Acronyms
The following acronyms are related to the IERS and to earth rotation and reference systems in general. They are used at this web site and in IERS publications. Additions are welcome.
| µas |
microarcsecond(s) |
| µs |
microsecond(s) |
| 2MASS |
Two Micron All Sky Survey |
| 2QZ |
2dF redshift survey |
| AAC |
Associated Analysis Centre |
| AAM |
Atmospheric Angular Momentum |
| AC |
Analysis Centre |
| AC | |
| AER | |
| AGK2 |
Zweiter Katalog der Astronomischen Gesellschaft |
| AGN | |
| AGU | |
| AICAS |
Astronomical Institute, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic |
| AIUB | |
| AOD |
Atmospheric and Oceanic Dealiasing |
| AOW |
Atmosphere, Ocean and Water |
| APCV |
Antenna Phase Centre Variation |
| APKIM |
Actual Plate KInematic (and crustal deformation) Model |
| APSG | |
| APT | |
| ASCII |
American Standard Code for Information Interchange |
| ASI | |
| ATNF | |
| AUS |
AUSLIG or Geoscience Australia |
| AUSLIG |
Australian Surveying and Land Information Group (now: Geoscience Australia) |
| AVISO |
Archiving, Validation and Interpretation of Satellites Oceanographic data |
| AWG |
Analysis Working Group |
| AWI | |
| BCRS |
Barycentric Celestial Reference System |
| BGI | |
| BIH | |
| BIPM | |
| BKG | |
| BKGI |
BKG in cooperation with GIUB |
| BMBF | |
| BTS |
BIH Terrestrial System |
| c |
century |
| CATREF |
Combination and Analysis of Terrestrial Reference Frames |
| CB | |
| CC |
Combination Centre |
| CCD | |
| CCIR |
International Radio Consultative Committee |
| CCTF |
Comité Consultatif du Temps et des Fréquences |
| CDDIS | |
| CDP |
NASA Crustal Dynamics Project |
| CDS |
Centre de Données astronomiques de Strasbourg (formerly: Centre de Données Stellaire) |
| CEDR | |
| CEO | |
| CEP |
Celestial Ephemeris Pole |
| CERGA |
Centre d'Etudes et de Recherches Géodynamiques et Astronomiques |
| CfA | |
| CfP |
Call for Participation |
| CGS |
Centro di Geodesia Spaziale, ASI |
| CHAMP |
CHAllenging Minisatellite Payload |
| CIO |
Conventional International Origin |
| CIP | |
| CLG |
Central Laboratory for Geodesy |
| CLS | |
| CMB |
core-mantle boundary |
| CMT |
Centroid Moment Tensor |
| CNES | |
| CNRS | |
| COD |
= CODE |
| CODE | |
| COM |
centre-of-mass |
| CONT |
continuous VLBI session |
| CORE |
NASA Continuous Observations of the Rotation of the Earth |
| COSPAR | |
| COU |
CODE Ultra Rapid orbits |
| CPC | |
| CPU, cpu |
central processing unit |
| CRC | |
| CRD |
CRF deepsouth sessions |
| CRF |
Celestial Reference Frame |
| CRL |
Communications Research Laboratory (now: NICT) |
| CRS |
Center for Space Research, University of Texas |
| CSRIFS |
Combined Square Root Information Filter and Smoother (program) |
| CSTG |
Commission on International Coordination of Space Techniques for Geodesy and Geodynamics |
| CSW |
Catalogue Service Web |
| CTIO | |
| CTRF |
Conventional Terrestrial Reference Frame |
| CTRS |
Conventional Terrestrial Reference System |
| CW |
Chandler Wobble |
| DANOF |
(former) Département d'Astronomie Fondamentale, OP |
| DAO |
GSFC Data Assimilation Office |
| DB | |
| Dec |
declination |
| DEOS |
Department of Earth Observation and Space Systems, Delft University of Technology (formerly: Delft Institute for Earth-Oriented Space Research) |
| Dep., Dept. |
Department |
| DFG |
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) |
