Speaker
Description
The ionosphere is a significant error source in radio communication and modern GNSS satellite navigation. Variations in electron density, especially during the geomagnetic storm, can lead to signal distortion, fading, and transmission delays. Therefore, accurately predicting and forecasting ionospheric conditions is essential for mitigating these effects, which requires the use of advanced ionospheric models. Recent advancements in modeling techniques and satellite missions have significantly enhanced our understanding of the near-Earth space environment, leading to more accurate global ionospheric models. The NASA Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC) hosts a variety of state-of-the-art ionospheric models developed by the aeronomy community, offering valuable resources for researchers and practitioners. At CCMC, we have initiated a model validation campaign to assess the model performance during geomagnetic storms across solar cycles 23 to 25. This study focuses on the 10-12 May 2024 Gannon storm event, assessing various ionospheric models, including empirical, physics-based, and data assimilation models hosted by CCMC, National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, and National Cheng Kung University. Model validation is conducted using GNSS single-frequency precise point positioning (PPP). The use of the GNSS single-frequency PPP enables an assessment of the practical effectiveness of the ionospheric models developed by the aeronomy community. This study aims to present a novel approach to model validation through application-based methods.
