IGS Statement

At the International GNSS Service (IGS), we are committed to fostering and upholding the principles of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) across all aspects of our organisation. We recognise that embracing these values not only enriches and supports our community, but also enhances the quality and impact of our work. We believe that by embracing and championing IDEA, we can advance our mission and truly provide the highest-quality GNSS data, products, and services for the benefit of the scientific community and society as a whole.

Inclusion is fundamental for the IGS’ mission, in that it fosters a collaborative environment that values its diverse perspectives and supports all members. Open communication and collaboration are thoroughly encouraged, creating a culture where contributions are recognised and valued. Leveraging our years of global collaboration, we have developed an acute cultural awareness that allows us to build trust and rapport with members and stakeholders from diverse backgrounds. Using these tools, we strive to ensure everyone feels welcomed and empowered to participate fully in IGS activities.

Diversity is pivotal for the IGS, as it ensures global representation, varied expertise, and a user-centred approach. Thanks to representation and participation from diverse geographic locations and types of institutions, the IGS is able to work towards GNSS data, products, and services that are relevant and applicable worldwide, serving a wide range of applications and stakeholders. Furthermore, diverse backgrounds bring a wide spectrum of expertise, perspectives, and insight to the table, enabling the IGS to tackle complex challenges from multiple angles and develop innovative solutions. We strive to encourage participation from all socioeconomic and educational backgrounds, career levels, ages, types of institution, genders, ethnic backgrounds, and disability statuses.

Equity is an indispensable value for the IGS, especially in terms of workload balance, transparent decision-making, and global access. Being a voluntary not-for-profit organisation, the IGS functions on a best-effort basis. In such a model, each IGS Component (and in particular our global array of Analysis Centres) provides an effort proportional to its capabilities and available resources. We however ensure that all contributions are equally welcome in the IGS community, and that their value in the IGS’ processes (e.g., the product combinations) is equitably estimated. Furthermore, transparent decision-making steers the IGS, guided by objective criteria and a diverse Governing Board. This helps foster trust and accountability, and consequently ensures unbiasedness and fairness for all members. In our daily operations, we strive to provide equitable timing arrangements for meetings, workshops, and events, ensuring all members and interested community members can participate regardless of location. Finally, we ensure that IGS products and services are accessible, effective, and valid at the global scale.

Accessibility is a foundational element for IGS, as we strive to uphold open and freely available data and products at our core. To foster global participation, IGS activities are organised with flexibility so that remote participation is possible, and meeting agendas and minutes are shared transparently – aiding non-native English speakers in the community to participate fully and effectively. Furthermore, we strive to ensure that our digital platforms, products, services, and events are fully and freely accessible to the community.

To proactively uphold these values, the IGS has established the IDEA Working Group. Composed of passionate members committed to fostering the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility, the IDEA WG will help assess the organisation’s progress, identify areas for improvement, and implement strategies across all IGS Components. Namely, a set of Guidelines are being developed to help IGS Components uphold IDEA standards and to provide guidance for evaluating some metrics of interest in order to measure progress.  This document will remain publicly available (on the IGS IDEA page – https://geodesy.science/idea/working-groups/igs/), ensuring transparency and accountability in our efforts to create a diverse, equitable, inclusive, and accessible environment for all members, eventually benefitting our mission and the scientific community and society as a whole.