| DGFI | |
| DGFII |
Deutsches Geodätisches Forschungsinstitut, Abt. 1 (now DGFI) |
| DIODE |
Détermination Immédiate d'Orbite par Doris Embarqué |
| DIS |
IERS Data and Information System |
| DLR | |
| DMA |
Defense Mapping Agency (now: National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, NGA) |
| DOGS |
DGFI Orbit & Geodetic Parameter Estimation Software |
| DOMES |
Directory Of MERIT Sites (originally; now of more general use) |
| DORIS |
Doppler Orbit determination and Radiopositioning Integrated on Satellite |
| DOSE |
NASA Dynamics of Solid Earth |
| DPMS |
Dahlgren Polar Monitoring Service |
| DSN | |
| DUT | |
| DUT1 |
= UT1-UTC |
| EC |
Executive Committee |
| ECCO | |
| ECGS | |
| ECMWF | |
| EDC | |
| EE |
Equation of the Equinoxes |
| EGNOS | |
| EGS | |
| EGU | |
| EMR |
Energy, Mines and Resources Canada (replaced by NRCan) |
| EMU |
NRCan Ultra Rapid orbits |
| ENSG | |
| EOC | |
| EOP | |
| EOPGS |
Ecole et Observatoire de Physique du Globe de Strasbourg (formerly; now: EOST) |
| EOST | |
| EPN |
EUREF Permanent GNSS Network (formerly: EUREF Permanent GPS Network) |
| ERA | |
| ERP |
Earth Rotation Parameters |
| ESA | |
| ESO | |
| ESOC | |
| ESU |
ESOC Ultra Rapid orbits |
| EU | |
| EUG | |
| EUREF | |
| EUROLAS | |
| e-VLBI, E-VLBI |
Electronic transfer VLBI |
| EVN | |
| FAGS |
Federation of Astronomical and Geophysical Data Analysis Services |
| FAME |
Full-sky Astrometric Mapping Explorer |
| FAQ |
Frequently Asked Question |
| FCN |
Free Core Nutation |
| FESG |
Forschungseinrichtung Satellitengeodäsie, Technical University of Munich |
| FFI | |
| FGS | |
| FICN |
Free Inner Core Nutation |
| FK5 | |
| FSG |
Forschungsgruppe Satellitengeodäsie |
| FTP |
File Transfer Protocol |
| G.O. |
Geodetic Observatory |
| GA |
General Assembly |
| GAOUA |
Main Astronomical Observatory of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine |
| GAUS | |
| Gbps |
Gigabit per second |
| GCRS |
Geocentric Celestial Reference System |
| GEO |
Group on Earth Observations |
| GEOSS | |
| GFU |
GFZ Ultra Rapid orbits |
| GFZ | |
| GGFC | |
| GGOS | |
| GIA |
glacial isostatic adjustment |
| GIM |
Global Ionospheric Maps |
| GIUB |
Geodetic Institute of the University of Bonn (formerly; now: IGGB) |
| GLDAS |
NASA's Global Land Data Assimilation System |
| GLONASS |
Global Orbiting Navigation Satellite System, Russia |
| GLOSS |
Global Sea Level Observing System |
| GLOUP |
GLObal Undersea Pressure |
| GMES |
Global Monitoring of Environment and Security |
| GMF |
Global Mapping Function |
| GMST |
Greenwich Mean Sidereal Time |
| GNAAC |
IGS Global Network Associate Analysis Center |
| GNSS |
Global Navigation Satellite System |
| GOPE |
Geodetic Observatory Pecny |
| GOU |
GOPE Ultra Rapid orbits |
| GPS | |
| GRACE |
Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment |
| GRGS | |
| GSFC | |
| GSFD |
VLBI solution by GSFC |
| GSI | |
| GST |
Greenwich Sidereal Time |
| GZ |
GEOZUP Company |
| HCRF |
Hipparcos Celestial Reference Frame |
| HEO |
High Earth Orbiter |
| HR |
hour |
| HST |
Hubble Space Telescope |
| IAA | |
| IABO |
International Association for Biological Oceanography |
| IAC |
Information-Analytical Centre, Russia |
| IAG | |
| IAPSO |
International Association for the Physical Sciences of the Oceans |
| IARAS |
