Imaging the Ionosphere with the Global Positioning System

Hajj, George A. and Ibanez-Meier, R. and Kursinski, E. R. and Romans, L. J. (1994) Imaging the Ionosphere with the Global Positioning System. Submitted to International Journal of Imaging Systems and Technology.

Abstract

Observing the Global Positioning System with a satellite in low earth orbit in an occulting geometry provides a powerful means of imaging the ionosphere. Tomographic imaging of the ionosphere from space and ground is examined using singular value decomposition analysis. The resolution and covariance matrices are examined, and simulations are performed that indicate that space data are significantly more effective than ground data in resolving both horizontal and vertical structures. It is shown that narrow vertical structures, such as the E layer, can be probed with occultation data.