Major Changes in IGS-related information systems
As was announced recently via IGSmail, the IGS Central Bureau has undertaken a substantial upgrade to our IGS Central Bureau Information System, which includes the IGS website and file transfer capabilities. In this message, we will clarify:
- Intentions of the new IGS Central Bureau Information System (including new website and file transfer system)
- Important information about the website upgrade occurring on 9 December, 2020
- Clarification about how the CDDIS transition to FTP relates to the IGS.org transitions
As we build a future-focused pathway for the IGS, we have been developing an improved online toolbox of resources to support the intentions of the new IGS Central Bureau Information System:
- Facilitating access and findability of IGS data and products, as well as capacity development resources, to a diverse and growing GNSS user community.
- Better outreach and engagement with new and existing members, as well as contributing organizations.
- Impactful advocacy and communication of issues that are relevant to the GNSS community
- Increasing visibility of the accomplishments and relevance of our organization and members
- Ensuring the long-term sustainability of our mission of producing open GNSS data and products of the best possible quality in service of science and society
The IGS Central Bureau Information System is not the only resource in our community that is undergoing a major transformation this year, and we recognize that this may have created some confusion. The Central Bureau has recently received many questions about the CDDIS transition and how it pertains to the IGS.org transition, and we would like to take this opportunity to clarify some important items:
Building a new IGS.org website to serve our community
IGS.org started its transition last year, and it was officially announced in March 2020. Since then, the “old” version of the website has continued to operate at the igs.org address, but no major modifications or updates have been made. All new changes and content are found in the new version of the website, which has been temporarily housed at: for development and testing purposes. This will change on 9 December 2020, when the new website will be launched on www.igs.org.
Important Changes at the CDDIS IGS Global Data Center
On 31 October 2020, another major transition took place. The long advertised CDDIS change of security protocols (switching from FTP to HTTPS) occurred. Although these changes are independent of the IGS website, it affects many IGS Data and Product users.
CDDIS, who manages one of the IGS primary data centers, has moved to the NASA Earth Data portal. This is the result of a change in NASA security protocols. The FTP services through CDDIS are no longer available. Thus, anonymous data access is no longer available.
In order to access the data through HTTPS service, NASA requires users to register with their portal. Registration is free of charge.
https://urs.earthdata.nasa.gov
The data and products are now under:
https://cddis.nasa.gov/archive/gnss/data/
While links in the deprecating igs.org have not been (and will not be) updated, all links in igscb.org under “Products” and “Data” point to the new CDDIS.
This change,however, is only at CDDIS… other data centers remain in FTP mode:
Next Steps
On 9 December, 2020, the content currently housed at the IGS temporary website development address ( ) will become the official IGS website and will migrate to its final host:igs.org. All IGS web services provided through the IGS Central bureau (IGS.org) will also migrate from FTP to HTTPS. The current official website will be archived and not available to the public. The IGS Knowledge Base ) will continue to be available until further notice as a historical archive. All current information will be published on IGS.org within the new website format.
What to expect from the new igs.org?
Besides incorporating a modern redesign and improved security, the new website includes an easier to navigate top menu, updated content, easier access to Products and Data, a better platform for dissemination of information, social media integration, search optimization, Working Group spaces, among others. The website will be continually updated and enhanced with additional capabilities, and user feedback is always welcomed and appreciated.
Last Updated on 20 Oct 2022 22:47 UTC