1945
Jodrell Bank Observatory
Cheshire, England, United Kingdom
Radar tracking of Sputnik’s booster rocket in 1957.
Bernard Lovell
Observatory Protocol
Open
Satellites, radars, towers, buoys, seismometers and fibre already measure the Earth, each on its own clock, format and terms. The Observatory Protocol gives every instrument one way to join, attest, keep time and publish what it sees. Open, and stewarded by the Nexus Consortium. Designed, deployed and run by Nexus Observatory.
Build on the protocolRead the specificationThe recordHeritage69observatories, each with sources
Milestones345dated in the record
Spectrum997technologies in 16 domains
Protocol12functions, specified in public
IHeritage
69 observatories, 6 eras, 108 people named in the record. Each generation solved what the last could not: a better instrument, a shared clock, a wire, an orbit, a network. The open problem now is coordination. That is the one we work on.
1945
Cheshire, England, United Kingdom
Radar tracking of Sputnik’s booster rocket in 1957.
Bernard Lovell
1956
Green Bank, West Virginia, United States
The first SETI search with a radio telescope.
Frank Drake
1956
Brunt Ice Shelf, Antarctica
Discovery of the Antarctic ozone hole.
Joe Farman · Brian Gardiner
1956
Geographic South Pole, Antarctic Plateau
Continuous occupation of the geographic South Pole since 1956–57.
Paul Siple
1956
North flank of Mauna Loa, Island of Hawaiʻi, United States
The Keeling Curve, the foundational record of rising atmospheric carbon dioxide.
Charles David Keeling
1960
Low Earth orbit (launched from Cape Canaveral)
First successful weather satellite.
Morris Tepper · Edgar Cortright
IIFrontier
125 frontier technologies, each traced to the release, study or framework it comes from: 3GPP non-terrestrial networks, O-RAN, IMT-2030, analysis-ready data, geospatial foundation models. They arrive on the same site at the same time. The site has to absorb all of them.
● Satellite and space systems
Platforms at 20–50 km acting as relays or IMT base stations, filling the gap between towers and satellites.
ITU RR No. 1.66A (HAPS definition) · ITU Resolution 221 (Rev. WRC-23) HIBS
● Ground segment
Telescope terminals with adaptive optics for laser downlinks, sited for clear-sky statistics and diversity.
CCSDS 141.0-B (optical physical layer) · IEC 60825-1 (laser safety)
● 5G and 6G radio access networks
Many coordinated access points serving users jointly instead of separate cells.
Rec. ITU-R M.2160 (IMT-2030 framework)
● AI-RAN and Open RAN
Research into sub-10 ms control loops running next to the DU on live radio data.
O-RAN next Generation Research Group (nGRG) reports
● Core and transport networks
Release 20 work on the next system architecture, including AI, sensing and NTN as native features.
3GPP TR 22.870 (6G use cases) · Rec. ITU-R M.2160
● Spectrum, timing and PNT
Many inexpensive receivers at sites forming a continuous spectrum picture.
Rec. ITU-R SM.1880 · ITU Handbook on Spectrum Monitoring
● Compute and edge
Placing each workload at the device, edge or cloud tier by latency, cost, energy and data rules, and moving it when conditions change.
3GPP TS 23.548 (5GC enhancements for edge computing) · ETSI GS MEC 003
● AI systems
Dividing a model between device, edge and cloud to balance latency, bandwidth and privacy.
3GPP TR 22.874 (AI/ML model transfer in 5GS) · 3GPP TR 23.700-80
● Remote sensing and Earth observation
Stratospheric aircraft and balloons that loiter over an area for persistent imaging, sensing or relay.
ITU Radio Regulations No. 1.66A (HAPS definition) · ITU-R HAPS spectrum identifications (WRC-19, WRC-23)
IIIProtocol
Twelve functions take a node from unboxed to trusted: join, admit, describe, time, observe, qualify, federate, orchestrate, correct, exchange, prove, exit and decommission. Every value carries its metadata, clock, quality and provenance. No vendor, cloud or central service becomes the owner of local truth.Open the specification
01JoinA node proves what it is, receives an identity and a policy, then a signed plan.
02AdmitProviders enter by manifest, rights, security and technical review, for a stated scope.
03DescribeEvery instrument and observation carries what, where, how and by whom.
04TimeOne time base across the grid, with time quality as explicit state.
05ObserveStreams and files move over whatever link the site has, with store and forward.
06QualifyQuality flags, calibration and provenance travel with each value.
07FederateNodes form cells, cells form clusters, and clusters federate across trust domains.
08OrchestrateSoftware, configuration and upgrades roll out by signed plan, with evidence for every change.
09CorrectAn upstream correction marks dependants stale, triggers recompute and publishes a new version.
10ExchangeGoverned products reach people and applications through versioned APIs, events, maps and exports.
11ProvePeers answer unpredictable challenges and emit signed proof receipts for an independent verifier.
12Exit and decommissionEvery material provider has an open export and replacement path, and decommissioning closes the record.
UNENROLLED
DISCOVERED
ATTESTING
IDENTITY_ISSUED
POLICY_BOUND
PLAN_STAGED
LOCAL_READY
DEGRADED
QUARANTINED
REVOKED
Open specification, open change process, open to any implementer. Nexus Observatory Inc. supports the protocol and builds enterprise systems on it.
Open protocol
IVSpectrum
16 domains and 127 layers, from spacecraft buses to RedCap modems, PTP grandmasters and GPU edge nodes. Each entry names the standard it is drawn against and what we design, integrate, deploy and operate around it.
Satellite and
Ground segment
5G and
AI-RAN and
Core and
Spectrum
Compute and
AI systems
Remote sensing
GIS
In situ
IoT
Power
Security
Data
Field operations
997
VEngineering
Reference designs at true dimensions: lattice towers, edge modules, radars, domes, dishes, floats. Every part is named for what it does. Hover a part; drag to turn.
Drag to turn · hover a part
VIEarth, maps and GeoAI
Where a 30 m mast can see, where water will run, when the next pass images the valley. Interactive explainers on real elevation, from hillshade to a GeoAI detector.
VIIDimensions
An observatory fails if any one of these fails: wrong science, fragile engineering, lost trust. We design all seven together, not one after another.
S
Every value traceable: metadata, calibration, quality flags and provenance travel with it.
69observatories studied
T
Radios, satellites, sensors, timing, edge compute and AI, each mapped to its standards.
997technologies mapped
E
Every node and provider moves through defined states, with evidence at each transition.
11state machines
M
Every calculation ships with its method, formula, source and a worked example run as a test.
Methodswith worked examples
S
Open data and an open protocol, stewarded by the Nexus Consortium. Anyone can build on it.
Openprotocol and atlas
P
Jurisdiction, spectrum, privacy and procurement rules, read before design, country by country.
Per countryguides and regimes
S
Composed from open standards, named on every page as design references.
48standards composed
VIIILifecycle
Sensors drift, firmware ages, spectrum rules change and the frontier keeps moving. A site is never finished. We carry it through every stage, and bring an upgrade from the frontier only once it is qualified for the field.
01LearnRead the record and the frontier for the site.
02BuildDesign to the terrain, the spectrum and the mission.
03DeployInstall, commission, accept against the plan.
04ClusterForm sites and clusters.
05MonitorEvery node, its state and its evidence.
06ExpandAdd sites, links and sensors without re-architecting.
07MaintainCalibrate, repair, predict the next failure.
08RefurbishRenew the hardware; keep the record.
09UpgradeBring the frontier to the field, qualified.
IXProducts
Grid, software, hardware, sensors, connectivity, edge AI, Earth observation, field services and data: each line has its own site and team, all nine run on one protocol and one grid.
5 areasXOpen by default
The protocol, the atlas, the grid and the methods are public. Fork them, test them, contribute back. Contributors keep their rights. What is open, and on what terms
enrol.ts
TypeScript
// enrol a weather station on the grid const node = await grid.enrol({ role: "weather-environment", evidence: await tpm.quote(), describe: { standard: "WIGOS", sensors }, time: { source: "ptp", profile: "G.8275.1" }, }); // UNENROLLED → DISCOVERED → ATTESTING → … node.on("state", (s) => log(s)); await node.observe(stream); XITowards the future
What runs today, what comes next and the frontier the architecture is built to absorb. Everything beyond today is marked planned.
Now
In a reference environment the protocol’s core runs complete: admission, enrolment, signed plans, fleet state, disconnect and replay, correction.
Next · planned
The reference moves onto real sites: hardware attestation, field qualification of providers, the opening sites.
Frontier · planned
The frontier the architecture is designed to absorb, entry by entry, as each is qualified for the field.
—Begin
Start on the open protocol and the atlas today. When you are ready to deploy, we design, build and run it with you.
Create accountTalk to usRead the protocolSatellites, radars, towers, buoys, seismometers and fibre already measure the Earth, each on its own clock, format and terms. The Observatory Protocol gives every instrument one way to join, attest, keep time and publish what it sees. Open, and stewarded by the Nexus Consortium. Designed, deployed and run by Nexus Observatory.
