Resolution No.1 (1991): Global observation network and data exchange

The IAGA, recognising that global geophysical and geodetic studies are essential to understand the Earth system, and are urgently needed to elucidate many aspects of Global Change; recognising that the Mission to Planet Earth is to be a joint mission, relying heavily on international cooperation, and that measurements made at the surface of the planet are an integral and essential part of this mission; noting that

1. technological advances have recently led to significant improvements in geodetic and geophysical instrumentation and data acquisition systems, both on land and at the bottom of the oceans,
2. collection, analysis and international exchange of digital geodetic and geophysical data sets is now possible on a global scale,
3. scientists from IAGA and several other IUGG associations (IAG, IASPEI, IAPSO) are actively deploying global geophysical and geodetic networks, such as IRS/GSN, GEOSCOPE, INTERMAGNET, VLBI, IGS,
4. considerable economies of scale, and substantial scientific benefits can be derived from co-located measurements using different techniques;

recommends that relevant organisations, agencies and member countries

1. should review the services under their control, as well as the deployment of global networks supporting them, and should co-located as many of these instruments as is practical, provided that the performance of all instruments is not compromised,
2. should encourage the implementation of multi-disciplinary global digital data collection and data information systems which should proceed in parallel with the deployment of instrument networks, and
3. should improve methods for rapid international exchange of global data sets.