National Academies Press: OpenBook
« Previous: Appendix A: Review of Recent Studies
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: IERS Charge/Mission." National Research Council. 1991. International Network of Global Fiducial Stations: Science and Implementation Issues. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1855.
×

APPENDIX B

IERS CHARGE/MISSION

General Information
Terms of Reference

The International Earth Rotation Service (IERS) was established in 1987 by IAU and IUGG, and it started operation on Jan. 1, 1988. It replaces the International Polar Motion Service (IPMS) and the earth rotation section of the Bureau International de l'Heure (BIH); the activities of BIH on time are continued at Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM). IERS is a member of the Federation of Astronomical and Geophysical Data Analysis Services (FAGS).

IERS should provide the information necessary to define a Conventional Terrestrial Reference System and a Conventional Celestial Reference System and relate them as well as their frames to each other and to other reference systems used in the determination of the earth orientation parameters.

IERS is responsible for:

  • defining and maintaining a conventional terrestrial reference system based on observing stations that use the high-precision techniques in space geodesy;

  • defining and maintaining a conventional celestial reference system based on extragalactic radio sources and relating it to other celestial reference systems;

  • determining the earth orientation parameters connecting these systems, the terrestrial and celestial coordinates of the pole, and universal time; and

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: IERS Charge/Mission." National Research Council. 1991. International Network of Global Fiducial Stations: Science and Implementation Issues. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1855.
×
  • organizing operational activities for observation and data analysis, collecting and archiving appropriate data and results, and disseminating the results to meet the needs of users.

IERS consists of a Central Bureau and Coordinating Centers for each of the principal observing techniques, and it is supported by many other organizations that contribute to the tasks of observation and data processing.

The Coordinating Centers are responsible for developing and organizing the activities in each technique to meet the objectives of the service. The Central Bureau combines the various types of data collected by the service and disseminates to the user community the appropriate information on earth orientation and the terrestrial and celestial reference systems. It can include subbureaus for the accomplishment of specific tasks. The Central Bureau decides and disseminates the announcements of leap seconds in UTC and values of DUT1 to be transmitted with time signals.

The Directing Board is composed of representatives of:

  • the International Astronomical Union,

  • the International Association of Geodesy/International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics,

  • the Federation of Astronomical and Geophysical Data Analysis Services,

  • the Central Bureau, and

  • each of the Coordinating Centers.

The chairperson is a member of the Directing Board, elected by the board for a term of 4 years, with the possibility of reelection for one additional term. He/she coordinates the activity of the Directing Board and is the official representative of the service at meetings of the IAU, IAG/IUGG, FAGS, and other outside organizations.

The Directing Board exercises general control over the activities of the service, including modifications to the organization and participation that would be appropriate to maintain efficiency and reliability, while taking full advantage of advances in technology and theory. Most decisions are expected to be made by consensus or by a simple majority vote. Changes in the structure, membership, and chairmanship of the Directing Board can be made at any time by a two-thirds majority.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: IERS Charge/Mission." National Research Council. 1991. International Network of Global Fiducial Stations: Science and Implementation Issues. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1855.
×

The secretariat of the board is provided by the Central Bureau. The function includes distribution of papers and compilation of the annual administrative and financial reports.

The board shall meet annually and at other times considered appropriate by the chairperson or at the request of two members.

Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: IERS Charge/Mission." National Research Council. 1991. International Network of Global Fiducial Stations: Science and Implementation Issues. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1855.
×
Page 123
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: IERS Charge/Mission." National Research Council. 1991. International Network of Global Fiducial Stations: Science and Implementation Issues. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1855.
×
Page 124
Suggested Citation:"Appendix B: IERS Charge/Mission." National Research Council. 1991. International Network of Global Fiducial Stations: Science and Implementation Issues. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/1855.
×
Page 125
Next: Appendix C: IGS Call for Participation »
International Network of Global Fiducial Stations: Science and Implementation Issues Get This Book
×
Buy Paperback | $45.00
MyNAP members save 10% online.
Login or Register to save!
Download Free PDF

The advent of highly precise space-based geodetic techniques has led to the application of these techniques to the solution of global earth and ocean problems. Now under consideration is a worldwide network of interconnected fiducial stations where geodetic as well as other scientific measurements can be made.

This book discusses the science rationale behind the concept of an extensive global network of fiducial sites. It identifies geophysical problems that cannot be solved without a global approach and cites geodetic objectives that call for a global deployment of fiducial sites. It concludes with operations considerations and proposes a plan for development of the global network.

  1. ×

    Welcome to OpenBook!

    You're looking at OpenBook, NAP.edu's online reading room since 1999. Based on feedback from you, our users, we've made some improvements that make it easier than ever to read thousands of publications on our website.

    Do you want to take a quick tour of the OpenBook's features?

    No Thanks Take a Tour »
  2. ×

    Show this book's table of contents, where you can jump to any chapter by name.

    « Back Next »
  3. ×

    ...or use these buttons to go back to the previous chapter or skip to the next one.

    « Back Next »
  4. ×

    Jump up to the previous page or down to the next one. Also, you can type in a page number and press Enter to go directly to that page in the book.

    « Back Next »
  5. ×

    Switch between the Original Pages, where you can read the report as it appeared in print, and Text Pages for the web version, where you can highlight and search the text.

    « Back Next »
  6. ×

    To search the entire text of this book, type in your search term here and press Enter.

    « Back Next »
  7. ×

    Share a link to this book page on your preferred social network or via email.

    « Back Next »
  8. ×

    View our suggested citation for this chapter.

    « Back Next »
  9. ×

    Ready to take your reading offline? Click here to buy this book in print or download it as a free PDF, if available.

    « Back Next »
Stay Connected!