The importance of highly-accurate and consistent geodetic products for reliable Earth system monitoring

Abstract

The Bureau of Products and Standards (BPS) supports IAG’s Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) in its goal to provide highly-accurate, consistent and long-term stable geodetic products needed to monitor, map, and understand changes in the Earth’s shape, rotation and gravity field. A key objective of the BPS is to keep track and to foster homogenization of adopted geodetic standards and conventions across all IAG components for the generation of geodetic products. This involves the interaction with IAG and other entities involved in standards and conventions, such as the IERS Conventions Center, the IAU Commission A3 "Fundamental Standards", ISO/TC 211 and the Working Group "Data Sharing and Development of Geodetic Standards" of the UN-GGIM Subcommittee on Geodesy. This contribution presents the role of the BPS, and it highlights some of the recent activities, which are focused on the updating of the BPS inventory of standards and conventions used for the generation of IAG products, the revision of the IERS Conventions, mainly related to Chapter 1 "General definitions and numerical standards" and the compilation of user-friendly product descriptions published at the GGOS website. The BPS also contributes to the generation of GGOS films to make other disciplines and society aware of Geodesy and its beneficial products.