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A comparison between the automatic ionogram scaling system ARTIST and the standard manual method
Author(s) -
Gilbert John D.,
Smith Richard W.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
radio science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1944-799X
pISSN - 0048-6604
DOI - 10.1029/rs023i006p00968
Subject(s) - ionogram , computer science , observatory , ionospheric propagation , interference (communication) , meteorology , telecommunications , remote sensing , ionosphere , geology , geography , physics , plasma , geophysics , electron density , quantum mechanics , channel (broadcasting) , astrophysics
For the first time, data from mid‐latitude ionograms as scaled by the computer system ARTIST and by the standard manual method have been compared comprehensively. Differences between these scaled values for f 0 F 2 and M(3000) F 2 , are presented for five periods between 1984 and 1986, a time of low sunspot activity. These two parameters were studied, as they are most important for high‐frequency radio communications. The comparisons reveal that, on average, ARTIST provides acceptable data for about 93% of the time. ARTIST is shown to perform less well during the summer, mainly because of the presence of blanketing‐type E s and the proximity of f 0 F 2 to f 0 F 1 . Severe broadcast station interference is another source of major error. On the basis of these comparisons, ARTIST provides a most valuable service in producing real‐time data which can be made available to the radio community by means of a dial‐in facility. The other parameters scaled by ARTIST have also been studied, but in far less detail, and no statistics were undertaken. However, these limited comparisons seem sufficient to show serious limitations in ARTIST performance, due mainly to the absence of any accuracy qualification. Such limitations are likely to preclude, in the foreseeable future, ARTIST replacement of manual scaling for the data published in monthly bulletins by Slough, United Kingdom ionospheric observatory.