Characterization of GPS total electron content (GPS-TEC) in Antarctica from 2004 to 2011

The vertical total electron content (VTEC) obtained from 2004 to 2011 at Comandante Ferraz Brazilian Antarctic Station (62.1°S, 58.4°W) is analyzed to study the mean diurnal, seasonal and annual variations. The maximum daytime VTEC had an annual variation that decreased from 2004 to 2008, and then starting to increase in 2009, which followed the variation of the solar activity. The daily VTEC shows good linear correlation with solar radiation intensity, which is also dependent on the solar zenithal angle. The mean diurnal VTEC shows a semiannual variation, with larger peaks in equinoxes for all years; no winter anomaly was observed, and in summer, there was no clear diurnal variation. The semiannual variation of the VTEC is also modulated by solar activity, with larger VTEC peaks when the solar activity was higher.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Una herramienta cartográfica digital basada en XML para la ciudad de La Plata

El trabajo presenta una aplicación específica desarrollada a partir la integración de dos herramientas informáticas: Google Maps y un lenguaje de programación de alto nivel, en nuestro caso Octave. La API de Google Maps en Javascript permite la construcción de objetos espaciales. Integrando el mismo con algoritmos originales que resuelvan la geocodificación de las calles de La Plata y el manejo de una base de datos es posible brindar un servicio de localización. El ejemplo que se presenta es el de la localización de las farmacias más cercanas a un cierto domicilio. Se le pide a los usuarios que ingresen su dirección; con estos datos le son devueltas las tres farmacias de turno más cercanas. El código resulta fácilmente adaptable a otro tipo de requerimientos: estaciones de servicio, restaurantes, etcétera siendo su única limitación que la geocodificación está desarrollada para la ciudad de La Plata.This paper presents a specific application developed by the integration of two tools: Google Maps and a high level programming language: Octave. The Google Maps API in Javascript allows the construction of space objects. This language integrated with algorithms that solve the original geocoding of the streets of La Plata and management of a database can provide a service location. The example presented is the location of the nearest pharmacies to a certain address. Users are prompted to enter their address and the system returns the three closest pharmacies.The code is easily adaptable to other types of requirements: gas stations, restaurants, etc.; its only limitation is that the geocoding is developed for the city of La Plata.Fil: Kreimer, Nadia. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; ArgentinaFil: Gende, Mauricio Alfredo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; Argentin

Characterization of GPS total electron content (GPS-TEC) in Antarctica from 2004 to 2011

The vertical total electron content (VTEC) obtained from 2004 to 2011 at Comandante Ferraz Brazilian Antarctic Station (62.1°S, 58.4°W) is analyzed to study the mean diurnal, seasonal and annual variations. The maximum daytime VTEC had an annual variation that decreased from 2004 to 2008, and then starting to increase in 2009, which followed the variation of the solar activity. The daily VTEC shows good linear correlation with solar radiation intensity, which is also dependent on the solar zenithal angle. The mean diurnal VTEC shows a semiannual variation, with larger peaks in equinoxes for all years; no winter anomaly was observed, and in summer, there was no clear diurnal variation. The semiannual variation of the VTEC is also modulated by solar activity, with larger VTEC peaks when the solar activity was higher.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Una herramienta cartográfica digital basada en XML para la ciudad de La Plata

El trabajo presenta una aplicación específica desarrollada a partir la integración de dos herramientas informáticas: Google Maps y un lenguaje de programación de alto nivel, en nuestro caso Octave. La API de Google Maps en Javascript permite la construcción de objetos espaciales. Integrando el mismo con algoritmos originales que resuelvan la geocodificación de las calles de La Plata y el manejo de una base de datos es posible brindar un servicio de localización. El ejemplo que se presenta es el de la localización de las farmacias más cercanas a un cierto domicilio. Se le pide a los usuarios que ingresen su dirección; con estos datos le son devueltas las tres farmacias de tumo más cercanas. El código resulta fácilmente adaptable a otro tipo de requerimientos: estaciones de servicio, restaurantes, etcétera siendo su única limitación que la geocodificación está desarrollada para la ciudad de La Plata.This paper presents a specific application developed by the integration of two tools: Google Maps and a high level programming language: Octave. The Google Maps API in Javascript allows the construction of space objects. This language integrated with algorithms that solve the original geocoding of the streets of La Plata and management of a database can provide a service location. The example presented is the location of the nearest pharmacies to a certain address. Users are prompted to enter their address and the system returns the three closest pharmacies. The code is easily adaptable to other types of requirements: gas stations, restaurants, etc.; its only limitation is that the geocoding is developed for the city of La Plata.Asociación Argentina de Geofísicos y Geodesta

