UNAVCO

UNAVCO is a non-profit consortium that supported geodetic research and education through high-precision Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and geophysical instruments, enabling studies of tectonics, cryosphere, volcanology, and sea-level change. It coordinated acquisition, operation, and distribution of geodetic data sets used by investigators at universities, national laboratories, and international agencies including the National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and US Geological Survey. The consortium provided technical support, data management, and training for field campaigns linking efforts by institutions such as Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

History

UNAVCO was formed amid collaborations between institutions like University of Colorado Boulder, California Institute of Technology, Ohio State University, University of California, Berkeley, and Cornell University to advance GNSS for Earth science, following advances from projects including International GPS Service for Geodynamics and programs at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Early deployments supported campaigns associated with the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the 1992 Landers earthquake, and monitoring efforts related to Yellowstone Caldera and Mount St. Helens. Over decades UNAVCO integrated tools from initiatives such as Plate Boundary Observatory, EarthScope, and international collaborations with European Space Agency, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Partnerships with agencies including U.S. Antarctic Program, U.S. Geological Survey, British Antarctic Survey, and universities enabled expansion into polar GNSS networks, borehole strainmeter installation, and InSAR calibration campaigns tied to ENVISAT and Sentinel-1 missions.

Mission and Governance

The consortium’s mission emphasized enabling investigators at institutions like Stanford University, University of Washington, Princeton University, and Pennsylvania State University through provision of GNSS infrastructure, data products, and training. Governance structures featured boards and advisory committees composed of representatives from universities, national laboratories such as Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and agencies including National Science Foundation and National Aeronautics and Space Administration. UNAVCO coordinated with task forces and working groups linked to programs such as EarthScope, GEON and international bodies like International Association of Geodesy and Global Geodetic Observing System. Funding models combined federal awards from National Science Foundation and cooperative agreements with centers like Scripps Institution of Oceanography, along with support from philanthropic foundations such as Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation and collaborations with agencies like U.S. Agency for International Development for hazard preparedness.

Facilities and Infrastructure

UNAVCO operated instrumentation cores and facilities located near institutions including University of Colorado Boulder and Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory, managing networks of continuous GNSS stations interoperable with arrays such as Plate Boundary Observatory and international networks including EUREF and IGS. It provided suites of equipment including dual-frequency GNSS receivers from vendors used by Jet Propulsion Laboratory campaigns, borehole strainmeters similar to installations at Parkfield Observatory, absolute gravimeters applied by teams from Bureau International des Poids et Mesures, and support for portable seismic sensors used in studies by Seismological Society of America researchers. Data centers mirrored practices used at National Geophysical Data Center and collaborated with archives like IRIS and UNAVCO Data Center partners to deliver RINEX, PPP, and real-time streams for assimilation by groups at European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts and modeling centers such as USGS Earthquake Hazards Program.

Research and Services

UNAVCO enabled research on topics investigated by scientists at University of California, San Diego, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Columbia University, University of Hawaii, and University of Oregon including crustal deformation, post-glacial rebound, subduction zone locking, and ice-sheet dynamics. Services included GNSS campaign support for field projects like studies of Alaska earthquake sequences, real-time kinematics for tsunami warning centers affiliated with Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and high-rate GNSS for volcanic monitoring at sites like Kīlauea and Mount Rainier. It supported data products and analysis tools used by researchers at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, and USGS Volcano Hazards Program and contributed to multidisciplinary studies involving groups from Scripps Institution of Oceanography, British Antarctic Survey, and National Center for Atmospheric Research. Collaborative projects included installation campaigns tied to Cascadia subduction zone research, glacier mass-balance monitoring connected with GRACE and ICESat satellite missions, and co-located instrumentation with efforts by Lamont–Doherty Earth Observatory and University of Alaska.

Education and Outreach

Educational programs targeted faculty and students from institutions including Arizona State University, University of Texas at Austin, University of New Mexico, and University of Vermont offering workshops modeled on curricula from Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology and summer schools similar to those at Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Outreach included collaborations with museums like Smithsonian Institution, engagement with tribal communities and agencies such as Bureau of Indian Affairs for hazard education, and teacher training tied to programs run by National Science Foundation and American Geophysical Union. UNAVCO hosted internship and REU-style opportunities connecting students to research groups at Columbia University, University of Washington, Penn State, and international partners like Universidad de Chile and University of Tokyo, and supported open-data initiatives paralleling efforts from International GNSS Service and Global Geodetic Observing System.

Category:Geodesy organizations