 The IERS logo | |
| Abbreviation | IERS |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1987 |
| Type | International Organization |
| Headquarters |  Germany,Frankfurt[1] |
| Website | www |
TheInternational Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS), formerly theInternational Earth Rotation Service, is the body responsible for maintaining globaltime andreference frame standards, notably through itsEarth Orientation Parameter (EOP) andInternational Celestial Reference System (ICRS) groups.
The IERS was established in its present form in 1987 by theInternational Astronomical Union and theInternational Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, replacing the earlierInternational Polar Motion Service (IPMS) and the Earth rotation section of theBureau International de l'Heure (BIH). The service began operation on January 1, 1988. Since its inception, the IERS has established new bureaus including theGPS Coordinating Centre in 1990, theDORIS Coordinating Centre in 1994 and the Global Geophysical Fluids Centre in 1998. The organization was formerly known as International Earth Rotation Service until 2003 when it formally changed its name to its present form, in which the organization chose to retain the acronym IERS.
The IERS has various components located in theUnited States,Europe andAustralia. Among its other functions, the IERS is responsible for announcingleap seconds.
The Sub-bureau for Rapid Service and Predictions of Earth Orientation Parameters of the IERS, located at theUnited States Naval Observatory, monitors theEarth's rotation. Part of its mission involves the determination of a time scale based on the current rate of the rotation of the Earth. Other services of IERS are at theParis Observatory.
UT1 is the non-uniform time defined based on the Earth's rotation.
It defined theIERS Reference Meridian, theInternational Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS), and subsequentInternational Terrestrial Reference Frames (ITRF). Relatedcoordinate systems are used bysatellite navigation systems likeGPS andGalileo:WGS84 andGTRF. The definitions and relationships among ITRF, ICRF and EOP are established by IERS conventions standards. As of 2022[update], the most recent convention is the IERS Conventions (2010).[2]
A mission of the IERS is to provide earth orientation information to the greatergeodesy community in the form of bulletins:[3][4]
