Regional GPS receiver networks for monitoring local mid-latitude total electron content

Abstract

Two regional GPS receiver networks from the Ordnance Survey U.K.(OS)and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) have been used for monitoring mid-latitude Total Electron Content (TEC)during quiet and disturbed ionospheric conditions in the current solar cycle.A few quiet and disturbed days in March and April 2002 were examined. These showed how the temporal and spatial patterns of changes develop and how they are related to solar and geomagnetic activity for parameter descriptive of plasmaspheric-ionospheric ionisation.Use is then made of computer contouring techniques to produce snapshots of daily maps of TEC for these different regional areas.

Keywords

• regional ionospheric modelling
• ionospheric variability
• ionospheric storm
• Total Electron Content (TEC)