The UNAVCO community is engaged in Earth scientific research that includes investigations into earthquake processes, mantle properties, active magmatic systems, plate boundary zone deformation, intraplate deformation, glacial isostatic adjustment, global geodesy and plate tectonics, global change, and polar processes.

• University PI Projects
• NASA Geosciences Support
• Polar Services
• GeoEarthScope Support
• PBO Nucleus
• EarthScope GNSS Campaigns
• Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO)

Engineering Group This group provides equipment and comprehensive project technical support services to investigators in employing GNSS and other technologies. Often the first contact a PI may have with UNAVCO is with this group in developing plans and budgets for new proposals.

Data Group This group handles data management and archiving tasks, maintains and supports related software tools and manages a large and diverse assemblage of data handling, data storage and retrieval, database, and backup computer systems.

• GNSS campaigns, permanent station networks and kinematic surveys
• InSAR and airborne LIDAR data acquisition
• Geochronological dating

• Qualified staff with specific expertise in supporting scientific research projects involving application of advanced technologies
• Equipment pool of newest generation GPS receivers and related equipment
• Discounted equipment through established UNAVCO member pricing
• InSAR and airborne LIDAR data acquisition and production services
• Geochronological services
• Data and solutions archive and services

• Project planning and proposal budget development
• Equipment purchasing, assembly and configuration
• Project management
• GNSS campaign and kinematic survey support
• Permanent station installation
• Establishment of networked data communications
• Network monitoring, operations and maintenance services
• Site information management
• Field engineering services
• Technical support
• Training for campaign and permanent station deployments (data processing training available through affiliated facilities)
• Equipment testing
• Integration and development of customized equipment
• Equipment repair services
• Logistics services for shipping and tracking globally deployed assets
• Data management and archiving services
• Financial management
• Property tracking and management

• Technical planning and budget development for proposals
• Pre-deployment planning, preparation and training
• Data collection and network installation, operation and maintenance
• Data preprocessing and distribution
• Data processing and scientific analysis
• Archiving of data and science products

See: UNAVCO Project Life Cycle.

UNAVCO can help with technical planning and budgeting for proposals involving GNSS, InSAR, airborne LIDAR and geochronology services. Instructions for initiating UNAVCO involvement in the proposal process and what to expect at this project phase can be found here.

Salaries of UNAVCO staff members is provided by NSF and NASA for participation in supported projects and need not be budgeted for in the PIs budget. Travel, shipping, non-pool equipment and other related project costs are paid for by the PI. Funds for these are made available through subaward or through direct transfer from NSF. Authorized users may use pool equipment for free. Access to archive and related services is free. Where equipment purchases are required, substantial discounts are available on commonly used items through pre negotiated arrangements.

The UNAVCO equipment pool consists of the GNSS receivers and related equipment. Available equipment includes the following:

• Ashtech MicroZ GPS receivers -- small quantity on hand for specialized use and testing
• Topcon GB-1000 GPS/GLONASS Receivers -- units are available for EarthScope and related investigations
• Trimble 5700/R7 GPS Receivers -- units are available on priority basis to assigned projects
• Trimble NetRS GPS Receivers -- units are available on priority basis to assigned project
• Multiple antenna types
• Ancillary equipment for campaign and semi permanent deployments. Limited RTK equipment available

More information about equipment available to NSF-EAR and NASA PIs, OPP PIs and EarthScope PIs can be found on our web site.

Yes, equipment are assigned on a highest priority, first come first served basis to projects sponsored by NSF-EAR, OPP and NASA Science Mission Directorate. GNSS equipment may be used for campaigns or RTK surveys or for semi permanent deployment where equipment will be returned to the pool after an agreed upon term. Pool equipment cannot be used for permanent installation. UNAVCO policy requires PIs to be qualified to properly use and care for equipment through participation in UNAVCO training (or be waived based on previous experience) prior to accessing pool equipment. The PI or an authorized representative of the PI's institution must sign an Equipment Loan Agreement that specifies specific terms and responsibilities.

As a benefit to members, UNAVCO has established special pricing with a number of vendors who supply equipment that is commonly used and supported within the community. These arrangements allow UNAVCO members to take advantage of discounts that may not otherwise be available. More information about special pricing available to UNAVCO members can be found here.

