Please note that this site is an archive. The most up-to-date material is at: https://www.scar.org/science/gsg/home/ .

Updated: 

The Work Programs for the previous 8 years are here.

The 2000-2002 Work Program
The 1998-2000 Work Program
The 1996-98 Work Program and
The 1994-96 Work Program

GIANT NEWSLETTERS

News of GIANT activities are now being reported in a WG-GGI newsletter

• Documents from AGS'01 St Petersburg, Russia, 17-21 July 2001
• Link to the SCAR Group of Specialists on Antarctic Neotectonics (ANTEC) Home Page
• Links to individual country geodetic networks in Antarctica

There are eight projects in the GIANT Program, these are:

1. Permanent Geodetic Observatories;
   
2. Crustal Deformation Network;
   
3. Physical Geodesy;
   
4. Geodetic Control Database;
   
5. Tide Gauge Data;
   
6. Atmospheric Impact on GPS Observations in Antarctica;
   
7. Remote Geodetic Observatories; and
   
8. New Geodetic Satellite Missions

Program Coordinator: Mr John Manning

Program Objectives:

1. Provide a common geographic reference system for all Antarctic scientists and operators.
2. Contribute to global geodesy for the study of the physical processes of the earth and the maintenance of the precise terrestrial reference frame
3. Provide information for monitoring the horizontal and vertical motion of the Antarctic.

A list of the activities within each project of the GIANT Program for the period 2000 to 2002 is given below, the Project Leader and Collaborators are also identified.

1. Permanent Geodetic Observatories

Project Leader: Australia - Mr John Manning

Collaborator:

Goal: To develop an infrastructure of permanent geodetic stations to bring all individual geodetic networks to a common datum, and to provide geodetic information for the global monitoring and analysis of natural earth processes.

Activities:

2. Crustal Deformation Network

Project Leader: Germany - Prof Reinhard Dietrich

Collaborators: Italy, Chile, Japan, China, Australia, USA

Goals:

1. To densify the geodetic infrastructure established from the permanent observatories; and

2. To develop a deformation model for surface movement vectors within a common Antarctic reference frame.

Activities:

3. Physical Geodesy

Project Leader: Italy - Prof Alessandro Capra

Collaborators: Germany, Australia, Russia, USA, Japan, Canada

Goal: Compilation and analysis of physical geodesy data, for the development of a new high resolution Geoid for the Antarctic.

Activities:

4. Geodetic Control Database

Project Leader: New Zealand - Mr John Ritchie

Collaborator: Australia, Russia

Goal: Establish a master index for Antarctic positional control, including all levels of accuracy

Activities:

5. Tide Gauge Data

Project Leader: Japan - Dr Kazuo Shibuya

Collaborators: Australia, China, Germany, New Zealand, Italy, Russia, USA (Amos), UK (Woodworth), other specialists as required

Goal: To consolidate the collection of and access to Antarctic tide gauge information

Activities

6. Atmospheric Impact on GPS Observations in Antarctica

Project Leader: Poland - Dr Jan Cisak

Collaborators: Germany, Italy, USA, Australia (IPS), Norway, China

Goal: To understand the iononspheric and tropospheric impact of the atmosphere on the quality of GPS observations in Antarctica

Activities:

7. Remote Geodetic Observatories

Project Leader: USA - Mr Larry Hothem

Collaborators: Japan (GSI), Australia, Italy, Netherlands (Swartz)

Goal: To identify technology for the deployment of GPS equipment at unattended remote Antarctic localities for regional densification of geodetic infrastructure, and for scientific studies of surface geodynamics.

Activities:

8. New Geodetic Satellite Missions

Project Leader: Germany - Prof Reinhard Dietrich

Collaborators: Italy, Australia, USA (U of Texas)

Goal: To ensure new satellite missions are integrated with the Antarctic geodetic system

Activities:

Including GIANT Newsletters from this period

• Number 5 - December 1999. In HTML or PDF (approx 13 Kb)
• Number 4 - August 1999. In HTML or PDF (approx 34 Kb)
• Number 3 - June 1999. In HTML or PDF (approx 10 Kb)
• Number 2 - March 1999. In HTML or PDF (approx 21 Kb)
• Number 1 - November 1998. In HTML or PDF (approx 15 Kb)

1. Permanent Geodetic Observatories;
   
2. GPS Epoch Campaigns;
   
3. Physical Geodesy;
   
4. GLONASS Evaluation;
   
5. Differential GPS Base Stations;
   
6. Remote Geodetic Observatories; and
   
7. Information Access

Program Coordinator: Mr John Manning

Program Objectives:

1. Provide a common geographic reference system for all Antarctic scientists and operators.
2. Contribute to global geodesy for the study of the physical processes of the earth and the maintenance of the precise terrestrial reference frame
3. Provide information for monitoring the horizontal and vertical motion of the Antarctic.

A summary of the Geodetic Infrastructure of Antarctic (GIANT) program for the period 1998 to 2000 is given below, the first mentioned member will be the respective project leader for each project, assisted by other members identified for close co-operation in that project.

1. Permanent Geodetic Observatories (Project Leaders: John Manning, Australia, Hans Werner Schenke, Germany)

Goal: To develop an infrastructure of permanent geodetic stations to bring all individual geodetic networks to a common datum, and to provide geodetic information for the global monitoring of natural earth processes.

