Global Geodetic VLBI Data Hub
Category
Contribute
Institutions
ETH Zurich
Data type
Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI)
Field
Earth sciences
Researchers
Matthias Schartner
Description
Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) is a high-precision technique in radio astronomy, astrometry, and geodesy that measures vast distances and movement in space with exceptional accuracy. For the past 25 years, the International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry (IVS) has coordinated global VLBI activities, generating essential data products for science and society, including estimates of Earth orientation and other critical geodetic information like contributions to terrestrial and celestial reference frames.
Historically, IVS data was scattered across numerous text files in various compressed formats, making it difficult for researchers to quickly parse, extract, and analyze the information. To address this challenge, we developed the GloVDH database, a centralized, accessible repository that consolidates IVS-related VLBI data and products. Researchers can now access this data seamlessly through a modern web interface (https://glovdh.ethz.ch) and a dedicated application programming interface (API).
Our software automates the download, parsing, and uploading of files into the database, streamlining data access. Currently, the system has accumulated data from over 16.000 files across seven domains, covering session statistics, geodetic, and astrometric results. This project was showcased at the 13th IVS General Meeting, where it attracted significant interest and sparked new collaborations, including with TU Munich (TUM) and the University of Tasmania (UTAS).
As the project progressed, discussions began about mirroring the database at TUM to increase the robustness, in particular after the official project end, and exploring further extensions. To support these future efforts, we ensured that the software is thoroughly documented for ease of maintenance and expansion.