The EUREF Technical Working Group (EUREF TWG) is responsible for the general management of the EUREF Permanent Network. The TWG develops directives, policies and priorities for the EPN and communicates them to the EUREF community through the Resolutions of its annual symposia.

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Guidelines for the Coordination of the EPN activities

C.Bruyninx, EUREF TWG Meeting, Tromsoe, June 21, 2000
Updated: April 19, 2012

The EUREF Permanent Network (EPN) consists, in addition to the three network components (stations, data centres and analysis centres), of :

• an EPN Coordination Group
• an EPN Central Bureau
• EPN Projects

Coordination Group

The tasks of the Coordination Group are to :

• coordinate all activities related to the EPN
• propose policy EPN to the EUREF TWG
• control general activities of the EPN
• propose and coordinate new EPN projects

The Coordination Group (CG) of the EUREF Permanent Network consists of :

• Network Coordinator
• Data Flow Coordinator
• Analysis Coordinator
• Reference Frame Coordinator
• Troposphere Coordinator
• Project liaisons
• EUREF TWG representative

The CG will meet at least once a year. Members make a minimal commitment for a period of 4 years.

Central Bureau

The Central Bureau of the EUREF permanent network is responsible for the day-to-day general management of the EUREF Permanent Network consistent with the directives, policies and priorities set up by the EUREF TWG. The network coordinator is responsible for the management of the EPN Central Bureau.
The institute hosting the Central Bureau of the EUREF Permanent Network (and network coordinator) makes a minimal commitment for a period of 4 years.

Projects

Projects are proposed by the Coordination Group to the EUREF Technical Working Group, which will take the formal decision to create the Project. EPN Projects target the introduction of new EPN functionalities of products . After the first 4-years term, the Coordination Group will decide to maintain the Project or to include it into the routine EUREF permanent network applications and products.

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Task Descriptions

Central Bureau/Network Coordinator

The Network Coordinator is, as head of the EUREF Permanent Network Central Bureau (EPN CB), responsible for the general management of the EUREF permanent network, and chairs the EPN Coordination Group

• Maintains the EPN CB and performs a long-term coordination role to ensure that EUREF participants contribute to the service in a consistent and continuous manner and adhere to EUREF standards
• Verifies that the EPN CB receives and all information about stations, centres, networks, data flow, data holdings, product generation, product availability, addresses. Makes this information available to the user community.
• Instructs new stations/centres about EUREF/IGS standards and coordinate their introduction in the network
• Coordinates the topology of the network: stations to be included/excluded, allocation of stations to data centres (together with the data flow coordinator) and to analysis centres (together with the analysis coordinator).
• Coordinates the flow of information towards the International GPS Service (IGS) and other organisations.
• Interfaces with the IGS to assure the compatibility of IGS and EUREF and the collaboration in projects of common interest
• Preserves harmonisation of standards between EUREF and the IGS
• Coordinates between the EPN Projects
• Organises reports, workshops and meetings dealing with different aspects of the permanent network
• Reports to the EUREF Technical Working Group and prepares, in collaboration with all participating agencies, a yearly report.
• Publishes documents required for the satisfactory planning and day-to-day operation of the Service, including standards, guidelines and specifications

Data Flow Coordinator

• Assists operational centres / stations with the organisation of the data flow and the data quality check
• Coordinates activities between operational centres and data centres
• Provides to the data centres the necessary guidelines and procedures to monitor data availability and data quality
• Monitors the routine data flow through the EUREF Permanent Network, identifies problem areas and takes the necessary actions wherever necessary
• Organises the data flow for new stations (in collaboration with the Central Bureau)
• Organises and monitors the data flow related to applications which need a different data availability (faster turnaround of higher sampling rate) taking into account existing EPN standards and structures
• Organises alternate data flows

Analysis Coordinator

• Assists the analysis centres
• Combines the products of from different EPN analysis centres and generates the combined EPN station position solutions (SINEX format)
• Monitors the analysis centres solutions and takes whatever actions are necessary to ensure the routine generation of consistent subnetwork solutions
• Supervises the generation, updates and distribution of processing strategies
• Monitors the flow of the EPN products towards the IGS
• Coordinates, when requested, the generation of a yearly analysis report to the IGS
• Reports station irregularities that show up at the combination level to the Network Coordinator

Reference Frame Coordinator

• Provides regularly updated long-term positions&velocities of the EPN stations based on the combined EPN station solutions
• Maintains the list of EPN stations suitable to be used as reference stations for EPN densifications
• Generates residual position time series for all EPN stations, monitors the long-term stability of the stations and reports station irregularities that show up to the Network Coordinator
• Takes the necessary actions (guidelines, call for participation, computation) to densify to the long-term positions&velocities of the EPN with third party solutions for permanent GNSS stations
• Interfaces with external organisations interested in the long-term EPN (or densified EPN) position/velocities solutions.

Troposphere Coordinator

• Combines the tropospheric products of the different EPN analysis centres and generates the combined EPN station zenith path delay solutions (TRO SINEX format).
• Monitors the analysis centres troposphere solutions.
• Provides regularly updated long-term zenith path delays of the EPN stations based on the combined EPN station solutions.
• Processes inter-technique tropospheric solutions.
• Monitors the flow of the EPN tropospheric products towards the IGS.

Project Coordinator

• Is responsible for the coordination of the activities related to this EPN Project.
• Issues the necessary "Calls for Participation" to organise the participation of the different EPN components to the Project. Submits the results of the "Call for Participation" to the Coordination Group and proposes an Action Plan.
• Develops procedures and takes the necessary actions for the network components to participate in the Project.
• Takes the necessary steps to generate an unique and validated EPN Product.