GNSS scintillation: detection, forecasting and mitigation

虽然全球导航卫星系统现在是金融市场、电信、发电和配电以及运输和紧急服务等现代基础设施的重要组成部分，但它们仍存在一些已知的脆弱性。其中一个缺点与一种称为闪烁的电离层干扰有关。通过星光穿过大气层时的闪烁，闪烁现象对大多数人来说是熟悉的。当全球导航卫星系统卫星穿过电离的高层大气(电离层)时，电离层闪烁会引起信号的幅度和相位变化。目前，全球导航卫星系统接收器对无线电闪烁的抵抗力不强；影响范围从定位精度下降到完全失去信号跟踪。在闪烁活动期间，可能达不到所需的精度和连续性水平以及可用性，从而影响商业业务，如海上导航、地球物理勘探和机场精密进场期间的飞机导航。该项目将量化即将到来的太阳高峰期(2010-2013年)的电离层闪烁问题，并开发算法以减少对用户的影响。这项研究将导致改进全球导航卫星系统接收器的设计，使因电离层闪烁而受到自然环境影响的接收器具有强大的性能。

Although GNSS systems now underpin a significant part of modern infrastructure, such as financial markets, telecoms, power generation and distribution as well as transport and emergency services, they suffer from a number of known vulnerabilities. One such shortcoming relates to an ionospheric disturbance known as scintillation. The phenomenon of scintillation is familiar to most people through the twinkling of star light as it crosses the atmosphere. Ionospheric scintillation causes amplitude and phase variations on signals from GNSS satellites when they cross the ionised upper atmosphere (the ionosphere). Currently, GNSS receivers are not robust against radio scintillation; effects range from degradation of positioning accuracy to the complete loss of signal tracking. During scintillation events, required levels of accuracy and continuity, as well as availability, may not be met, thus compromising commercial operations, such as maritime navigation, geophysical exploration and airplane navigation during airport precision approach. The project will quantify the problem of ionospheric scintillation over the forthcoming solar maximum (2010-2013) and develop algorithms to reduce the impact on the users. The research will lead to improved GNSS receiver design that will enable robust performance of receivers that are compromised by effects of the natural environment through ionospheric scintillation.