Recommendation 1

1
Recommendation 1

• The IGS shall develop a standard protocol for
  exchanging information about IGS stations. The
  associated machine-readable database should be
  maintained by the IGS CB.
• Input to the database are stemming from
• IGS station managers reporting on all kinds of
  local site effects, tracking problems
• IGS data centers statistics covering data
  availability, data latency, completeness of data
  files and the consistency of the records in the
  RINEX header and the site logs
• IGS analysis centers reports on processing
  problems with specific stations
• IGS working groups and pilot projects
• Other networks sharing a common station with the
  IGS
• By accessing the database, the user will find
  out, using automated procedures, the most
  up-to-date information, as well as historical
  information, concerning the IGS stations.
• In case critical problems (metrics to be defined)
  are detected for a station, the IGS CB should
  send a notification email to the station manager.

2
Recommendation 2

• The IGS station managers should
• Announce when they make major changes at their
  stations, such as new antenna, etc... before the
  change is actually made (mandatory for IGS05
  reference frame sites), except when an emergency
  happens.
• In all cases, site logs should be submitted to
  the IGS CB with a minimal delay.
• Submit site pictures to the IGS Central Bureau
  the pictures need to be updated when a change at
  the antenna, its monument or surroundings occurs.

3
Recommendation 3

• The IGS Central Bureau is encouraged to
• Reduce of the latency when updating site log
  files (important for ultra rapid and rapid
  products). An automated/web-based site log
  submission tool would help.
• Maintain of a list indicating for each IGS
  station the type of calibration that is available
  for the installed antenna/radome pair (useful for
  antenna working group)
• Provide for each IGS station a link to all info
  available for that station, e.g. other
  independent analysis, working group and pilot
  project results, time series, PPP results (useful
  for all users of the station data). Also a link
  to more general information like the
  discontinuity table, the latest cumulative
  coordinate and velocity solution is appreciated.
• Maintain realistic IGS station maps based on data
  availability and not just site log availability
• Maintain a list of 2-AC stations for a other ACs
  to consider.

4
Recommendation 4

• The IGS acceptance process for new stations needs
  to
• Define "critical world areas" stations from
  those areas (i.e. Africa, Antarctic, Hudson Bay
  ) that pass the major criteria should become IGS
  stations without question
• Define and set up a procedure to regularize high
  quality non-IGS stations contributing to several
  AC solutions
• Request site pictures (in all directions) before
  adding a station to the IGS network.

5
Recommendation 5

• The IGS shall define and set up a process with
  all other networks who share a common station, to
  communicate with each other when there's a site
  log update.

6
Recommendation 6

• The IGS should consider trusting gatekeepers
  data directly and monitoring only the stations
  not already managed by a competent organization
• The gatekeepers should be certified to be
  following the IGS standards (at least) through a
  simple questionnaire and regular spot checks
• All the gatekeepers data should be IGS data
• The IGS will then only deal with the gatekeepers
  for problems with those stations
• Possible gatekeepers include BKG, AUSLIG, GFZ,
  ESA, NRCan, JPL, NGS, IGN, SWEPOS, etc, etc, etc
  for either their entire networks or the parts
  that each gatekeeper decides

7
Recommendation 7

• A process to define and certify ITRF-quality
  stations
• Global ref frame quality stations with specific
  requirements
• (new Infrastructure Committee which could also
  automate the station configuration changes via
  web tools)