Subject: [IGSMAIL-1936] First Circular -- IGS Network Systems Workshop
From: Carey Noll and Ruth Neilan
Date: Thu, 2 Jul 1998 12:42:58 PDT

******************************************************************************
IGS Electronic Mail      Thu Jul  2 12:42:58 PDT 1998      Message Number 1936
******************************************************************************

Author: Carey Noll and Ruth Neilan
Subject: First Circular -- IGS Network Systems Workshop

********************************************************************************
                     IGS Network Systems Workshop

                             Annapolis, MD
                          November 2-5, 1998

                            First Circular

General Workshop Information
----------------------------

     NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, through the Crustal Dynamics Data
Information (CDDIS), an IGS Global Data Center, in conjunction with the IGS
Central Bureau, will host the IGS Network Systems Workshop for three and one
half days on November 2-5, 1998 in Annapolis, MD.  The goals of this workshop
include: 

     - developing a closer community within the IGS infrastructure
     - strengthening communications within this community
     - improving the performance of the network
     - developing a shared vision of the future network
     - preparing a proceedings targeted along the lines of an "IGS Network
       Operations Plan" that would document the network operations of the IGS 
       and future plans 

      The IGS has been an operational service for nearly five years, providing
GPS data and products from a globally distributed network of high precision GPS
receivers.  Since its inception, the IGS has not sponsored a workshop of this
type, focusing on the network and infrastructure issues and how future plans
for the IGS affect these components.  This workshop will provide a venue for
the various network components of the IGS to meet and discuss our current
configurations, problems and their resolutions, how to incorporate the many
future requirements into our existing infrastructure, and what new technologies
are available that we should take advantage of. 

      Station operators and data center representatives are encouraged to bring
poster paper presentations.  Furthermore, network/station contacts attending
the workshop will be requested to bring additional information such as the 
following: 

     - Photos and other information of the station
     - Data flow template filled in for each subnetwork/station
     - Logs and forms to be verified at the workshop either on web interface 
       or hardcopy 

More details on the preparation of this material will be forthcoming in the
near future. This information will be collected by the Central Bureau to use in
the new, improved, web-based IGS Central Bureau Information System (CBIS). 

Topics of the Workshop
----------------------

     - State of the IGS
     - Future Requirements of the IGS
     - Physical Site Specifications
     - Communications and Data Links
     - Network Performance and Upgrade Issues
     - Data Center Performance
     - Network Monitoring and Performance
     - Central Bureau Information System Review and Recommendations

Conveners
---------

     Ruth Neilan, IGS Central Bureau, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
     Carey Noll, NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD

Program Committee
-----------------

     IGS Infrastructure Committee
          Yehuda Bock, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, La Jolla, CA
          Steve Fisher, Jet Propulsion Laboratory/UNAVCO, Boulder, CO
          Werner Gurtner, Astronomical Institute of Berne, Switzerland
          Jan Kouba, Natural Resources Canada
          Ulf Lindqwister, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA
          Chuck Meertens, University NAVSTAR Consortium, Boulder, CO
          Ruth Neilan, IGS Central Bureau, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 
             Pasadena, CA
          Carey Noll, NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD
     Ludwig Combrinck, Hartebeestoek Radio Observatory, South Africa
     Loic Daniel, Institute Geographic National, France
     Yuki Hatanka, Geographical Survey Institute, Japan
     Martin Hendy, Australian Survey and Land Information Group, Australia
     Jan Johansson, Onsala Space Observatory, Sweden
     Hans Peter Plag, Geodetic Institute, Norwegian Mapping Authority, 
          Honefoss,  Norway
     Jim Ray, U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, D.C.
     Wolfgang Schlueter, Bundesamt fuer Kartographie und Geodaisie, Germany
     Tim Springer, Astronomical Institute of Berne, Switzerland
     James Zumberge, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

Local Organizer
---------------

     Carey Noll, NASA GSFC, Greenbelt, MD

Who Should Attend?
------------------

     IGS station and network operators, data center contacts, interested
representatives from the analysis centers, and the IGS community in general. 

Schedule
--------

      The workshop will start mid-day, Monday November 02 and will continue
through the afternoon of Thursday November 05.  The conveners, Program
Committee, and session chairs will meet on Friday November 06 to
address actions raised during the workshop and discuss future plans
and directions.  A more detailed agenda will follow in a future
circular. 

Workshop Venue
--------------

      The workshop will be held in the Governor Calvert House, one of the
Historic Inns of Annapolis.  The Historic Inns, a series of three hotels in
downtown Annapolis, will also provide lodging for the attendees of the
workshop.  Annapolis is an historic town as well as MarylandÕs capital and is
situated on the Chesapeake Bay.  Numerous restaurants, quaint shops, historic
attractions, and waterfront are all within walking distance of the hotels. 
Annapolis is about 40 minutes from Baltimore, 45 minutes from Washington, D.C.
and 20 minutes from NASA GSFC.  A banquet and excursion to the Goddard
Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory are planned. 

      A registration fee will be charged to cover meeting expenses, breaks, and
special events. 

Further Information
-------------------

      A web site has been developed to provide the latest information about the
IGS Network Systems Workshop.  This site will also provide registration and
hotel information in the near future.  The URL for the workshop web site is: 

      http://cddisa.gsfc.nasa.gov/igs_netws/netws_home.html. 

Additional information will also be distributed through email and hardcopy in
the near future.

[Mailed From: Carey Noll 301-286-9283 <[email-masked]>]