Development of a software to investigate the tropical ionosphere using the data from digital ionosonde and GPS measured total electron content

• Grant number: 16/22634-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: August 01, 2017
• End date: January 31, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geophysics
• Principal Investigator: Valdir Gil Pillat
• Grantee: Valdir Gil Pillat
• Host Institution: Instituto de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento (IP&D). Universidade do Vale do Paraíba (UNIVAP). São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Michael Pezzopane
• Associated scholarship(s): 17/21741-0 - Computational tool development using GPS total electron content data, BP.TT

Abstract

With the improvement of digital technologies, the scientific instruments are capable of processing more information in a less time. The objective of this job is to support in the data analysis obtained by two instruments used in the study of the ionosphere namely, digital ionosondes and GPS-TEC by developing a new software. The ionosondes are instruments of radio frequency that operate in the range of 1 to 20-30 MHz. The radio signal is transmitted which travel through atmosphere to reach the region where the ionospheric plasma critical frequency is equal or higher than the transmitted signal frequency. At this altitude, the signal is returned and detected by reception antennas. This process repeats for many frequencies and obtains a spectrum of frequency by virtual height, called ionogram. The ionosondes obtain an ionogram at each 5 minutes. The other instrument is the GPS-TEC that uses the technique of differential delay of the frequencies L1 and L2 of GPS to derive the Total Eletronic Content (TEC), with a temporal resolution of 1 minute. The GPS-TEC and ionosondes operate 24h per day. These instruments generate a large quantity of data that need be processed to investigate the day-to-day variability of the ionosphere. One of the objectives of this project is to implement computer tools to support the processing of this data of automatic way to some cases as in the identification of ionospheric parameters in the ionograms and in the generation of maps of distribution of TEC for one station or for the whole Brazilian territory. These tools will help in the study of the dynamic of ionosphere during geomagnetic quiet and disturbed conditions. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

FONTES, PEDRO ALVES; MUELLA, MARCIO TADEU DE ASSIS HONORATO; RESENDE, LAYSA CRISTINA ARAUJO; ANDRIOLI, VANIA FATIMA; FAGUNDES, PAULO ROBERTO; PILLAT, VALDIR GIL; BATISTA, PAULO PRADO; CARRASCO, ALEXANDER JOSE. Effects of the terdiurnal tide on the sporadic E (E-s) layer development at low latitudes over the Brazilian sector. Annales Geophysicae, v. 41, n. 1, p. 16-pg., 2023-04-21. (19/19225-9, 16/22634-0)

FAGUNDES, PR.; TSALI-BROWN, VY.; PILLAT, VG.; ARCANJO, MO.; VENKATESH, K.; HABARULEMA, JB.; BOLZAN, M. J. A.; DE JESUS, R.; DE ABREU, A. J.; TARDELLI, A.; et al. Ionospheric storm due to solar Coronal mass ejection in September 2017 over the Brazilian and African longitudes. Advances in Space Research, v. 71, n. 1, p. 21-pg., 2022-12-17. (18/10679-4, 19/09361-2, 16/22634-0)