Open specification, open change process, open to any implementer. Nexus Observatory Inc. supports the protocol and builds enterprise systems on it.
Reference designs at true dimensions: lattice towers, edge modules, radars, domes, dishes, floats. Every part is named for what it does. Hover a part; drag to turn.
Where a 30 m mast can see, where water will run, when the next pass images the valley. Interactive explainers on real elevation, from hillshade to a GeoAI detector.
An observatory fails if any one of these fails: wrong science, fragile engineering, lost trust. We design all seven together, not one after another.
Sensors drift, firmware ages, spectrum rules change and the frontier keeps moving. A site is never finished. We carry it through every stage, and bring an upgrade from the frontier only once it is qualified for the field.
Grid, software, hardware, sensors, connectivity, edge AI, Earth observation, field services and data: each line has its own site and team, all nine run on one protocol and one grid.
The protocol, the atlas, the grid and the methods are public. Fork them, test them, contribute back. Contributors keep their rights. What is open, and on what terms
// enrol a weather station on the grid const node = await grid.enrol({ role: "weather-environment", evidence: await tpm.quote(), describe: { standard: "WIGOS", sensors }, time: { source: "ptp", profile: "G.8275.1" }, }); // UNENROLLED → DISCOVERED → ATTESTING → … node.on("state", (s) => log(s)); await node.observe(stream);
What runs today, what comes next and the frontier the architecture is built to absorb. Everything beyond today is marked planned.
Start on the open protocol and the atlas today. When you are ready to deploy, we design, build and run it with you.
Global Privacy Control detected. We have honored it as your request to opt out of the sale and sharing of your personal information and of targeted advertising.Signal Global Privacy Control détecté. Nous l'avons respecté comme une demande d'opposition à la vente et à la communication de vos renseignements personnels ainsi qu'à la publicité ciblée.
Cookie policyPolitique relative aux témoins Privacy policyPolitique de confidentialité Do Not Sell or Share My Personal InformationNe pas vendre ni communiquer mes renseignements personnels
Your browser sent a Global Privacy Control signal. We treat it as a refusal for the purposes marked below, and those switches stay off.Votre navigateur a envoyé un signal Global Privacy Control. Nous le traitons comme un refus pour les finalités indiquées ci-dessous, et ces interrupteurs restent désactivés.
Needed for the site to work, to keep you signed in, to protect it from attacks and to remember your privacy choices and the settings you pick. Always on.Nécessaires au fonctionnement du site, pour vous garder connecté, le protéger contre les attaques et retenir vos choix de confidentialité et les réglages que vous choisissez. Toujours actifs.
Remember optional settings beyond the ones you pick yourself. Off until you allow it.Retenir des réglages facultatifs autres que ceux que vous choisissez vous-même. Désactivés tant que vous ne les autorisez pas.
Count visits and see how pages are used, so we can improve the site. Off until you allow it.Compter les visites et voir comment les pages sont utilisées, afin d'améliorer le site. Désactivés tant que vous ne les autorisez pas.
Show videos, maps and live data layers from other providers. They receive your IP address and may set their own cookies. Off until you allow it, or load a single item once.Afficher des vidéos, des cartes et des couches de données en direct d'autres fournisseurs. Ceux-ci reçoivent votre adresse IP et peuvent déposer leurs propres témoins. Désactivés tant que vous ne les autorisez pas, ou chargez un seul élément une fois.
Measure campaigns and personalise advertising. We use none today. Off until you allow it, and refused when your browser sends Global Privacy Control.Mesurer les campagnes et personnaliser la publicité. Nous n'en utilisons aucun actuellement. Désactivés tant que vous ne les autorisez pas, et refusés lorsque votre navigateur transmet le signal Global Privacy Control.
Nexus Observatory Inc. keeps a record of each choice as proof: a random consent ID, the time, your region and the rules applied, the choices, the notice shown, the page, a shortened IP address, a one-way code of your browser type and, if you are signed in, your account. Records are kept while your choice applies and for 3 years after, then deleted.Nexus Observatory Inc. conserve un registre de chaque choix à titre de preuve : un identifiant de consentement aléatoire, l'heure, votre région et les règles appliquées, les choix, l'avis affiché, la page, une adresse IP abrégée, un code à sens unique du type de navigateur et, si vous êtes connecté, votre compte. Les registres sont conservés tant que votre choix s'applique et pendant 3 ans par la suite, puis supprimés.