Key activities:

• Collaborate with other SCAR scientists to identify requirements for space geodetic sites
• In conjunction with SCAR working groups design an extended network of continuous geodetic observatories;
• 
  - for manned stations
  - for remote locations
• Support continuation of O'Higgins VLBI for scientific purposes and as an important contribution to the global reference frame
• Establish priorities for on-line satellite data retrieval from ground stations
• Deliver regular space geodesy solutions to IGS and IERS
• Post details of all permanent sites on web site
• Develop and publish GPS base station specifications
• Evaluate accurate local ties between collocated techniques
• Facilitate tide gauge data to southern ocean sea level centre

2. GPS Epoch Campaigns (Reinhard Dietrich, Germany, Andres Zakrajsek, Argentina, Kevin Dixon, UK, Michel Le Pape France, E Dongchen, China, Hector Rovera, Uruguay, Alessandro Capri)

Goal: To densify the geodetic infrastructure established from the permanent observatories. This will includes links to individual geodetic networks, tide gauges and the computation of surface movement vectors within a common Antarctic reference frame.

Key activities:

• Establish guidelines for ground mark monuments
• Co-ordinate annual epoch campaigns
• Arrange orderly data archive and data access from these campaigns
• Undertake GPS connections to Tide gauge bench marks
• Deliver results to ITRF in conjunction with results from permanent observatories
• Notify results of each campaigns occupations

3. Physical Geodesy (Alessandro Capra, Italy, Lars Sjoberg, Sweden, Andres Zakrajsek Argentina, Hans Werner Schenke, Germany, John Manning, Australia)

Goal: Collection and analysis of physical geodesy data, for the development of a new high resolution Geoid for the Antarctic.

Key activities:

• The collation of extensive data holdings related to topography, bathymetry and gravity as essential inputs to Geoid computation, includes:
• Data collection and analysis of gravity related data ground/airborne/satellite data.
• Collect relevant data from satellite altimetry
• Collaboration with International Geoid Service (IGES) and International association of Geodesy (IAG)
• Collaboration with SCAR WGs Solid Earth Geophysics, Geology, Glaciology
• Collaboration with BEDMAP, ADGRAV, RAMP as data for Geoid computation
• Participate in the ADMAP meeting and Earth Science in Antarctic, NZ, in 1999
• Preparing data base of information from collated information prior to computation
• Evaluation of EGM96 improvement over OSU91 in Antarctica
• Facilitate computation of improved tidal models
• Prepare for computation of high resolution Geoid model

4. GLONASS Evaluation (John Manning, Australia, Larry Hothem, USA)

Goal: Evaluate the benefit of GLONASS for global geodesy, Antarctic geodesy and navigation applications in Antarctica.

Key activities:

• Participate in the International GLONASS Experiment (IGES) pilot project with dual frequency GLONASS instruments at IGS collocated sites
• Retrieve data by satellite for analysis
• Analyse GLONASS orbits, reference frame differences and ground positions for geodesy and navigation applications in Antarctica
• Participate in presentation of IGEX results 1999
• Report on use of GLONASS for Antarctic Geodesy and navigation

5. Differential GPS Base Stations (Larry Hothem, USA, Hans Werner Schenke, Germany, IHO, Kevin Dixon, UK, Jan Cisak, Poland, Alessandro Capra, Italy)

Goal: To increase the utility of Geodetic GPS base stations by making DGPS corrections available for radio transmission for scientific field and operational use.

Key activities:

• Identify global standards for use in marine DGPS transmission using Geodetic base stations
• Develop options for base station sites for shipping navigation coverage of Antarctic Peninsula.
• Examine DGPS for real time kinematics and aviation applications in Antarctica and combination with geodetic accuracy base stations
• Liaison with COMNAP regarding transmission of GPS corrections at base stations.

6. Remote Geodetic Observatories (Larry Hothem, USA, Alessandro Capra, Italy, John Manning, Australia)

Goal: To deploy GPS equipment at unattended remote Antarctic localities for regional densification of geodetic infrastructure, and for scientific studies of surface geodynamics. This requires remote power input and data retrieval. This technology is not quite available at present and needs further development.

Key activities:

• Monitor and report on use of solar, wind and other methods of power generation for data logging information at remote GPS sites
• Monitor developments for remote retrieval of GPS data from remote sites by satellite communication techniques
• Collaboration with non-SCAR researchers

7. Information Access (John Manning, Australia, All members of GIANT program)

Goal: To publicise and distribute results of GIANT activities to the general Antarctic community.

Key activities:

• Prepare general paper on GIANT activities for publication in Antarctic Science in 1998
• Ensure ready access to data from permanent observatories from host databases
• Establish cross links from WG-GGI web site to individual geodetic sites
• Develop DIFs for geodetic data in conjunction with JCADM
• Establish newsletter/newsgroup communication for information distribution on Web
• Monitor web posting of photo idents on web sites
• Continue interaction with representatives on SCAR working Groups
• Develop IAG Commission X sub Commission on Antarctic Geodetic networks
• Publish WGS84-ITRF information paper and circulate within SCAR (SCAR Bulletin)
• Arrange an Antarctic Geodesy Symposium (AGS99) in Warsaw Poland in July 1999.
  Summary
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  Participants
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  Second Circular
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  First Circular
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  Abstracts
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  Program

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