Autonomous Platform for Distributed Ionospheric Studies and Citizen Science Initiatives

Autonomous Platform for Distributed Ionospheric Studies and Citizen Science Initiatives

Wright, I., Solanki, I., Desai, A., Socola, J. S., and F. S. Rodrigues
W. B. Hanson Center for Space Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX

Better specification of the state of the Earth’s ionosphere can benefit from distributed array studies and citizen-science initiatives. Implementation of distributed sensors, however, is hindered by the high cost of commercial sensors. Additionally, distributed observations also require easy to install, easy to operate and maintain sensors. Here, we present results of our efforts to create an autonomous observational platform capable of providing information about the ionospheric states for fundamental and applied studies. More specifically, we have dedicated efforts to develop an autonomous platform for ScintPi 3.0. ScintPi 3.0, is a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) based, multi-constellation, dual-frequency ionospheric scintillation and total electron content (TEC) monitor developed at UT Dallas and that costs only a fraction of the amount of commercial receivers.

The design proposed, prototyped and tested employs solar-powered and internet of things (IoT) capabilities. Tests have shown that the panel-battery arrangement used continuously powers the ScintPi 3.0 sensor, with near-constant, full battery capacity maintained over multiple days in conditions of unobstructed sunlight. Once fully charged, the battery can run for 120 hours without further charging, which ensures that power is provided during non-ideal weather and sunlight or in the event of a malfunction. The IoT functionality involves 4G internet access through a cellular modem, enabling near real-time updates of the systems’ health and, if needed, remote access to the system. Field tests in varying conditions of weather and shading of the solar panel demonstrated that the system performed as expected.

In addition to results related to the performance of the prototype system during various tests, we will also present measurements of satellite signal-to-noise (SNR) and vertical TEC made by the platform. The design and implementation was carried out by undergraduate students and it is part of an effort to expand hands-on project activities to physics students.