The realization and maintenance of a Galileo Terrestrial Reference Frame (GTRF) is one of the components contributing to the system performance of Europes Global Navigation Satellite System Galileo. The GTRF shall be compatible with the latest International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF) within a precision level of 3 cm (2 sigma). To achieve this, a Galileo Geodetic Service Provider (GGSP) has been defined by the project already in the early stages of the programme.

The main objective of this project is to evaluate systematically the long-term impact of the combination of ground and space-based observations of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) on station coordinates, satellite orbits, and the terrestrial reference frame.

In the future, ultra-stable clocks will be available on the ground and in space, as well as high-precision time and frequency transmission systems. The goal of this project is to integrate data from these new tools into GNSS geodetic data analysis and to analyse their potential for computing global geodetic precision products derived from GNSS.

The IGS as a service of the IAG provides GNSS data and products with highest quality. GFZ contributes to this service by operating about 30 globally distributed Multi-GNSS reference stations and hosting one Analysis Centre (AC).

Real-time positioning and navigation are used on an everyday basis by most people in devices such as smartphones, cars, and sports watches. This project is focused on improving such positioning solutions to achieve geodetic precision on the (sub-)centimeter level.

The ionosphere is a highly variable medium that can hardly be captured with ground stations. Satellites can provide valuable measurements, especially for higher altitudes. In this project we analyze GNSS measurements recorded on board the satellites to improve ionospheric models.

The project aims to support the European Space Agency’s (ESA) analysis capabilities of processing Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) solutions.

The project supports the highly precise alignment of the Gaia satellite mission data products through VLBI data analysis by delivering a state-of-the-art and consistent realization of ICRF based on VLBI data of IVS (International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry) during the entire duration of the mission.

The project assesses the benefits of Next-generation Global Navigation Satellite Systems (NextGNSS) constellations beyond current GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, or Beidou for various key geodetic objectives, all of them meeting the requirements defined by the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS).

The research project focuses on the impact of GNSS tropospheric gradients and their effective use for operational forecasting of severe weather.

The ArGID project explores ice observations gathered by a GNSS reflectometry setup, run by GFZ, during a dedicated ship expedition, lead by the Norwegian Polar Institute (NPI). The expedition of the Norwegian research vessel “R/V Lance” collects data of ocean and sea ice properties in Fram Strait, at the major link between the Arctic and the Atlantic Ocean.

Several small satellite studies (MicroGEM, NanoGEM, NanoX) have been conducted since 2010. The main goal is the realization of a prototype satellite for GNSS reflectometry and radio occultation. Significant benefit is expected due to a future multiple satellite constellation with a high coverage for GNSS Earth Monitoring, that is needed e.g. for tsunami detection.