Automatic Data Downloading Program (DDP) in Determining Regional Ionosphere Model

Authors : Fuat Başçiftçi, Cevat Inal, Ömer Yildirim, Sercan Bülbül

Pages : 17-28

View : 18 | Download : 8

Publication Date : 2018-04-20

Article Type : Research

Abstract :GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) signals pass through various layers of the atmosphere until they reach the receiver on the Earth. One of these layers is the Ionosphere. Ionosphere may be defined as the atmospheric layer that consists of the gasses that are ionized with sunrays located 60 and 1100 km above the ground level with important effects on the signals used by satellite-based positioning, short-wave communication, and other communication systems. One of the important parameters that express the characteristics of the Ionosphere is the Total Electron Content (TEC), which is a function of the electron density that shows variations with the radiation of the Sun. The TEC value cannot be obtained directly from GNSS measurements; however, it may be predicted with the combinations produced. In the scope of the present study, the Bernese v5.2 GNSS scientific Software that was developed by the Swiss Bern University Astronomy Institute (AIUB) was used in the determination of the TEC values for the Regional Ionosphere model. Before the stage in which the TEC values are determined with the Bernese v5.2 GNSS Software, some files must be downloaded from the Internet in the Bernese format according to GPS day/week and year/the day of year values and copies to the DATAPOOL folder, which is created with the use of the software. For this purpose, it has been ensured that the files in the Bernese format are obtained from the relevant Internet addresses in an automatic manner by using a series of commands with the name Data Downloading Program (DDP) in the MATLAB for the purpose of facilitating the manual data collection process and eliminating other possible difficulties that might appear. The Regional TEC values are computed with the Bernese v5.2 GNSS Software by using the downloaded files.
Keywords : GNSS, Bernese, MATLAB, Total Electron Content (TEC), Ionosphere