Is this project an undergraduate, graduate, or faculty project?
Undergraduate
Project Type
group
Campus
Daytona Beach
Authors' Class Standing
Daniel Koshy, Sophomore Nicolas Gachancipa, Senior Sydney Steele, Senior Chintan Thakrar, Senior
Lead Presenter's Name
Daniel Koshy
Faculty Mentor Name
Kshitija Deshpande
Abstract
The Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) has a wide variety of applications in today’s world, spanning multiple diverse industries. GNSS aids in providing data related to tracking and navigation. This network of vital information requires support, maintenance, and security. Several factors, such as space weather, are thought to have an impact on signals received from GNSS. This project is an ERAU Space Physics Research Lab (SPRL) initiative to better understand the effect that thunderstorms can have on these communications. The project will concentrate on mid-latitude regions within the ionosphere and analyze variables such as total electron content (TEC) in locating fluctuations of radio signals concurrent with thunderstorm periods in Daytona Beach. These fluctuations are also commonly known as ionospheric scintillation. The project builds upon the work of SPRL students from 2018 that utilized ERAU receivers to begin finding unique events of this phenomenon through various algorithms. The 2021 project will look to expand the task by finding and understanding more noteworthy events using recent developments such as the Embry-Riddle Ionospheric Scintillation Algorithm (EISA), with the added challenge of pinpointing lightning data in conjunction with scintillation appearances.
Did this research project receive funding support (Spark, SURF, Research Abroad, Student Internal Grants, Collaborative, Climbing, or Ignite Grants) from the Office of Undergraduate Research?
Yes, Ignite Grant
Investigation into GNSS Ionospheric Scintillation from Thunderstorms in Daytona Beach, FL
The Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) has a wide variety of applications in today’s world, spanning multiple diverse industries. GNSS aids in providing data related to tracking and navigation. This network of vital information requires support, maintenance, and security. Several factors, such as space weather, are thought to have an impact on signals received from GNSS. This project is an ERAU Space Physics Research Lab (SPRL) initiative to better understand the effect that thunderstorms can have on these communications. The project will concentrate on mid-latitude regions within the ionosphere and analyze variables such as total electron content (TEC) in locating fluctuations of radio signals concurrent with thunderstorm periods in Daytona Beach. These fluctuations are also commonly known as ionospheric scintillation. The project builds upon the work of SPRL students from 2018 that utilized ERAU receivers to begin finding unique events of this phenomenon through various algorithms. The 2021 project will look to expand the task by finding and understanding more noteworthy events using recent developments such as the Embry-Riddle Ionospheric Scintillation Algorithm (EISA), with the added challenge of pinpointing lightning data in conjunction with scintillation appearances.