[M-TT37] New Frontier of Earth Science pioneered by Dense GNSS Observation Networks

[MTT37-P01] Establishment of a “Consortium to utilize the SoftBank original reference sites for Earth and Space Science” and its operation

*Yusaku Ohta¹ (1.Research Center for Prediction of Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University)

Keywords:GNSS

Monitoring the earth's surface provides essential information for a wide area of earth science. Various GNSS networks have been constructed at the national and regional levels for such earth science fields and other purposes. In Japan, the continuous nationwide GNSS network, the GNSS Earth Observation Network System (GEONET), is operated by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan. Although GEONET has made a substantial contribution to earth science research, the large spacing of GEONET sites makes it difficult to understand more fine-scale phenomena accurately. However, cell phone carriers in Japan have constructed independent GNSS networks to improve their positioning services in recent years. Ohta and Ohzono (EPS, 2022) investigated the performance of a GNSS network operated by SoftBank Corp. for crustal deformation monitoring. The network has more than 3,300 sites throughout Japan, approximately 2.5 times the number of the GEONET sites. Their initial assessments concluded that these private sector GNSS sites are useful for crustal deformation monitoring with appropriate data quality control. Based on this background, the Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, in cooperation with SoftBank Corp. and ALES Corporation, established an academic-industrial consortium (Consortium to utilize the SoftBank original reference sites for Earth and Space Science) to utilize SoftBank's GNSS observation data. The consortium conducts a broad range of feasibility studies based on the provided GNSS data, as well as routine analysis of the data for productization and delivery to the consortium. The presentation will provide an overview of the consortium established and the results obtained from these activities.

Acknowledgments: The SoftBank's GNSS observation data used in this study was provided by SoftBank Corp. and ALES Corp. through the framework of the "Consortium to utilize the SoftBank original reference sites for Earth and Space Science".