Experimental Observations and Modelling of Electron Density of the Plasma Sphere

Abstract

The increasing use of Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites to determine the Total Electron Content (TEC) of the ionosphere has led to the question; what is the effect of the plasma sphere on these results? To estimate the size of this contribution, the Global Plasma sphere Ionosphere Density (GPID) model has been developed. This paper gives a brief overview of the GPID model, and comparisons between GPID TEC predictions and measurements from GPS receivers on board the Oersted and GFO Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites.