The SWILM Approach for Regional Long-Term Modelling of Middle/High Latitude Ionosphere

摘要

The Space - Weighted Ionospheric Local Model, SWILM, is an alternative approach developed for the regional long-term mapping and modelling of the plasma frequency of the F2 layer, foF2, and the M(3000)F2 propagation factor. This model is based on the past monthly medians data from several vertical sounding stations in the region of interest and on the R_(12) index as indicator of the solar activity. In order to allow users to switch to a planetary scale, a good merge with the global ITU-R (Radiocommunication Sector of the International Telecommunication Union) model is also provided by SWILM with acceptable gradients at the borders of the region. In this paper the basic formulation of the model will be given and the results will be shown as obtained by comparing SWILM and ITU-R performances for mapping and modelling the foF2 and the M(3000)F2 over a geographic area ranged between 35 °-70 °N and 10 °-60 °E.