A distributed and modular infrastructure for automated GNSS data acquisition, normalization and indexing

Abstract

The rapid expansion of permanent GNSS networks across Europe and the Mediterranean has generated a large, heterogeneous and operationally complex data ecosystem. Although RINEX files are widely available, their systematic acquisition, normalization and structured indexing remain challenging tasks. This work introduces Mediterranean GNSS Archive (MGA), a modular and distributed software infrastructure designed to automate the entire GNSS data lifecycle, including acquisition, normalization, quality control, and metadata ingestion. The architecture relies on independent per-network processes, extensible specialized workers, and a strict separation between write-oriented services and read-only REST APIs. We describe the architectural choices, the process-orchestration model, the normalization pipeline, the indexing system, and the scalable behavior of the infrastructure in real operational conditions. MGA currently manages more than 22 million RINEX files from over 100 GNSS networks, demonstrating how heterogeneous data sources can be transformed into a coherent, queryable archive suitable for both scientific applications and operational monitoring.