From November 11 to 14, the IBGE and the State University of Rio de Janeiro (Uerj) will hold the 2019 SIRGAS Symposium (Geocentric Reference System for the Americas). The event will take place in paralel with the 2019 GGOS-Days meeting (Global Geodetic Observing System), in the auditorium of the IBGE branch set on 706, General Canabarro, Street, Maracanã, Rio de Janeiro. Click here to see the event's page.

The Symposium will receive the international scientific and technologic community focused on Geodesy and Earth Sciences. The participation of experts from 14 countries of the SIRGAS community in the Americas and the Caribbean is confirmed, as well as of representatives of Germany, the United States, Austria and Italy, who integrate the GGOS.

On November 12, a joint session is planned between the SIRGAS community and GGOS experts. On this day, international scientists will address the various techniques that exist today forthe monitoring our planet. GGOS representatives will present international co-operative works from the Fundamental Geodetic Observatories, which have spatial observation and measurement techniques of teh Earth, such as: Satellite Laser Range - SLR, Very Long Baseline Interferometry - VLBI, Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite - DORIS and Global Navigation Satellite Systems - GNSS.

The SIRGAS project started at the International Conference for the Definition of a Geocentric Reference System for South America, held in Asunción, Paraguay, in 1993. The objective of SIRGAS is to adopt global benchmarks compatible with GNSS technology, aiming at the integration of all georeferenced information produced by the countries of the Americas. This integration is of vital importance for the development of infrastructure works such as highways, sanitation systems, energy matrices and land use planning.

With over 25 years of existence, the SIRGAS framework has already been adopted in 14 countries of the American continent. The technical and scientific activities are carried out by a group of institutions responsible for producing the official geoinformation of each country, as well as academic institutions. One of the activities is the monitoring of the reference, through the weekly processing of the coordinates of a network of continuously operating GNSS stations (24h/7d). SIRGAS is also working on the definition and production of an altimetric reference - level or altitude marking of a terrain or relief of a given region - unique to the continent, thus making the altitudes of all countries compatible.

The group of scientists from the International Association of Geodesy is dedicated to the study of geodetic problems related to Earth observation and global change. This includes establishing reference systems, monitoring the Earth's gravity and rotation field, as well as the deformation of the Earth's surface, including ocean and ice, and geodetic positioning for interdisciplinary use.