minister of Local Government and Modernisation. Anne Cathrine Frøstrup, Director General, NMA, photo: Bjørn-Owe Holmberg)
In August 2017 NASA and NMA signed an agreement to develop a state-of-the-art Satellite Laser Ranging facility. The current goal is to have all systems up and running in Ny-Ålesund by 2022. “An SLR in Ny-Ålesund will be important because it allows us to observe satellites in Polar orbits,” Opseth explains.
Author: text: Anne Jørgensen, Norwegian Mapping Authority photo: Bjørn-Owe Holmberg
United Nations Subcommittee on Geodesy was inaugurated
Other, 📰 General NewsUnited Nations Subcommittee on Geodesy was inaugurated
“The new subcommittee is now established and this is an important step for improving global geodesy. We must work for the benefit of all member states,” says Alexey Trifonov, who is the newly elected co-chair from the Russian Federation.
The inaugural meeting for the Subcommittee on Geodesy was convened on November 26th and 27th, and was hosted by INEGI in Mexico City in the margins of the 2017 UN-GGIM High Level Forum. 19 Member States and organisations participated in the meeting.
Australia’s Gary Johnston is continuing as co-chair for the next year, while Norway’s Laila Løvhøiden is stepping down.
“It is important that the co-chairing of the subcommittee is shared between the Member States as this will increase the involvement and spread the work load, Løvhøiden says. Norway has co-chaired the geodesy working group under UN-GGIM since 2013, and I am convinced that it will be very good for our work that the Russian Federation now has acceded this position”.
The new co-chair is looking forward to start his new assignment for global geodesy.
“An appropriate governance mechanism is a keystone for future work . And now we must make efforts to make this new governance mechanism as sustainable and long-term as the existing geodetic organizations are,” says Alexey Trifonov.
The creation of the subcommittee started last year, when United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) decided to elevate the Global Geodetic Reference Frame (GGRF) Working Group to a permanent Subcommittee on Geodesy. On the 4th August this year the UN-GGIM seventh session in New York endorsed the terms of reference and formally established the first permanent UN-GGIM Subcommittee on Geodesy.
The subcommittee will now focus on continuing the successful efforts of the GGRF Working Group.
“It is about ensuring that all countries in this world have access to precise positioning because we know it benefits their societies and the people that live within them. The geodetic reference frame makes this possible.” says Gary Johnston.
The work on developing an implementation plan for the GGRF Roadmap and a position paper for a governance structure is progressing and will be reported to the UN-GGIM Committee of Experts at its eighth session in August 2018.
“We are about strengthening the role of geodesy in society and providing a greater governmental mandate that will hopefully result in sustainable operations of geodetic infrastructure and capacity development programs as well”, says Johnston.
(Photos: Anne Jørgensen and INEGI)
Author: Anne Jørgensen