The CDDIS was established in 1982 as a dedicated data bank to archive and distribute space geodesy related data sets. Today, the CDDIS archives and distributes mainly Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, currently Global Positioning System GPS and GLObal NAvigation Satellite System GLONASS), laser ranging (both to artificial satellites, SLR, and lunar, LLR), Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI), and Doppler Orbitography and Radio-positioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS) data for an ever increasing user community of geophysists.

The Earth as a whole responses to external forces as an elastic body. Putting additional mass on the Earth's surface causes crust deformation. Changes of loading mass result in variable displacements of Earth's surface.