Open AccessDevelopment of the Beidou Ionospheric Observation Network in China for space weather monitoring
Author(s) -
Hu Lianhuan,
Yue Xinan,
Ning Baiqi
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
space weather
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.254
H-Index - 56
ISSN - 1542-7390
DOI - 10.1002/2017sw001636
Subject(s) - gnss applications , geosynchronous orbit , ionosphere , remote sensing , satellite , satellite system , beidou navigation satellite system , orbit determination , space weather , medium earth orbit , satellite navigation , meteorology , geodesy , environmental science , global positioning system , geography , computer science , geology , telecommunications , geophysics , aerospace engineering , engineering
The Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) beacon has been widely used in ionospheric monitoring. The Chinese Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) started to operate in 2012, with three kinds of constellations: the medium Earth orbit, the inclined geosynchronous satellite orbit, and the geosynchronous Earth orbit. A compact, portable, and low‐power GNSS observation instrument which is named BG2 GNSS ionospheric monitor was developed at the Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. It is capable of tracking BDS, Global Positing System, and Global Navigation Satellite System signals with a sampling rate up to 5 Hz. To use the unique BDS GEO signals for ionospheric monitoring, the Beidou Ionospheric Observation Network (BION) utilizing the BG2 GNSS ionospheric monitor was established recently in China with a total of 30 sites. This paper describes the development of the GNSS ionospheric monitor, the construction of the network, data processing, and preliminary scientific research. As demonstrated in the following paper, the BDS GEO total electron content data have shown unique value in some specific ionospheric studies due to the fact that it is not influenced by the mixed effect of spatial and temporal ionospheric variability as observed with other GNSS signals.