Institute of Astronomy, Russian Academy of Sciences (formerly: LPAC; see also INASAN) |
| IAU | |
| ICG |
International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems |
| ICGEM | |
| ICRF | |
| ICRS | |
| ICSU |
International Council for Science |
| ID |
Identification/Identifier |
| IDS | |
| IERS |
International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (formerly: International Earth Rotation Service) |
| IGEX |
International GLONASS Experiment |
| IGFS |
International Gravity Field Service |
| IGGB |
Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformation of the University of Bonn (formerly: GIUB) |
| IGGOS |
Integrated Global Geodetic Observing System (now: GGOS) |
| IGLOS |
International GLONASS Service |
| IGN | |
| IGOS-P |
Integrated Global Observing Strategy - Partners |
| IGR |
IGS rapid (orbit) |
| IGRT |
IGS rapid time (products) |
| IGS |
International GNSS Service (formerly: International GPS Service) |
| IGST |
IGS time scale |
| IGU |
IGS 'ultra-rapid' satellite orbits |
| ILRS | |
| ILRSA |
ILRS Combination Centre |
| ILS |
International Latitude Service |
| IMF |
Isobaric Mapping Function |
| INA, INASAN |
INstitut AStronomii Rossijskoj Akademii Nauk(Institute of Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences) |
| INDIGO |
Inter-service Data Integration for Geodetic Operations |
| INGV |
Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia |
| INSU | |
| IPGP |
Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris |
| IPMS |
International Polar Motion Service |
| IRIS |
International Radio Interferometric Surveying |
| IRM |
IERS Reference Meridian |
| IRP |
IERS Reference Pole |
| ISGN |
International Space Geodetic and Gravimetric Network |
| ISO |
International Organization for Standardization |
| ITRF | |
| ITRS | |
| ITSS |
Raytheon ITSS |
| ITU | |
| IUGG | |
| IVOA |
International Virtual Observatory Alliance |
| IVS | |
| JADE |
JApanese Dynamic Earth observation by VLBI |
| JCET | |
| JHD |
Japan Hydrographic Department |
| JIVE | |
| JMA | |
| J-MAPS |
Joint Milli-Arcsecond Pathfinder Survey |
| JPL | |
| KEOF |
Kalman Earth Orientation Filter |
| KPNO | |
| LaD |
Land Dynamics |
| LAMPP |
Linux Apache MySQL PHP Perl [group of open-source computer programs] |
| LAREG | |
| LBA |
Australian Long Baseline Array |
| LCA |
LEGOS in cooperation with CLS |
| LDAS |
Land Data Assimilation System |
| LEA |
Laboratory of Ephemeris Astronomy, IAA |
| LEGOS |
Laboratoire d'Etudes en Géophysique et Océanographie Spatiales |
| LEO |
Low Earth Orbit(er) |
| LGIT | |
| LLR | |
| LNA | |
| LOD |
Length of Day |
| LPAC |
Astronomical Council of USSR |
| LPCE | |
| LSGER | |
| LSM |
land surface model |
| MAO |
= GAOUA |
| MAPS |
Milli-Arcsecond Pathfinder Survey |
| mas |
milliarcsecond(s) |
| MCC |
Russian Mission Control Centre |
| MCEP |
mean Celestial Ephemeris Pole |
| MERIT |
Monitoring Earth Rotation and Intercomparison of Techniques |
| MICOM |
Miami Isopycnic Coordinate Ocean Model |
| MIS |
Meta Information System |
| MIT | |
| MJD | |
| MLRS |
McDonald Observatory Laser Ranging Station |
| MOM |
Modular Ocean Model |
| MPIfR |
Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie / Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy |
| ms |
millisecond(s) |
| N.N. |
Nomen Nominandum [vacant, to be nominated] |
| NAL | |
| NAOMZ |
