TiPS: SLR Merit-II Observation Format

TiPS SLR Observation Data Format

Retrieve MERIT II observation files

File Name Convention

The full-rate TiPS observation data accessible from this web site is in Merit II format. The data is sorted into files; each file contains the observations made by a single particular station on a single particular day. The files are named XXXX_YYMMDD_A.TIPS, where XXXX is a station identification number, and YYMMDD is the observation date, in year, month, day format.

The following image illustrates this.

The satellite ID numbers currently in use for TiPS are: 9602903 (Ralph) and 9602902 (Norton). These numbers are derived from but not identical to the official COSPAR numbers.

Useful Resources

The following resources may assist your interpretation of this SLR data:

The MERIT II observation format;
List of SLR station IDs and names;
The Crustal Dynamics Data Information System maintains a catalog of SLR sites and locations;
NASA Goddard's Flight Dynamics Division maintains a list of stations ID numbers, names, locations, and equipment that may also be useful;
General SLR information is available from the Space Geodesy and Altimetry Projects Office (SGAPO) at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

FTP from CDDIS

You can also use anonymous ftp to obtain the MERIT II observations directly from the Crustal Dynamics Data Information System. Anonymous ftp to:

cddis.gsfc.nasa.gov

and change directories:

cd slr_data:[slrfr.tips]

This directory contains a directory for each station that has recorded TiPS observations. These directories each contain one observation file per day of observations. They are stored in compressed format.