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Updated: Wed 02 Jul 2003

Maitri Permanent GPS Observatory Site

History and Details of Maitri site:

The scientific activities of India which started on a modest scale has evolved into a comprehensive ongoing programme that has been subject to continuous updating in accordance with the national priorities and global perspectives. To carry out its scientific programmes India established to first station at Dakshin Gangotri (lat 70deg.05' South, long 12deg.00' East) in 1983.

The second permanent station Maitri was established at Schimacher Ranges) in 1989. Dakshin Gangotri is now being used as supply base and transit camp. Maitri Station is manned throughout the year round scientific activities.

As a part of GEODYNAMICS, to study the ongoing Indian Plate motion, an IGS permanent tracking/reference station was established at NGRI, by installing a Turbo Rogue GPS SNR 8000 receiver, under an Indo-German collaborative programme between NGRI, India and Geodetic Institute, university of Bonn, Germany It is continuously operational since September 1995. Subsequently, monitoring, data acquisition, data archiving and data transfer is being done continuously as a part of IGS global network. The refined GPS data analysis has been carried out at the University of Bonn during September 1996 through 98.

To understand the Indian Plate motion relative to a southerly point, a GPS Programme was initiated in 1996 to establish a permanent GPS station at 'Maitri' in Antarctica. After carrying out short term GPS measurements during the 16th Indian Expedition, now continuous GPS monitoring has commences by installing ASHTECH ZXII GPS receiver in January 1998. Data collected from 10\1996 to 98 has been analysed. Maitri station coordinates and baseline vectors have been estimated with reference to ITRF96 sites around Antarctica.

70° 45' 56.902288" S
11° 44' 08.620111" E

Height = 132.2187 m (ITRF 96 Epoch 1998.1)

Above information and photo courtesy of Indian Department of Ocean Development (DOD) - http://dod.nic.in/antarc1.htm

The Permanent GPS tracker is being maintained by the Director, National Geophysical Research Institute (NGRI) , Post Box No. 724, Hyderabad-500007. For further details on Maitri you can email the Director on postmast@csngri.ren.nic.in