National Astronomical Observatory, Mizusawa branch |
| NAREF |
North American Reference Frame Densification |
| NASA | |
| NAVEX |
NAVNET Experiment |
| NAVNET |
U.S. Navy VLBI Network |
| NCAR | |
| NCEP | |
| NCL | |
| NEOS |
U.S. National Earth Orientation Service |
| NEQ |
normal equation |
| NERC | |
| NetCDF |
Network Common Data Form |
| NGL |
VLBI solution by DGFI |
| NGS | |
| NICT |
National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (formerly: CRL) |
| NIPR | |
| NMC |
National Meteorological Center (replaced by NCEP) |
| NMCA |
Norwegian Mapping and Catastre Authority |
| NMF |
Niell Mapping Function |
| NNR |
No-net-rotation |
| NNSS |
Navy Navigation Satellite System |
| NOAA | |
| NoE |
EU Network of Excellence |
| NOFS |
USNO Flagstaff Station |
| NOGAPS |
[U.S.] Navy's Operational Global Atmospheric Prediction System |
| NPM |
Lick Northern Proper Motion Program |
| NPS |
(U.S.) Naval Postgraduate School |
| NRAO | |
| NRCan |
Natural Resources, Canada (formerly: EMR) |
| NRL |
Naval Research Laboratory |
| NRO |
Non-Rotating Origin |
| NRT |
Near Real-Time (products) |
| ns |
nanosecond(s) |
| NSGF |
NERC Space Geodesy Facility |
| NSWC | |
| NUVEL |
Northwestern University Velocity Model |
| OAM |
oceanic angular momentum |
| OATo |
Osservatorio Astronomico di Torino |
| OBP |
Ocean Bottom Pressure |
| Obs. |
Observatory, Observatoire |
| OBSS |
Origins Billions Star Survey |
| OCA | |
| OCRF |
Optical Celestial Reference Frame |
| OMCT |
Ocean Model for Circulation and Tides |
| ONR |
(U.S.) Office of Naval Research |
| OP, OPA | |
| OPAR |
Paris Observatory IVS Analysis Center |
| OSO | |
| PC | |
| PCV |
Phase-Center Variations |
|
Portable Document Format | |
| PGR |
postglacial rebound |
| PHP |
PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor |
| PI |
Principal Investigator |
| PIVEX |
Platform Independent VLBI Exchange Format |
| PM |
Polar Motion |
| POCM |
Parallel Ocean Climate Model |
| POD |
Precise [or Precision] Orbit Determination |
| POLAC |
Paris Observatory Lunar Analyses Center |
| PoliMI |
Politecnico di Milano |
| PP |
Pilot Project |
| PPARC |
Particle Physics and Astronomy Council, UK |
| ppb |
parts per billion (10-9) |
| PPP |
Precise Point Positioning |
| PRARE |
Precise RAnge and Range-Rate Equipment |
| PT |
(SDSS) Photometric Telescope |
| PZT |
Photographic Zenith Tube [or Telescope] |
| QC |
quality control |
| QSO |
Quasi-Stellar Object [quasar] |
| R&D |
Research and Development |
| RA |
right ascension |
| Raytheon ITSS |
Raytheon Systems Company Information Technology & Scientific Services |
| RCMAM |
(IAU WG) Relativity in Celestial Mechanics, Astrometry and Metrology |
| RDV |
Research and Development (sessions) with the VLBA |
| RF |
Reference Frame |
| RFI |
radio frequency interference |
| RINEX |
Receiver INdependent EXchange format |
| rms, RMS |
Root Mean Square |
| ROB | |
| RRFID |
USNO Radio Reference Frame Image Database |
| RS/PC | |
| RSC |
Radio Source Coordinates |
| RT |
Real-Time (products) |
| SAA |
South Atlantic Anomaly |
| SAO | |
| SB |
Special Bureau |
| SBA | |
| SBC | |
| SBGG | |
| SBH | |
| SBIR |
Small Business Innovation in Research |
| SBL | |
| SBM | |
| SBO | |
| SBT | |
| SCAR | |
| SDSS |
Sloan Digital Sky Survey |
| SEDI |
Study of the Earth Deep Interior |
| SHA, SHAO |
Shanghai Observatory |