Posicionamiento diferencial mediante el uso de navegadores satelitales

El Sistema de Posicionamiento Global posee una gran variedad de usos, que van desde la determinación de movimientos tectónicos, que requiere exactitudes milimétricas, hasta la navegación recreativa, caso en que algunos metros de error en la posición resulta aceptable. Los costos del equipamiento están relacionados en forma directa con la exactitud requerida; como consecuencia de esto los trabajos geodésicos requieren receptores aproximadamente cien veces más caros que un navegador. Presentaremos aquí un trabajo que muestra como es posible mejorar en al menos un orden de magnitud las exactitudes de las coordenadas que usualmente provee un navegador, utilizando técnicas clásicas de posicionamiento diferencial. Se examinan diferentes casos donde se muestra como es posible obtener exactitudes entre pocos decímetros y el metro. Los casos analizados involucran distintas longitudes de base y distintos lapsos de tiempo de observación. De esta manera se estima el valor óptimo de tiempo de observación en función de la distancia, así como el límite de la exactitud que se puede alcanzar en cada caso. Finalmente se muestra que, si bien la alternativa que se presenta no puede reemplazar a los receptores geodésicos para trabajos de alta precisión, puede sin embargo ser muy útil cuando se requieran exactitudes decimétricas; siendo su atractivo principal el bajo costo del instrumental requerido.The Global Positioning System is used for a great variety of applications, from crustal movement estimation where sub-centimeter accuracy is required, to recreational navigation where errors of several meters are acceptable. The equipment cost is directly related to the required accuracy; hence receivers for geodetic applications are approximately one hundred times more expensive than those for navigation purposes. In this paper we show the possibility to improve the accuracy provided by a hand-held GPS receiver by using the well-known differential positioning technique. We analyze the results of a series of experiments involving different baseline lengths as well as several measurement intervals. This allows for the estimation of an optimum relationship between measurement interval and baseline length. The obtained accuracies range from few decimeters to one meter. We finally show that, though the presented alternative cannot replace the geodetic receivers for high precision requirements, it can nonetheless be quite useful when decimeter-level accuracies are required. Its main attraction is the low cost of the equipment needed.Material digitalizado en SEDICI gracias a la colaboración de la Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas (UNLP).Asociación Argentina de Geofísicos y Geodesta

Interpretation of the tropospheric gradients estimated with GPS during the hurricane Harvey

During the last decade Global Positioning System (GPS) Continuous Operating Reference Stations networks have become a new important data source for meteorology. This has dramatically improved the ability to remotely sense the atmosphere under the influence of severe mesoscale and synoptic systems. The zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) is one of the atmospheric variables continuously observed, and its horizontal variations, the horizontal tropospheric gradients, are routinely computed nowadays within the dual-frequency GPS processing, but their interpretation and relationship with the weather is still an open question. The purpose of this paper is to contribute in this direction by studying the effect that Hurricane Harvey had on the spatial and temporal behavior of the ZTDs and gradients, when it reached Texas coast, during 18–31 August 2017. The results show that ZTD time series present a clear and rapid increase larger than 10 cm in a few hours when the hurricane reached the area. Gradients behaviors show that the hurricane also produced significant changes on them, since the magnitude and predominant directions before and after the hurricane arrived are completely different. Noticeably, the gradient vectors before the landing are consistently related to the horizontal winds and pressure fields. In this manuscript we demonstrate that the ZTD gradients can show a consistent signature under severe weather events, strongly suggesting their potential application for short-term weather forecasting.Fil: Graffigna, Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; ArgentinaFil: Hernández Pajares, Manuel. Universidad Politécnica de Catalunya; EspañaFil: Gende, Mauricio Alfredo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Azpilicueta, Francisco Javier. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Antico, Pablo Luis. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentin

