Data

UNAVCO promotes research and learning by providing access to several types of data that our community of scientists uses for quantifying the motions of rock, ice and water at or near the Earth’s surface. Geodetic GPS/GNSS Data (Global Navigation Satellite System / Global Positioning System Data), enable millimeter-scale surface motion measurements at discrete points. Geodetic Imaging Data are collected by a variety of different sensors deployed on satellites, aircraft, and on the ground, and provide high resolution terrain models and deformation measurements over areas of tens of meters to hundreds of square kilometers. Data collected from Strain and Seismic Borehole instruments measure the deformation at or near the surface of the Earth and measure rock physical properties in the vicinity of the installations. At many of the sites where geodetic measurements are made, Meteorological Data are also collected to aid in the processing of the geodetic data.

Geodetic GPS/GNSS Data

GPS/GNSS data refer to raw measurements from receivers/antennas at survey points, processed results such as geodetic positions of survey points, or geologic velocities of those points.

• Data Archive Interface allows search and access to archived raw data measurements in RINEX (Receiver Independent Exchange Format) format, position time series, and geologic velocities (see our Data policy for archived data).
• Realtime data is also available. (Password-protected access. See our Data policy for realtime streaming data).
• FTP Access for direct access to data in RINEX format (see the ftp server layout for directory organization for products, raw data, etc.).
• Data access web services/API provides the ability to use a command line interface to query metadata and obtain URLs to data and products.
• Data Submissions provides guidelines on how to make submissions to the Archive.
• Other GPS/GNSS Archive topics include Archive information, additional search interfaces, data tools, and more.
• Other PBO GPS/GNSS Data topics provide data access through ftp browsing to additional parameters and file types such as PBO station position time series, network velocities, network station coordinates, and more.
• Data for Educators provides a map interface to access PBO position time series in comma separated value (CSV) format and as time series plots.

Geodetic Imaging Data

Data from geodetic imaging instruments use electromagnetic waves for tracking centimeter-scale motions at the Earth’s surface over several square meters to hundreds of square kilometers.

• Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data, such as Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), can be used to model millimeter-to-centimeter level displacements in the Earth's surface over scales of tens to hundreds of kilometers.
• Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS) data are obtained from ground-based LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) instruments that provide 3-D point measurements with millimeter-to-centimeter precision over scales of tens of meters to kilometers. LiDAR “point clouds” are used to generate digital elevation models of topography and other features.
• Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) data are obtained from aircraft based LiDAR instruments that provide 2.5-D and 3-D point measurements with centimeter to decimeter precision over scales of hundreds of meters to hundreds of kilometers. LiDAR “point clouds” are used to generate digital elevation models of topography and other features.

Strain and Seismic Borehole Data

Strainmeters and seismometers record transient deformation signals with periods of milliseconds to months. Borehole data, collected in the strain and seismic boreholes, yield information about the physical properties of the rock surrounding the instruments.

• Borehole Strain data are collected by four-component deep-borehole tensor strainmeters.
• Borehole Seismic data are collected by short-period, deep-borehole seismometers, most of which are co-located with borehole strainmeters.
• Tilt and temperature data are collected by shallow-borehole tiltmeters, co-located with GPS or borehole strainmeter and seismic stations.
• Pore Pressure and temperature data are collected by deep-borehole pore pressure sensors co-located with borehole strainmeters.
• Laser Strain data are collected through long-baseline (450-meter), above-ground laser strainmeters to measure deformation on Earth’s surface and are available as raw strain data.
• Core Samples and Cuttings are physical rock samples taken during the drilling of boreholes for instrument installations and provide insight into the physical composition of below-ground rock and dirt that area.

Meteorological Data

Meteorological data are collected along with GPS/GNSS and other forms of geophysical data to enhance the datasets, contribute to network monitoring information, and provide additional information for interpretation of deformation signals.

• Stations with Meteorological Data provide access to surface measurements of atmospheric conditions at the station such as temperature, relative humidity and atmospheric pressure.
• Troposphere parameters are generated by the GIPSY and GAMIT programs during daily GPS post-processing.
• Real Time Integrated Atmospheric Water Vapor and TEC (Total Electron Count) are provided by UCAR's COSMIC/SuomiNet program.