Making Geodesy Visible: IAG & GGOS Efforts to Communicate Geodetic Science

Abstract

Since last year, the International Association of Geodesy (IAG) and its Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS) have intensified their collaboration in outreach and communication. Recognizing the importance of increasing public awareness and engagement in geodesy, both are working together to enhance their digital presence and improve access to geodetic information. A key milestone in this effort is the new IAG website https://geodesy.science, which serves as a modern, user-friendly platform for the global geodesy community. The website consolidates resources from iag-aig.org and ggos.org, offering dedicated sections for news, events, job opportunities, and structured information on IAG components. This new platform significantly enhances the visibility of IAG, its components, and geodesy in general, while also strengthening engagement with both experts and the broader public. Within GGOS, additional communication initiatives are being implemented as part of the GGOS Implementation Plan 2024–2027 (https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13785103). These include the development of summary factsheets, which provide clear and concise descriptions of geodetic products and observation techniques, published quarterly to support public and scientific outreach. Another major effort is the GGOS Portal, designed to improve the discoverability of geodetic data through its metadata and to provide structured access to geodetic products. This initiative will facilitate access to critical geodetic resources for scientists, policymakers, and other stakeholders. To further enhance outreach, GGOS has developed multilingual educational videos explaining the importance of geodesy (https://youtube.com/@iag-ggos) and launched innovative geodesy-themed cartoons. These cartoons will introduce geodetic concepts, observation techniques, and their real-world applications in an engaging format. This visual storytelling approach complements other GGOS outreach tools, including a comprehensive geodetic information platform (https://geodesy.science/ggos) and active social media engagement across various platforms (YouTube, LinkedIn, X, BlueSky, and Facebook). Through these collaborative outreach and communication efforts, IAG and GGOS are strengthening the visibility of geodesy, fostering public engagement, and supporting the next generation of geodesists. This presentation will showcase recent developments, highlight key initiatives, and explore future directions for geodetic outreach and digital communication.