This three-day course is designed for telecommunication
system architects, managers, and operational personnel
engaged in terrestrial and earth-space communication,
navigation, surveillance, and signal intelligence
functions. The course provides the attendee with a basic
understanding of space-weather and it impact on existing
and planned military and civilian systems. Most
importantly, the attendee will obtain a comprehensive
knowledge of the most important space-weather phenomena,
and methods for mitigation of system impairments.
Topics are presented in a logical fashion using
actual system parameters in real-world illustrations of
space-weather cause and effect relationships, impairment
magnitudes and duration, problem avoidance techniques
and corrective measures. Propagation effects are
a central component of the course, and the systems
examined include terrestrial long-haul communication
and surveillance systems (e.g., radar and passive systems),
satellite communication systems, navigation systems
(i.e., GPS), and hybrid systems. Students will
receive the instructor’s textbook, Space Weather &
Telecommunication, as well as a complete set of course
notes, application software and URL reference material.
Instructor:
John Goodman received his BS from N.C. State University
and his PhD in Physics from Catholic University. He has 44 years
of government and industry experience in the
RDT&E associated with radio and radar
systems with emphasis on those categories that
are influenced by the ionosphere. Specialties
have included SATCOM and HF system
impairment studies and the development of realtime-
channel evaluation subsystems. He is
currently Vice President and Chief
Technical Officer for Radio Propagation
Services, Inc. (RPSI). Dr. Goodman has
numerous publications, and he has been the Guest Editor for
Special Issues of Radio Science. He is also author of the text: HF
Communications: Science & Technology [1992], and "Meteor
Burst Communications" in the Encyclopedia of
Telecommunications [1995]. He has been a guest author of
"Characteristics of the Ionosphere" [2002]. Dr. Goodman has
been actively involved in national and international bodies
responsible for consideration of industry and government
standards for radio communications. He has been a member of
Working Groups within URSI, and he is a member of the AGU. Dr
Goodman has taken an active role in various bodies responsible for
coordinating, developing, and evaluation of aeronautical
communications standards and systems. In recent years Dr.
Goodman has lectured on Space Weather at the George Mason
University, and has written a book entitled Space Weather and
Telecommunications, published by Springer [2005].
An Introduction to Space Weather. Overview. Relevance to technological systems.
Origins of Space Weather. Analogies with everyday weather and climate.
Discussion of relevant features of the sun, the interplanetary medium, and the
magnetosphere. The solar wind and coronal holes, coronal mass ejections, energetic
particle events, flares, and impulsive phenomena that introduce media effects such as
Sudden Ionospheric Disturbances (SIDs) and magnetic storms. Media effects and
telecommunication system responses. All of this information is conveyed in a
scholarly but intertaining manner with many graphical illustrations.
Properties of the Atmospheric Medium as part of the Radio Propagation
Channel. Generalized refractive index and radiowave interactions. Refraction,
absorption, attenuation, scattering, and ducting. Order of magnitude of effects given
in examples.
The Magneto-ionic Medium and its Importance in Radio propagation. The
Appleton-Hartree equation which governs radio propagation in the ionosphere.
Effects such as irregular refraction, absorption, time delay, phase distortion,
scintillation, birefringence, Faraday rotation, Doppler shift and spread, radiowave
scintillation, time delay distortion and multipath spread of signals. Order of
magnitude of effects and consequences for system performance.
The Ionosphere. Its properties and significance. Layer formation and climatology.
Anomalous behavior and relationships with solar flares and magnetic storms. Role of
the ionosphere in the early development of communication and radar technologies.
Models and applications of models. Forecasting technologies such as persistence,
neural networks, and dynamic mapping of ionospheric features.
Telecommunications Systems Hierarchy. Characterization of Telecommunication
Systems by Frequency Regime or Mission Area.
Diversity as the primary Method for improvement of system performance in the
face of deleterious effects arising from Space Weather. Description of various
methodologies.
Examination of specified HF Communication and Radar Systems. HF long-haul
communication, Automatic Link Establishment (ALE) systems, maritime systems,
Over-the-horizon radar, and HF data link communication systems. Outline of major
HF system performance models such as VOACAP, ICEPAC, and REC533. Lessons
in use of software are a part of this course element.
Examination of specified Satellite Communication and Surveillance Systems.
Military and civilian systems. Link performance calculations. A global model for
scintillation and its application at ground stations located in polar, auroral,
midlatitude, and equatorial regions. DoD methods of scintillation forecasting based
upon real-time assessment (i.e. , C/NOFS). Engineering solutions for scintillation
mitigation.
Examination of specified Satellite Navigation Systems. Legacy systems and satellite
systems (GPS), Aviation and Precision Landing systems (WAAS). Error budgets and
the impact of major geomagnetic storms. Real world examples.
Propagation Tactics in military and civilian systems. How knowledge of the
medium and precise forecasts of potential impairments can be used to advantage.
Prediction Services and System Resources. NOAA, NASA, DoD, Industry, and
international services. Satellite sensors used for ionospheric and solar observation.
Terrestrial sounding systems and media surveillance technologies.
Research Activities and Programs. Space-Weather RDT&E in USA, Europe, Asia,
and Australia.
The future of Space-Weather. On development of a scorecard for telecommunication
systems vis-à-vis space weather impairments.
Tuition:
For dedicated on-site pricing and availability request information HERE.
