Ap in real time : IUGG- Sapporo, Japan, July 2003 : session GAV.02

The 3-hourly planetary indices Kp and ap and the daily planetary index, Ap, which are derived by GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ), Potsdam, on behalf of the International Service of Geomagnetic Indices (ISGI), are made available twice per month. This time delay is inevitable because of the need for a high quality homogenous data set. However, the process may not be sufficiently responsive to the needs of the space weather community, in particular forecasters, where small discrepancies in the data are usually less important than their timely availability. An automated algorithm has been developed by the British Geological Survey (BGS) to derive real-time estimates of the ap and Ap indices, called apest and Ap respectively. These are available on-line at www.bgs.ac.uk/gifs/apindex.html. The derivation process of these est indices is described, which has been designed to match that of the definitive indices as closely as possible. A comparison between the BGS values of ap , Ap and the corresponding definitive values is presented. Modifications to the derivation est est process are still on-going, taking advantage of the advances made by the INTERMAGNET programme in data delivery. The ultimate goal is for GFZ to take over the responsibility for derivation and delivery of the real time indices, which could be considered quick-look or provisional values

Ap in real time

The 3-hourly planetary indices Kp and ap and the daily planetary index, Ap, which are derived by GeoForschungsZentrum (GFZ), Potsdam, on behalf of the International Service of Geomagnetic Indices (ISGI), are made available twice per month. This delay is inevitable because of the need for a high quality homogenous data set. However, the process may not be sufficiently responsive to the needs of the space weather community, in particular forecasters, where small discrepancies in the data are usually less important than their timely availability. An automated algorithm has been developed by the British Geological Survey (BGS) to derive real-time estimates of the ap and Ap indices, called ap(est) and Ap(est) respectively. These are available on-line at www.geomag.bgs.ac.uk/gifs/apindex.html. The derivation process of these indices is described and has been designed to match that of the definitive indices as closely as possible. A comparison between BGS ap , Ap and the corresponding definitive values est est time is presented. Modifications to the derivation process are still ongoing and will take advantage of the advances made by the INTERMAGNET program in data delivery. Ultimately GFZ will assume responsibility for derivation and delivery of the real time indices, which could be considered quick-look or provisional values. Real time Ap and the related estimated Kp index may find use in various ESA space weather pilot projects, for example, in atmospheric drag models and in nowcasting and forecasting of the electron content of the ionosphere for satellite navigation purposes

New geomagnetic field observations in the South Atlantic Anomaly region

Three new geomagnetic observatories have been established recently around the South Atlantic geomagnetic<br />Anomaly by GeoForschungsZentrum Potsdam(GFZ), Germany, in collaboration with other institutions. In Bolivia,<br />the collaboration is with Universidad Mayor de San Andres, LaPaz, while Hermanus Magnetic Observatory<br />(HMO) in South Africa has assisted with a new observatory in Namibia. The third observatory was set up<br />on the island of St. Helena with logistical support from the IDA seismological network, University of California<br />at San Diego, USA. All these observatories are operated remotely with a minimum amount of building infrastructure<br />and without permanent staff. People living nearby have been trained to carry out the required absolute<br />measurements for a few hours per week. In this paper we report on our experiences, challenges and solutions<br />in setting up nearly automated observatories in remote locations in order to obtain high quality geomagnetic<br />data. These new data, complemented by annual repeat station surveys in southern Africa, will provide valuable<br />geomagnetic field information on the South Atlantic Anomaly changes in this area of extremely rapid decrease<br />of field intensity

Improvements in geomagnetic observatory data quality

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