Special and dedicated care of the GOCE data processing has to be taken, to ensure that the best Earth's gravity field model can be delivered to the scientific users. One highly important phase, the computation of the gravity model parameters from the pre-processed sensor measurements, requires the participation of the best experts in this advanced domain of satellite geodesy, in applied mathematics and computer science. Such experts exist in several research groups in Europe and they are able to cover all facets of this phase. Many of them have already worked together for years in the preparation of the methods to be used for the model parameter derivation from GOCE. A large, sustained and well organized effort is now required, which is proposed to be undertaken by teams working as a consortium.

A well structured organization is necessary for ensuring:

• the quality of the data and reliability of products and model for subsequent scientific works,
• the efficiency of the data flow (which also requires proper management, equipment and network),
• good connection and inter-action with the ESA project management team, the users, and adequate public awareness and outreach.

For this task the European GOCE Gravity Consortium, EGG-C, has been established in November 2000.

The GOCE data processing from level 1a/1b to 2 is a task beyond the classical ESA expertise. Therefore it is proposed to perform this task by a consortium that comprises all the necessary expertise in Europe. Its products will be an official gravity and geoid model together with quality measures and other desirable gravity products. It will be provided to the users (level 3) as GOCE geodetic data records (GGDRs).

The consortium is composed of a selected number of European institutes.

 

Name of group leader/team/organisation:

Hans Sünkel	TUG,IWF-OAW, Austria	Inst. of Theoretical Geodesy (Techn. Univ. Graz), Space Research Institute (Austrian Academy of Sciences)
Reiner Rummel	IAPG/TUM, Germany	Inst. of Astron. and Physical Geodesy/Techn. Univ. Munich
Karl-Hans Ilk	UniBonn, Germany	Inst. of Theoretical Geodesy/Univ. of Bonn
Christoph Reigber	GFZ, Germany	Division 1/GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam
Gerhard Beutler	AIUB, Switzerland	Astron.Institute/ Univ. of Bern
Christian Tscherning	UCPH + KMS, Denmark	Dept. of Geophysics/Univ. of Copenhagen and National Survey and Cadastre
Georges Balmino & Richard Biancale	CNES/GRGS, France	Groupe de Recherches de Geodesie Spatiale
Fernando Sanso	DIIAR/ POLIMI, Italy	Politecnico di Milano
Roland Klees & Pieter Visser	DEOS, Netherlands	Delft Inst. of Earth Oriented Space Research
Avri Selig	SRON, Netherlands	Space Research Organisation Netherlands