University Navstar Consortium

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This award provides support to the University Navstar Consortium (UNAVCO) located in Boulder, Colorado. UNAVCO is a consortium of 30 U.S. universities that manages a facility providing equipment and logistical assistance to earth scientists making use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites for research in crustal dynamics, earthquake, volcano, and global change research. Using GPS, vector baselines between receivers separated by 100 kilometers or more are now being routinely measured with one centimeter (or 100 parts per billion) accuracy. Such measurements can be completed using portable equipment in a few hours or less. The ability to make such measurements has found immediate applications in research on global plate tectonics, earthquake mechanics, volcano monitoring, and regional tectonics. The UNAVCO facility offers a complete support program for university-based investigators including assistance in planning filed work, training of personnel, equipment, shipping, customs, field operations, technical troubleshooting, data management, analysis and archiving. UNAVCO also represents the academic research community and acts as a central clearinghouse for information on the scientific applications of GPS. As a part of its service to investigators, UNAVCO tests GPS equipment and techniques, and works to improve GPS surveying accuracy.