The deployment of the DORIS stations began exactly 40 years ago with the goal of establishing fifty stations evenly distributed around the globe to support satellite altimetry. This goal was achieved ten years later, and the number of stations stabilized at about 55 since 2000.
In 2018, following the first IDS Retreat, one of the recommendations was to expand the network to 70 stations in order to improve the DORIS system performance and better contribute to geodesy, particularly by increasing the number of co-located sites. Today, this initiative is even more important given the GENESIS project.
After reviewing the characteristics of the DORIS network and highlighting its main advantages for POD and geodesy, we outline the purpose of the network expansion and the desired outcomes.
Then, we provide an update on the progress of efforts to increase the network density and co-location, and briefly present the 8 new DORIS stations that have been commissioned over the past 8 years.
We explain the criteria for selecting a new site, the challenges we face, and the resources at our disposal.
Finally, we present the new sites projects currently underway and outline our proposed strategy for selecting future sites.