SiGOG: simulated GPS observation generator

For many applications, access to unbiased or error-controlled global positioning system (GPS) observations can be very useful. This paper is devoted to the description of simulated GPS observations generator (SiGOG), a software that simulates GPS observations. It presents the results of tests of SiGOG accuracy using GPS processing software, and demonstrates its successful performance as a differential GPS (DGPS) correction provider.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Ionospheric response to the 2009 sudden stratospheric warming over the equatorial, low, and middle latitudes in the South American sector

The present study investigates the ionospheric total electron content (TEC) and F-layer response in the Southern Hemisphere equatorial, low, and middle latitudes due to major sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) event, which took place during January-February 2009 in the Northern Hemisphere. In this study, using 17 ground-based dual frequency GPS stations and two ionosonde stations spanning latitudes from 2.8°N to 53.8°S, longitudes from 36.7°W to 67.8°W over the South American sector, it is observed that the ionosphere was significantly disturbed by the SSW event from the equator to the midlatitudes. During day of year 26 and 27 at 14:00 UT, the TEC was two times larger than that observed during average quiet days. The vertical TEC at all 17 GPS and two ionosonde stations shows significant deviations lasting for several days after the SSW temperature peak. Using one GPS station located at Rio Grande (53.8°S, 67.8°W, midlatitude South America sector), it is reported for the first time that the midlatitude in the Southern Hemisphere was disturbed by the SSW event in the Northern Hemisphere.Fil: Fagundes, P. R.. Universidade do Vale do Paraíba; BrasilFil: Goncharenko, L. P.. Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Estados UnidosFil: De Abreu, A. J.. Universidade do Vale do Paraíba; BrasilFil: Venkatesh, K.. Universidade do Vale do Paraíba; BrasilFil: Pezzopane, M.. Istituto Nazionale Di Geofisica E Vulcanologia; ItaliaFil: De Jesus, R.. Universidade do Vale do Paraíba; BrasilFil: Gende, Mauricio Alfredo. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Coster, A. J.. Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Estados UnidosFil: Pillat, V. G.. Universidade do Vale do Paraíba; Brasi

Interpretation of the Tropospheric Gradients Estimated With GPS During Hurricane Harvey

During the last decade Global Positioning System (GPS) Continuous Operating Reference Stations networks have become a new important data source for meteorology. This has dramatically improved the ability to remotely sense the atmosphere under the influence of severe mesoscale and synoptic systems. The zenith tropospheric delay (ZTD) is one of the atmospheric variables continuously observed, and its horizontal variations, the horizontal tropospheric gradients, are routinely computed nowadays within the dual-frequency GPS processing, but their interpretation and relationship with the weather is still an open question. The purpose of this paper is to contribute in this direction by studying the effect that Hurricane Harvey had on the spatial and temporal behavior of the ZTDs and gradients, when it reached Texas coast, during 18–31 August 2017. The results show that ZTD time series present a clear and rapid increase larger than 10 cm in a few hours when the hurricane reached the area. Gradients behaviors show that the hurricane also produced significant changes on them, since the magnitude and predominant directions before and after the hurricane arrived are completely different. Noticeably, the gradient vectors before the landing are consistently related to the horizontal winds and pressure fields. In this manuscript we demonstrate that the ZTD gradients can show a consistent signature under severe weather events, strongly suggesting their potential application for short-term weather forecasting.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Efectos de carga estudiados a partir de la técnica GNSS

Esta presentación se centrará en el efecto de desplazamiento geométrico que producen las cargas de agua dulce sobre la corteza terrestre cuando se las observa con la técnica GNSS.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica