Monitoring and Forecasting the Ionosphere Over Europe: The DIAS Project

Knowledge of the state of the upper atmosphere, and in particular its ionospheric part, is very important in several applications affected by space weather, especially the communications and navigation systems that rely on radio transmission. To better classify the ionosphere and forecast its disturbances over Europe, a data collection endeavour called the European Digital Upper Atmosphere Server (DIAS) was initiated in 2004 by a consortium formed around several European ionospheric stations that transmit in real-time ionospheric parameters automatically scaled. The DIAS project is a collaborative venture of eight institutions funded by the European Commission eContent Programme. The project seeks to improve access to digital information collected by public European institutes and to expand its use. The main objective of the DIAS project is to develop a pan-European digital data collection describing the state of the upper atmosphere, based on real-time information and historical data collections provided by most of the operating ionospheric stations in Europe. Various groups of users require data specifying upper atmospheric conditions over Europe for nowcasting and forecasting purposes. The DIAS system is designed to distribute such information. The successful operation of DIAS is based on the effective use of observational data in operational applications through the development of new added-value ionospheric products and services that best fit the needs of the market. DIAS is a unique European system, and its continuous operation will efficiently support radio propagation services with the most reliable information. DIAS began providing services to users in August 2006. The Need for Accurate Ionospheric Products Radio frequency communications and satellite positioning and navigation systems are applications most affected by ionospheric disturbances. Such disturbances can cause drastic and large-scale changes in the usable ranges of high frequency (HF) or below HF bands affecting standard ground-to-ground and submarine communication systems. The characteristics of an ionospheric propagation channel, whether it is HF or transionospheric frequencies, are highly variable on timescales ranging from a few seconds to the 11-year solar cycle. Even during its quietest periods, the Sun produces electromagnetic radiation and solar wind, both of which can affect a variety of geomagnetic and ionospheric phenomena, which in turn affect radio waves propagating through the ionosphere. Hence day-to-day and hour-to-hour changes in propagation channel characteristics can occur.