UNAVCO is the community's primary resource for technical information about equipment. Part of the resource provided by UNAVCO is the capability to facilitate and perform testing of GPS receivers and related equipment such as DC power and communication systems. UNAVCO maintains the capability to conduct a number of testing activities designed to assess various data quality issues, power consumption, usability and worthiness under harsh circumstances. Capabilities include data collection, processing, and analysis. Special facilities include an environmental testing chamber and special accommodations at the Marshall Test Facility, where monument, antenna and communications testing is conducted, and at the Niwot Ridge Tundra Lab where specialized cold weather testing is conducted. More information on UNAVCO testing activities can be found here.

Yes, the UNAVCO web site contains extensive information for PIs, including best practice information for GNSS campaigns and permanent stations that includes information about equipment and field procedures for high precision GNSS applications.

The UNAVCO web site contains extensive equipment information, including information about campaign and permanent station equipment that are commonly used within the community.

Yes, information about GNSS modernization topics and issues can be found on our GNSS modernization web page.

• Online project support request form
• Campaign log sheet
• Monument record
• Permanent station installation form (complete report form)
• New permanent station form (minimum information for archive)

UNAVCO provides user training in all aspects of high precision GNSS data collection. This is typically provided in conjunction with support for specific projects, but occasionally, general training sessions are provided.

UNAVCO supports software for downloading data from commonly used GNSS receivers and for preprocessing data to verify quality and reformat for processing. More information on software tools supported by UNAVCO and affiliated facilities can be found here.

TEQC is a software tool kit developed by UNAVCO for translating, editing and quality checking GNSS data, including GPS, GLONASS and related augmentation data. More information about TEQC, including documentation, numerous examples and executable for downloading can be found here.

UNAVCO does not support high precision data processing as a service, except for in support of the PBO project where delivery of specific standardized products are coordinated through UNAVCO. Support for high precision data processing is provided through related facilities. Information on the different GNSS data processing options that are supported within our community can be found here.

Yes, UNAVCO maintains a web area dedicated to informing our community of relevant technical information and developments. This technology forum can be found here.

UNAVCO supports generation of science products to aid researchers in using and interpreting geodynamical data, including supporting the development of a cyber infrastructure called GEON and supporting global strain and velocity products that are based on GNSS data. More information about science products can be found here.

Information about these services can be found at the GeoEarthScope section the UNAVCO web site.

There are several ways to contact UNAVCO, depending on your need. Here are some of the more common ways:

• General corporate contact information
• Project support request form
• General support e-mail address: support@unavco.org
• Archive system contact information
• TEQC e-mail forum
• General software questions: software@unavco.org

But when in doubt, use support @unavco.org.

Yes, in addition to contacting staff members at anytime, PIs are asked to complete our user questionnaire to provide feedback on our services. We use this feedback to monitor performance, evaluate our effectiveness and improve our service. This form can be found here.

UNAVCO operates a community Archive, which provides long-term secure storage and easy retrieval of GNSS data, strain data, various derived products and related metadata. The Archive primarily stores high-precision geodetic data used for research purposes, collected under National Science Foundation and NASA sponsored projects. A relational database management system (RDBMS) is used to facilitate data and metadata entry and retrieval. More information about the UNAVCO Archive can be found here.

All GNSS data collected on NSF-EAR funded projects must be submitted to the UNAVCO Archive for long term preservation. Data distribution policy includes free availability of all permanent station data and two year exclusive availability for proprietary project data. Details about UNAVCO's data policies can be found here.

Inventories of Archive data holdings, including campaign data, permanent station data and various products are accessible through the web based query form found here.

RINEX formatted GNSS data and other data can be retrieved using anonymous ftp from the Archive here. Instructions for requesting access to data that is not available by anonymous ftp can be found here.

Instructions for submitting data and solutions to the UNAVCO archive can be found here.

The GPS Seamless Archive Centers are a collection of GPS data archives and their operating agencies who agree to exchange information about data holdings in order that users need not contact each archive separately to locate data. More information about GSACs can be found here.