Review of the SIRGAS School on Vertical Reference Systems and the Symposium SIRGAS 2014

摘要

The Geocentric Reference System for the Americas (SIRGAS) is the fundamental geodetic layer for all positioning and geoinformation applications Latin America, from Mexico to Tierra de Fuego. SIRGAS was established in 1993 by the International Association of Geodesy (IAG), the Pan-American Institute for Geography and History (PAIGH) and the US Defense Mapping Agency (DMA, now NGA) with the following objectives: to define a reference system for South America, to establish and maintain a reference frame, and to define and establish a geocentric datum. In 2001 it was extended to all the Americas by a resolution of the United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference (UNRCC) for the Americas. Since then, nearly all Latin American countries have adopted it as their official reference system for scientific and practical geospatial applications. Presently there are more than 300 permanently observing GNSS stations, the data from which is analysed on a weekly basis by nine local (national) processing centres and integrated by two combination centres, namely in Brazil and Germany.