A New Ionosphere Monitoring Technology Based on GPS

Although global positioning system (GPS) was originally planned as a satellite-based radio-navigation system for military purposes, civilian users have significantly increased their access to the system for both, commercial and scientific applications. Almost 400 permanent GPS tracking stations have been stablished around the globe with the main purpose of supporting scientific research. In addition, several GPS receivers on board of low Earth orbit satellites fitted with special antennas that focus on Earth's horizon, are tracking the radio signals broadcasted by the high-orbiting GPS satellites, as they rise and set on Earth horizon. The data of these ground and space-born GPS receivers, readily accessible through Internet in a ‘virtual observatory’ managed by the International GPS Service, are extensively used for many researches and might possibly ignite a revolution in Earth remote sensing. By measuring the changes in the time it takes for the GPS signals to arrive at the receiver as they travel through Earth's atmosphere, scientists can derive a surprising amount of information about the Earth's ionosphere, a turbulent shroud of charged particles that, when stimulated by solar flares, can disrupt communications around the world. This contribution presents a methodology to obtain high temporal resolution images of the ionospheric electron content that lead to two-dimensional vertical total electron content maps and three-dimensional electron density distribution. Some exemplifying results are shown at the end of the paper.     

一种基于单片机的数据采集系统设计

叙述了一种基于单片机的数据采集系统硬件设计和软件编制。该系统可在工作现场自动完成排量、压力的采集、分析及数据处理工作，实现实时显示，可广泛应用于智能仪器仪表、科学研究中。     

AVES: A high performance computer cluster array for the INTEGRAL satellite scientific data analysis

In this paper we describe a new computing system array, designed, built and now used at the Space Astrophysics and Planetary Institute (IAPS) in Rome, Italy, for the INTEGRAL Space Observatory scientific data analysis. This new system has become necessary in order to reduce the processing time of the INTEGRAL data accumulated during the more than 9 years of in-orbit operation. In order to fulfill the scientific data analysis requirements with a moderately limited investment the starting approach has been to use a ??cluster?? array of commercial quad-CPU computers, featuring the extremely large scientific and calibration data archive on line.     

OPTIMA: A Photon Counting High-Speed Photometer

OPTIMA is a small, versatile high-speed photometer which is primarily intended for time resolved observations of young high energy pulsars at optical wavelengths. The detector system consists of eight fiber fed photon counters based on avalanche photodiodes, a GPS timing receiver, an integrating CCD camera to ensure the correct pointing of the telescope and a computerized control unit. Since January 1999 OPTIMA proves its scientific potential by measuring a very detailed light-curve of the Crab Pulsar as well as by observing cataclysmic variable stars on very short timescales. In this article we describe the design of the detector system focussing on the photon counting units and the software control which correlates the detected photons with the GPS timing signal. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Cosmology and local physics

The major thrust of present day scientific cosmology is that of examining the effect of local physical laws on the large-scale structure of the cosmos. However there has also from the earliest times been a counter theme: the study of the way that global properties of the universe can influence its local properties. The purpose of the present paper is to revisit this topic.     

The dependence of the value of the field-aligned current in the ionosphere on the local time for low velocity of convection

For low velocities of convection, the normal component of the current near the magnetopause is calculated in a case when the magnetopause is a tangential discontinuity. It is shown that for the great pressure of the magnetospheric plasma this component of the current, closing through the ionosphere, create the global system of field-aligned currents which is consistent with the Triad data on the value, the direction and the distribution with the local time.     

OPTIMA: A Photon Counting High-Speed Photometer

OPTIMA is a small, versatile high-speed photometer which is primarily intended for time resolved observations of young high energy pulsars at optical wavelengths. The detector system consists of eight fiber fed photon counters based on avalanche photodiodes, a GPS timing receiver, an integrating CCD camera to ensure the correct pointing of the telescope and a computerized control unit. Since January 1999 OPTIMA proves its scientific potential by measuring a very detailed light-curve of the Crab Pulsar as well as by observing cataclysmic variable stars on very short timescales. In this article we describe the design of the detector system focussing on the photon counting units and the software control which correlates the detected photons with the GPS timing signal.     

Next-generation robotic planetary reconnaissance missions: A paradigm shift

A fundamentally new scientific mission concept for remote planetary surface and subsurface reconnaissance will soon replace the engineering and safety constrained mission designs of the past, allowing for optimal acquisition of geologic, paleohydrologic, paleoclimatic, and possible astrobiologic information of Mars and other extraterrestrial targets. Traditional missions have performed local ground-level reconnaissance through rovers and immobile landers, or global mapping performed by an orbiter. The former is safety and engineering constrained, affording limited detailed reconnaissance of a single site at the expense of a regional understanding, while the latter returns immense datasets, often overlooking detailed information of local and regional significance. A “tier-scalable” paradigm integrates multi-tier (orbitatmosphereground) and multi-agent (orbiterblimpsrovers/sensorwebs) hierarchical mission architectures, not only introducing mission redundancy and safety, but enabling and optimizing intelligent, unconstrained, and distributed science-driven exploration of prime locations on Mars and elsewhere, allowing for increased science return, and paving the way towards fully autonomous robotic missions.     

A site evaluation campaign for a ground based atmospheric Cherenkov telescope in Romania

Around the world, several scientific projects share the interest of a global network of small Cherenkov telescopes for monitoring observations of the brightest blazars??the DWARF network. A small, ground based, imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope of last generation is intended to be installed and operated in Romania as a component of the DWARF network. To prepare the construction of the observatory, two support projects have been initiated. Within the framework of these projects, we have assessed a number of possible sites where to settle the observatory. In this paper we submit a brief report on the general characteristics of the best four sites selected after the local infrastructure, the nearby facilities and the social impact criteria have been applied.     

A new method for reconstructing type III trajectories

A local density approximation (LDA) method is developed for reconstructing the trajectories of type III radio bursts through the interplanetary medium. The method uses the measured source directions and the measured frequency drift rates of the type III burst to determine the locations of the radio source in the interplanetary medium at consecutive frequency levels. The technique is used to reconstruct the trajectory of an actual type III burst and the results are compared to the trajectory obtained from the global density law method. The LDA method represents an improvement in that it utilizes more observed data on the type III burst and that it takes full account of the local density variations at the source locations.     

A precise multipass method for satellite Doppler positioning

A precise and efficient algorithm is developed for determining the locations of radio beacons (e.g. of the ARGOS or COSPAS/SARSAT type) based on Doppler shift measurements in overflying satellites. The method distinguishes itself through: (1) the use of a very compact analytic orbital theory valid for all eccentricities, (2) autonomous orbit improvement based on Doppler data for one or more local reference beacons accessible at a single LUT, (3) simultaneous orbit improvement and calculation of beacon coordinates for an arbitrary number of satellites, satellite passes, and beacons, and (4) very efficient semi-analytic matrix inversion by partitioning into global, semi-global, and local parameters.The algorithm has been implemented in a FORTRAN program which can be run on a PC. Error statistics are presented from applications of the program to a large number of actual Doppler curves obtained with the ARGOS and COSPAS/SARSAT systems.     

SONG-China Project: A Global Automated Observation Networktwo

Driven by the technological advancements and scientific objectives, the data acquisition in observational astronomy has been changed greatly in recent years. Fully automated or even autonomous ground-based network of telescopes has now become a tendency for time-domain observational projects. The Stellar Observations Network Group (SONG) is an international collaboration with the participation and contribution of the Chinese astronomy community. The scientific goal of SONG is time-domain astrophysics, such as the astroseismology and the research of variable stars in open clusters. The SONG project aims to build a global network of one-meter telescopes equipped with high-precision and high-resolution spectrographs, and two-channel lucky-imaging cameras. It is the Chinese initiative to install a 50 cm binocular photometry telescope at each SONG node to share the network platform and infrastructure. This work is focused on the design and implementation of SONG/50BiN in technology and methodology, for the ground-based network composed of multiple sites and a variety of instruments.     

A new system for observing solar oscillations at the Mount Wilson Observatory

In this paper we describe a new observing system which is currently nearing completation at the Mount Wilson Observatory. This system has been designed to obtain daily measurements of solar photospheric and subphotospheric rotational velocities from the frequency splitting of non-radial solar p-mode oscillations of moderate to high degree (i.e. l > 150). The completed system will combine a 244 × 248 pixel CID camera with a high-speed floating point array processor, a 32-bit minicomputer, and a large-capacity disc storage system. We are integrating these components into the spectrograph of the 60-foot solar tower telescope at Mount Wilson in order to provide a facility which will be dedicated to the acquisition of oscillation data.     

Tracing and using data lineage for pipeline processing in Astro-WISE

Most workflow systems that support data provenance primarily focus on tracing lineage of data. Data provenance by data lineage provides the derivation history of data including information about services and input data that contributed to the creation of a data product. We show that tracing lineage by means of full backward chaining not only enables users to share, discover and reuse the data, but also supports scientific data processing through storage, retrieval and (re)processing of digitized scientific data. In this paper, we present Astro-WISE, a distributed system for processing, analyzing and disseminating wide field imaging astronomical data. We show how Astro-WISE traces lineage of data and how it facilitates data processing, retrieval, storage and archiving. Particularly we show how it solves issues related to the changing data items typical for the scientific environment, such as physical changes in calibrations, our insight in these changes and improved methods for deriving results.     

The economic impact of climate change on Kenyan crop agriculture: A Ricardian approach

This paper measures the economic impact of climate on crops in Kenya. We use cross-sectional data on climate, hydrological, soil and household level data for a sample of 816 households. We estimate a seasonal Ricardian model to assess the impact of climate on net crop revenue per acre. The results show that climate affects crop productivity. There is a non-linear relationship between temperature and revenue on one hand and between precipitation and revenue on the other. Estimated marginal impacts suggest that global warming is harmful for crop productivity. Predictions from global circulation models confirm that global warming will have a substantial impact on net crop revenue in Kenya. The results also show that the temperature component of global warming is much more important than precipitation. Findings call for monitoring of climate change and dissemination of information to farmers to encourage adaptations to climate change. Improved management and conservation of available water resources, water harvesting and recycling of wastewater could generate water for irrigation purposes especially in the arid and semi-arid areas.     

Automated McIntosh-Based Classification of Sunspot Groups Using MDI Images

This paper presents a hybrid system for automatic detection and McIntosh-based classification of sunspot groups on SOHO/MDI white-light images using active-region data extracted from SOHO/MDI magnetogram images. After sunspots are detected from MDI white-light images they are grouped/clustered using MDI magnetogram images. By integrating image-processing and neural network techniques, detected sunspot regions are classified automatically according to the McIntosh classification system. Our results show that the automated grouping and classification of sunspots is possible with a high success rate when compared to the existing manually created catalogues. In addition, our system can detect and classify sunspot groups in their early stages, which are usually missed by human observers.     

HD 52721 - A close binary system among the Ae/Be Herbig stars

Photometric and high resolution spectroscopic data for the Herbig star HD 52721 obtained from October 2009 through October 2010 are presented. We confirm the cyclical character of the photometric variability of HD 52721 discovered previously by others. The variability shows up as minima in the light curve of this star which repeat with a period P = 0^d.805 and are typical of eclipsing binary systems. ASAS data covering an observation period from September 2003 through December 2009 show that two neighboring photometric minima differ from one another, and the actual orbital period of the system must be twice as high (P = 1^d.610). This is confirmed by the spectroscopic data. These show that the center of gravity of the emission Hα line and the profile of the HeI 6678 line with a distinct, bright circumstellar component have a clear correlation with a period of 1^d.610. To all appearances, HD 52721 is a close binary system consisting of two class B2 stars with quite similar parameters. We propose that the observed cyclical variations in the circumstellar parameters may be related to the existence of a global azimuthal inhomogeneity within the shell which rotates synchronously with the orbital motion of the system components.     

The DEMETER Science Mission Centre

The DEMETER Scientific Mission Centre (SMC) has been developed and is operated by the Laboratoire de Physique et Chimie de l’Environnement (LPCE). The SMC commands the instruments of the scientific payload, collects and distributes DEMETER data and associated products to the DEMETER international community.The SMC has been designed to maximize scientific return and to reduce development and exploitation costs for the DEMETER project. This paper describes the SMC's data processing system, data server and methods of payload operation, and presents associated hardware and software architectures.     

基于科学CCD的低纬子午环的数据采集系统

本文主要介绍基于科学CCD的低纬子午环数据采集系统的硬件构成及软件设计。为了能绝对而又精确地确定天体的位置 ,低纬子午环需要配备多种精密的测量装置 ,如 :GPS与时钟、 9路Reticon线阵、视频CCD、科学CCD、圆感应同步器、光栅线性位移传感器等。为了能有序地控制并采集这些装置的数据 ,我们设计了一个包含 3个PC机的数据采集与控制系统。文中将描述测量装置的功能 ,然后介绍数据采集方法及软件设计     

Regional desertification: A global synthesis

The paper presents results on the use of NOAA AVHRR data for desertification monitoring on a regional–global level. It is based on processing of the GIMMS 8 km global NDVI data set. Time series of annually integrated and standardized annual NDVI anomalies were generated and compared with a corresponding rainfall data set (1981–2003).The regions studied include the Mediterranean basin, the Sahel from the Atlantic to the Red Sea, major parts of the drylands of Southern Africa, China–Mongolia and the drylands of South America, i.e. important parts of the desertification prone drylands of the world.It is concluded that the suggested methodology is a robust and reliable way to assess and monitor vegetation trends and related desertification on a regional–global scale. A strong general relationship between NDVI and rainfall over time is demonstrated for considerable parts of the drylands. The results of performed trend analysis cannot be used to verify any systematic generic land degradation/desertification trend at the regional–global level. On the contrary, a “greening-up” seems to be evident over large regions.