Minutes of the IAG Executive Committee meeting in Como, Italy, November 29-30, 2003

Present were:

F. Sanso President

G. Beutler First Vice President.

D. Blitzkow Second Vice President

C. C. Tscherning Secretary General

O. Andersen Ass. Sec. General

C. Giannetto IgeS, secretary for F. Sanso

A. Doodson President Sec 1

M. Sideris President Sec 3

G. Boedecker Secretary Sec 3

B. Heck President Sec 4

V. Dehant. Secretary Sec 5

H. Drewes President Comm VIII

S. Zerbini President Comm XIV

M. Vermeer. President Comm XIII

J. Adam. LOC of IAG SA, Budapest, 2001.

1. Adoption of agenda

F. Sanso welcomed the new EC to this first meeting after the XXII general assembly in Birmingham.

The EC observed a moment of silence in memory of professor H.-G.Wenzel who passed away earlier this month. F. Sanso presented the agenda and informed about the normal procedure for acceptance of the minutes of the EC meetings via email.

2. What is the IAG EC going to do during the period 1999-2003?

F. Sanso presented the present status of geodesy, the difference with respect to traditional geodesy and the vision for the role of geodesy and particular IAG in the near future. He stressed that IAG should be an attractive organisation who welcomes corporation. He informed about the structure of IAG, and the rules for IAG meetings.

3. Report on new Travaux

O.Andersen presented the Travaux (vol 31) of the IAG. The Travaux had been printed as 400 CD-roms, which had been distributed along with an order form for the written (book) version. Roughly 100 copies will be printed on demand. The price will be 50US$ plus postage.

4. Representatives to external bodies

C. Tscherning listed the names of IAG representatives to external bodies as appearing in the minutes of the last EC meeting in Birmingham (JoG 73/10). IUSM was abolished in September, and consequently, IAG will not have a representative there.

C. Tscherning had informed most external bodies about the names of the IAG representatives. It had not been able to contact the WMO/IUGG WG on data exchange for forrecast of natural disasters

GALOS had suggested B.-G. Harsson as IAG representative, and the EC agreed on this.

H. Kahmen (alternatively F. Brunner) was suggested as IAG representative to the IUGG commission on Mega Cities. It was decided to ask ION to have an IAG representative. M. Sideris will investigate the possibility (K.-P. Schwarz would be a candidate)

5. New Committee for Developing Countries

The EC appointed D. Blitzkow as president for this committee and asked him to establish a committee consisting by 3-4 persons. D. Blitzkow informed that the primary focus will be in South America progressing to Africa and South East Asia. The EC required terms of reference for the handbook,

6. Educational Committee

C. Tscherning presented a proposal (available on the Internet) for initiating an educational committee. M. Sideris, B. Heck and C. Tscherning were appointed for the preparation of such a committee, and they should report at the next EC meeting.

7. IAG financial situation after Birmingham

C. Tscherning presented the IAG budget for year 2000.The IAG account presently holds around 59.000 US$ and the expenditures for year 2000 was budgeted at around 40000 US$.

8. Status of Birmingham Proceedings

K.-P. Schwarz had informed C. Tscherning that the Birmingham proceedings are ready and the material has been handed over to Springer Verlag for publication. Proceeding is scheduled for publication in the beginning of next year. The IAG had pre-ordered 150 copies.

9. Report on Handbook

The status of the IAG handbook was presented. A large part of the material is ready, but most material relating to the IAG structure is still missing. The Handbook will be issued as Journal of Geodesy 74/1, which is issued in mid-February 2000.

10. Follow-up on IAG and IUGG resolutions adopted in Birmingham.

C. Tscherning is working to insure the effect of IAG resolution. Gravity field mission. The resolution was read at the GRENADA meeting supporting GOCE. Communicated to NASA.

Res 3-4: this is effected as a publication in the IAG handbook.

Res 5: Polar Gaps. The working group on this matter effects this.

Res 6: Council approves the revision process. We have initiated the project.

11. Report by the IAG review committee

G.Beutler distributed and presented the detailed program for the retreat of the IAG placed at JPL in Los Angeles, Feb. 14-16, 2000. An ftp server had been established for distribution of relevant documents, and a tentative list of invited contributors had been prepared. M. Feissel had prepared a questionnaire as a polling of the role and activities of IAG.

12. Procedure for adopting the new IAG structure

The schedule had been laid out in the document distributed by G. Beutler on behalf of the IAG review committee, and EC accepted this schedule.

13. Review and completion of new IAG structure

The status of the completion of the different bodies within each section were treated section by section

Sec 1.

For the completion of the structure, memberlist of Comm X and special Commission 4 is required. A. Doodson should contact C. Boucher (Comm X) and H. Kahmen to obtain this for inclusion in the Geodesists Handbook.

Sec 2.

The following Special Study Groups suggested by section 2 were established by the EC:

2.192 Satellite Atmospheric GNS Soundings chairman: Rob Kursinski (USA)

2.193 Gravity field missions: calibration and validation, chairman: Pieter Visser (Netherland)

2.194 GPS Water Level Measurements: chairman Gerry Mader (USA)

Minor modifications/limitation to the list of members (max 20) were required for several SSG=s for the completion of the section It was stressed that the name for SSG 2.183 is Spaceborne interferometry technology, chairman is Ramon Hanssen

Sec 3.

All SSG within sec. 3 had been completed. The full list of National representatives to the Comm XIII was still lacking.

Sec 4.

Special commission 1 as well as all of the SSG=s had been completed.

Sec 5.

A revision of the description of Comm XIV was in progress. The section was othervise completed.

14. Review of Services program (in relation to IAG)

The section presidents were asked to contact the services residing within their section to obtain a short description for the IAG handbook before the 15th December 1999.

15. IAG sponsored scientific events

The EC decided to co-sponsor the international meeting entitled ADynamic Evolution of Active Faulting in the Mediterrenean region@in Algeria in 2000. Security for visitors in Algeria had been assured by the LOC. The EC also agreed to co-sponsor the 3rd int. symposium on mobile mapping in Egypt in 2001

16. IAG sponsored schools (scientific, technical)

The following schools are sponsored or considered sponsored:

Geoid school in Malaysia (2000), the School on mobile mapping in Austria (2000).

School on Earth deformation and the gravity field (2001) Dubrovnic, Geoid school in Egypt.(2001)

17. Outline of the scientific program for Budapest

General information about the IAG Scientific Assembly was given. The dates will be 2-8th September, 2001. The local organizing committee was headed by J. Adam. I Mueller was appointed to ensure the liaison with IAG.

K.-P. Schwarz had agreed to head the program committee along with the section presidents. A list of possible sessions was presented by the section presidents, and the program committee was asked to finalize a list of sessions for the first circular which will be distributed during January, 2000.

18. Official IAG letter to K-P Schwarz

F. Sanso was appointed by the EC to write and official letter to K.-P. Schwarz expressing the thanks of the IAG for his work as president of IAG during the last four years.

19. Next EC Meetings

The next meeting will be placed in conjugation with the EGS meeting in Nice to save travelling expenses. The meeting is foreseen to be held 28 - 29 April, 2000, starting Friday afternoon (28th).