Abstract The Plate Boundary Observatory (PBO) transformed the use of geodesy in North America to study crustal deformation and plate boundary processes by establishing a continental‐scale, standardized, open‐access geodetic network. Built and operated by UNAVCO between 2003 and 2018 as part of the National Science Foundation (NSF)‐funded EarthScope program, the PBO included the construction of nearly 900 new, permanent Global Positioning System (GPS) stations, a network of 74 borehole strainmeters and 78 borehole seismometers, and five long‐baseline laser strainmeters, while incorporating more than 200 legacy GPS sites, with the goal of better defining crustal deformation along western North America. As former PBO Directors and managers involved in the planning and execution of this project, we believe its success stemmed from deliberate program management, a rigorous siting and permitting strategy, standardized station designs, and disciplined oversight that coordinated thousands of distributed tasks. Dual analysis centers and mirrored data archives ensured reliable and rapid data delivery. An accompanying Education and Outreach program at UNAVCO expanded impact through educator resources, exhibits, and workforce training. Together, these elements democratized access to precise Earth observations and enabled discoveries spanning plate‐boundary deformation, transient slip, magmatic and hydrologic processes, and real‐time hazard applications. The PBO project's infrastructure, along with open‐access data policies and community‐defined and vetted data products, endure today within the Network of the Americas as part of the NSF National Geophysical Facility operated by EarthScope Consortium. The network provides enhanced observational capability, supporting new scientific discoveries as well as novel and unforeseen applications.
Zawacki et al. (2026) studied this question.