| SI |
Système International (International System of Units) |
| SIM |
NASA's Space Interferometry Mission |
| SIMB |
Service d'Installation et de Maintenance des Balises DORIS |
| SINEX |
Solution (Software/technique) INdependent EXchange Format |
| SIO | |
| SLR | |
| SNR |
signal-to-noise ratio |
| SOC |
Scientific Organizing Committee |
| SOD |
CNES Service d'Orbitographie DORIS |
| SOFA | |
| SPBU | |
| SPM |
Yale/San Juan Southern Proper Motion Program |
| SRIF |
Square Root Information Filter array |
| SSALTO |
Segment Sol multi-mission d'ALTimétrie, d'Orbitographie et de localisation précise |
| SSC |
Sets of Stations Coordinates |
| SSCPP |
Site Survey and Co-location Pilot Project |
| SSV |
Sets of Stations Velocities |
| STA |
Semiconductor Technology Associates |
| SW |
software |
| TAI | |
| TC | |
| TCB |
Temps-coordonnée barycentrique (Barycentric Coordinate Time) |
| TCG | |
| TDB |
Barycentric Dynamical Time |
| TDT |
Terrestrial Dynamical Time |
| TEC |
Total Electron Content (Total Electron Count) |
| TECU |
TEC Unit |
| TEMPO |
Time and Earth Motion Precision Observations |
| TEO | |
| TGB |
Tide Generating Potential |
| TIGA |
GPS Tide Gauge Benchmark Monitoring |
| TIGO | |
| TIVAGAM |
Time-variable gravity and surface mass processes |
| TMA |
three mirror anastigmat |
| TN | |
| ToR |
Terms of Reference |
| TOW |
Technical Operations Workshop |
| TRF |
Terrestrial Reference Frame |
| TRS |
Terrestrial Reference System |
| TT | |
| TU |
Technical University |
| TUM |
Technical University of Munich |
| U. |
University |
| UCAC |
USNO CCD Astrograph Catalog |
| UCLA |
University of California, Los Angeles |
| UCSD |
University of California, San Diego |
| UKMO | |
| UMBC |
University of Coimbra |
| UNESCO |
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization |
| Univ. |
University |
| UPAD |
Universita di Padova and Telespazio S.P.A. |
| URAT |
USNO Robotic Astrometric Telescope |
| URL |
Uniform Resource Locator |
| URSI |
Union Radio-Scientifique Internationale / International Union of Radio Science |
| USGS | |
| USN |
= USNO |
| USNO | |
| USU |
USNO Ultra Rapid orbits |
| UT |
= UTexas |
| UT, UT0, UT1, UT2 | |
| UTA |
University of Texas at Austin |
| UTAAM |
NCEP [or NOAA] AAM analysis and forecast data |
| UTC | |
| UTCSR |
= CSR at UTexas |
| UTexas | |
| UTXMO | |
| VLA |
Very Large Array |
| VLBA |
Very Long Baseline Array, NRAO |
| VLBI | |
| VMF, VMF1 |
Vienna Mapping Function |
| VO |
Virtual Observatory |
| VOL |
Variations of Latitude |
| VOTable |
(Virtual Observatory) XML format for the exchange of tabular data |
| VSI |
VLBI Standard Interface |
| VSI-E |
VLBI Standard Interface for E-VLBI |
| VS NIIFTRI |
East-Siberian Research Institute for Physics-technical and Radio-technical Measurements |
| VTRF |
VLBI terrestrial reference frame |
| VUGTK |
Research Institute of Geodesy, Topography and Cartography, Czech Republic |
| WEGENER |
Working Group of European Geoscientists for the Establishment of Networks for Earth science Research |
| WG |
working group |
| WGP | |
| WGRF |
IAU Working Group on Reference Frames |
| wk |
week |
| WRMS |
Weighted Root Mean Square |
| XML |
eXtensible Markup Language |
| yr |
year |
| ZIPE |
Zentralinstitut für Physik der Erde |
| ZPD |
zenith path delay |
| ZTD |
zenith total delay |
| ZWD |
zenith wet delay |