AFFECTS
Advanced Forecast For Ensuring Communications Through Space
 

 

ACE data

Solar wind information is an important element in the arsenal of solar-terrestrial measurable quantities available to AFFECTS; specifically useful is the wind speed determined by the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft at the L1 position.

ACE data and instrument descriptions are available on the following websites:
    > ACE Real Time Solar Wind
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ace/
    > ACE Data Description
http://www.srl.caltech.edu/ACE/ASC/level2/
    > ACE Data
http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ace/index.html

Provision of ACE data for AFFECTS

DLR Neustrelitz, as member of the Real Time Solar Wind network (RTSW), receives ACE data during daytime hours at the European sector (http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ace/acetrack_48h.html) and transfers it to NOAA who are processing and archiving the data. Being privileged partner of NOAA, DLR is able to use real time ACE data. A direct data base connection to the NOAA External Space Weather Data Store (E-SWDS) is implemented in a special ACE processing module in the FSI, providing real time ACE data for operational FSI processing modules.

For further scientific use ACE data can be maintained using the online data access provided by the hyperlinks below.

• ACE NRT solar wind (current + 2-hour history)
    > http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/lists/ace/ace_swepam_1m.txt
    > ftp.swpc.noaa.gov/pub/lists/ace/ace_swepam_1m.txt
    > www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpmenu/lists/ace.html/ ace_swepam_1m.txt

• ACE NRT IMF (current + 2-hour history)
    > http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/lists/ace/ace_mag_1m.txt
    > ftp.swpc.noaa.gov/pub/lists/ace/ace_mag_1m.txt
    > www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpmenu/lists/ace.html/ ace_mag_1m.txt

• ACE NRT electron and proton fluxes (current + 2-hour history)
    > http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/lists/ace/ace_epam_5m.txt
    > ftp.swpc.noaa.gov/pub/lists/ace/ace_epam_5m.txt
    > http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpmenu/lists/ace.html/ ace_epam_5m.txt

• ACE NRT high energy proton flux (current + 2-hour history)
    > http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpdir/lists/ace/ace_sis_5m.txt
    > ftp.swpc.noaa.gov/pub/lists/ace/ace_sis_5m.txt
    > www.swpc.noaa.gov/ftpmenu/lists/ace.html/ ace_sis_5m.txt

• ACE History / Archive 
     > ftp://mussel.srl.caltech.edu/pub/ace/level2/

Use of ACE data in AFFECTS

The ACE data is required for many tasks which are to be solved within AFFECTS. An overview is given in the table below.

Description of ACE data use

Lead beneficiary

Data access

Development of the geomagnetic activity forecast module

SRI-NASU-NSAU

online

Implementation of the geomagnetic activity forecast module

SRI-NASU-NSAU

FSI

Preliminary studies for provision of early warning messages for GNSS users

DLR

online

Analyses of solar-terrestrial relationships for the development and improvement of the TEC perturbation model

DLR

online

Driving the TEC perturbation model for forecasting TEC as part of the FSI

DLR

FSI

Quantitative comparison of solar wind data with forecasted solar wind conditions in geo-space based on solar observations and modeling results (ENLIL code)

UGOE

online

Determination of magnetospheric - and subsequent driven ionospheric dTEC variations - disturbances levels on solar wind and CME input parameters

UGOE

online

Analysis of storm magnitudes during present and past events and ionospheric response

UGOE

online

Real-time analysis for space weather beacon system to allow 15-30 min. forecasts of geo-space storms and validation of their onsets with respect to early warnings and for inclusion into mobile phone space weather application

UGOE

online

Provision of momentary geo-space weather conditions

UGOE

online

Comparison with polar electro jet and dTEC variations

UGOE

online

parameter in ROB's  geomagnetic forecast (presto and ursigram products)

ROB

online

Inclusion of near real time and archive  ACE data into the Solar Timelines viewer for AFFECTS

ROB

online