Development of TEC Map over Equatorial Anomaly using GPS Data

Total Electron Content (TEC) is a parameter of the ionosphere that originates multiple effects, in many radio applications such as the Earth-space radio communication, satellite navigations and space weather. As one-third of the total global ionization in this narrow belt around the magnetic equator, it acts as a perturbing medium on satellite-based navigational systems like GPS. A systematic variation in the maximum ionization, Equatorial Anomaly, extends in the topside ionosphere resulting TEC exhibiting similarity in the features of maximum ionization. In this paper, results are presented from a study of seasonal and geomagnetic effects on Equatorial Ionospheric Anomaly (EIA) during solar cycle by considering four different epochs. Project aims to develop a regional GPS-based, bias free ionospheric TEC map over equatorial anomaly using Leica GNSS QC, Matlab and GPS data from Center for Orbit Determination in Europe (CODE). The study will help in determining position of the Sun with respect to the Earth, seismo-ionospheric anomaly behavior, and space weather prediction, satellite positioning and ionospheric impacts on radio wave propagation.