Veripos ITRF2020 Geodetic Reference Frame Update

Summary:

On 29th August 2023 Veripos updated the geodetic reference frame in which ALL Veripos correction services are provided, transitioning from ITRF2014 to ITR2020. The effect on users of Veripos positioning services output by Veripos products now provide positions in ITRF2020, rather than ITRF2014. This resulting change in coordinates between reference frames is at the mm-level.

ITRF2020 is the new latest realisation of the International Terrestrial Reference System (ITRS). The ITRS defines an international, geocentric reference frame suitable for use with measurements on or near the Earth's surface. This reference system is periodically updated by the International Earth Rotation Service (IERS), resulting in an ITRF realisation to maintain geodetic level accuracies of positioning systems. 

The transformation between these two ITRF realisations is described by a 7-parameter shift, consisting of 3 translations, 3 rotations and 1 scale factor. For each of these parameters there is an associated rate value, leading to 14 parameters in all. The change from ITRF2014 to ITRF2020 is small, in the order of 2 mm, as shown by the transformation parameter values below:

• Translation in X-coordinate: 1.4 mm 
• Translation in Y-coordinate: 0.9 mm 
• Translation in Z-coordinate: -1.4 mm 
• Rotation around X-axis: 0 
• Rotation around Y- axis: 0 
• Rotation around Z- axis: 0 
• Scale: 0.42 parts per billion 

Values for all 14 parameters and further information on ITRF2020 can be found at: ITRF | Itrf2020 (ign.fr).