Progress Toward the Creation of a New Geodetic Prediction Center for Earth Rotation Products

Observations from space geodesy provide the fundamental basis for determining the Earth’s rotation and orientation in space, which are essential for both geophysical interpretation and a wide range of operational applications. Variations in Earth rotation, commonly described through Earth Orientation Parameters (EOPs), reflect complex interactions between the solid Earth, oceans, atmosphere, and core. These parameters are therefore central to studies of Earth system dynamics as well as to precise positioning, navigation, and satellite orbit determination. Within the framework of the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS), EOPs are recognized as key Essential Geodetic Variables (EGVs), with stringent requirements on accuracy, temporal resolution, and, in particular, latency. Meeting these requirements necessitates robust and reliable EOP prediction capabilities over short- and medium-term time scales.

The Space Geodesy Group at the University of Alicante, in collaboration with the Geodesy Group of the Spanish National Geographic Institute (IGN), has long-standing experience in Earth rotation theory, EOP modeling, and prediction. This expertise has been consolidated through active participation in the Second Earth Orientation Parameters Prediction Comparison Campaign (2nd EOP PCC), carried out from September 2021 to December 2022. Building on these developments, the two institutions are progressing toward the establishment of the first Spanish–Portuguese Geodetic Prediction Center, with a primary focus on the operational forecasting of EOPs. Beyond EOP prediction, the center is envisioned as a platform for future expansion toward closely related Earth rotation and geodetic products, including Earth angular momentum functions, station coordinate time series, and atmospheric, oceanic, and ionospheric parameters relevant to Earth rotation studies.