The project proposes the creation of a system for the identification and warning of ionospheric disturbances that propagate in the form of waves (TIDs) using advanced modeling techniques. TIDs constitute a threat for operational systems using predictable ionospheric characteristics. It is clearly demonstrated that TIDs can have multiple effects in the operation of aerospatial and ground-based infrastructures, in High Frequency (HF) communications, in radio reconnaissance operations and in Very High Frequency – Ultra High Frequency (VHF-UHF) radiowave propagation.
The overarching objective of TechTIDE is to design and test new viable TID impact mitigation strategies for the technologies affected by the TIDs and in close collaboration with operators of these technologies, to demonstrate the added value of the proposed mitigation techniques which are based on TechTIDE products. To achieve this main goal, it is necessary to address the following specific objectives:
- Improve understanding regarding the physical processes resulting in the formation of TIDs, and consequently to identify the drivers in the interplanetary medium, the magnetosphere and the atmosphere.
- Identify the impact of the TIDs on the space based navigation systems (mainly EGNOS services and N-RTK) and on ground-based HF communication and geolocation systems.
- Develop improved methodologies, based on consortium partners’ algorithms, suitable to support for the first time the direct, real-time identification and tracking of TIDs over wide world regions.
- Establish an operational system to issue warnings of the occurrence of TIDs over the region extending from Europe to South Africa, to estimate the parameters that specify the TID characteristics and the inferred perturbation, and provide all additional geophysical information to the users to help them assess the risks and to develop mitigation techniques, tailored to their applications.
- Work systematically with potential users to assess the functionality, reliability and efficiency of the TechTIDE services paving the way to its systematic exploitation from users and to its sustainable operation.
The results of this project will satisfy one of the demands of the awareness program on the vulnerability of today's society in front of the Space Weather regarding the identification and monitoring of ionospheric disturbances.
The proposal has been evaluated with the highest rating. It has a duration of two and a half years and has started on 1st November 2017. It is formed by a consortium of 13 participants from all over Europe and South Africa and two external collaborators from the United States. The Ebro Observatory leads one of the work packages: "Methodologies for the identification of the TIDs", which is dedicated to the preparation and delivery of the algorithms for the identification of TIDs and the resulting products for implementation in the system of TechTIDE alert.
For more information you can visit the main page of the TechTIDE project (http://www.tech-tide.eu/), the information leaflet and the trimester newsletter. You may also follow us in Twitter @Tech_TIDE.
