NOAA CORS Network: GNSS Data for Positioning and Meteorology in the United States
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Description
The NOAA Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) Network (NCN), managed by NOAA's National Geodetic Survey, provides Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) data. It supports three-dimensional positioning, meteorology, space weather, and geophysical applications across the United States, with data collected since 9 February 1994. The network is a cooperative effort involving hundreds of government, academic, and private organizations that share their data, which NOAA analyzes and distributes free of charge.
Use Cases
High-precision three-dimensional positioning based on GNSS carrier phase and code range measurements.
Atmospheric and meteorological modeling based on GNSS signal delay data.
Monitoring tectonic plate motion and geophysical phenomena based on long-term coordinate and velocity time-series.
Space weather analysis based on ionospheric data derived from GNSS signals.
Equipment and station performance validation based on historical station logs and time-series plots.
Strengths
Data collection spans from 9 February 1994 to the present, providing a long-term record.
Most GNSS data is available to the public within 1 hour (60 minutes) of recording.
Includes multiple data products: RINEX observation files, station logs, published coordinates/velocities, time-series plots, and broadcast ephemeris.
Limitations
Row count and total dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
A few station sites have a data publication delay of 24 hours (1440 minutes).
Provenance
Source
NOAA/National Geodetic Survey (NGS), aggregating data from hundreds of government, academic, and private organizations.
Collection Method
GNSS/GPS carrier phase and code range measurements collected from independently owned and operated Continuously Operating Reference Stations.
Time Range
From 9 February 1994 to present.
Freshness
Data is updated daily for time-series plots, and most observation data is available within an hour.
Geography
United States.
Data is provided in specialized formats like RINEX and SP3; specific tools for GNSS data processing are required for analysis.