The need for more reliable and efficient
communications services, especially those involving ionospheric HF communications and
navigational systems, imposes increasing demand for a better knowledge of the effects imposed by the Earth’s upper atmosphere and
ways to mitigate disturbing effects. Temporal
and spatial changes in the upper atmosphere act to limit and degrade the performance of terrestrial and Earth-space radio systems in many different ways and this is why mitigation activities must involve several topics like ionospheric monitoring and modeling, development of new hardware for communication systems and new propagation simulator, measurements and modeling
of ionospheric Total Electron Content
(TEC) and ionospheric scintillations, using in particular the Global Positioning System
(GPS). The European ionospheric community
has long been aware that cooperation research
on an international basis is essential to deal with such complex issues. In particular, international cooperation is required for the collection of data, in both the real-time and in retrospective
modes, the development and verification of
new methods to improve the performance of
both operational and future terrestrial and
Earth-space communication systems and the
exchange of expertise on space plasma effects
on Global Navigation Satellite Systems
(GNSS).
In this context the COST 296 Action
MIERS on the «Mitigation of Ionospheric Effects on Radio Systems» has made a significant impact in a number of areas
