Solar Geophysical data forecast

[D Ryan]

How many of you use or receive this? Every Monday I get the forecast and briefly scan it for any "flags" that may affect our work, either from last week or upcoming work. I've broken down the forecast into 6 components and readily confess to not really knowing which ones may pose the greatest danger to GPS surveying, although I'm sure some must have more effect than others. I'd appreciate knowing if anyone else utilizes this information or has any feedback on how helpful it's been. (I will observe that when "Electron Flux" is high, coffee seems to taste better than normal, and I notice a tendency to want to go golfing during "Proton Events").

But in all seriousness, has anyone notice their results go haywire during a high geomagnetic activity period?

Highlights of Solar and Geomagnetic Activity
21 - 27 July 2014

1-Solar flares
2-X-ray events
3-Proton events
4-Geomagnetic field activity
5-Solar wind
6-Electron flux

Dave Ryan,
Humboldt County

[hellsangle]

You can chime in anytime, Marti!

[Jim Frame]

But in all seriousness, has anyone notice their results go haywire during a high geomagnetic activity period?

Yes. When the ionosphere had been very active, I've gotten some crappy data. Usually good enough horizontal, but challenging vertical.

It's tough when you've scheduled a field campaign weeks in advance and you get a couple of bad days in your observation window.

[Lee Hixson]

I've been trying to track solar activity for over a year now using the 3 scales in the "NOAA Scales Activity" (upper right portion) on the following web page:

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/SWN/index.html

Each scale varies from 1-5 depending on the intensity of the solar activity at the time. In January I made an inquiry about this and was told by NOAA that, of the 3 scales, the one most likely to be of use to surveyors would be the "Geomagnetic Storms" scale.

However, they asked me for input on this issue since they were seriously thinking about creating a new scale that would be tailored to the type of equipment surveyors use. Not being anything close to an expert in this arena, I connected them with some other surveyors and I'm waiting for feedback.

Of note, during the past year each morning I checked the 3 scales to see if any of my Chiefs of Party had trouble that day. But the solar activity has been minimal. We are currently in the solar maximum right now but it is one of the weakest maximums on record. There have only been a handful of mornings when there was any readings on any of the scales and when there was it was usually only a 1. Very minimal activity.

Stay tuned. If I get feedback from NOAA I'll post up about it.

[land butcher]

Maybe check the results from July 2012 when we were within a week of being taken out by a solar storm.

[D Ryan]

Good stuff Lee!

Thanks, I'll stay tuned.

Dave

[Frank Romano PLS]

I use an Ashtech Promark 2 (L1 only) system out in the desert and a while back I experienced PDOP readings of 45-50. I thought my receivers were giving up the ghost. Turned out there was some forecasted solar event that day. It was a good thing that, on a whim, I had thrown in some extra tripods in the truck and was able to complete the survey with the total station. Only time anything like that has happened to me.

[hellsangle]

http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/alerts/warnings_timeline.html

Phil - Sonoma

[Marti Ikehara]

Funny, I see my name used in vain, in this thread that I chose to read.
YES, as Jim said, vertical can(will) be especially bad, or at least (which is worse maybe), unreliable. Janine Hampton, Contra Costa County, pays attention to the solar flare environment, and has reported (at No CA GPS Users' Group meeting), that she has seen wacko results, and attributed it to solar activity.