A proposal for collaboration (not a request for funds)

1
A proposal for collaboration(not a request for
funds)
The International Heliophysical Year, 2007

• Deborah Scherrer, Stanford University

United Nations
IHY 2007
2
Quick Overview of Presentation

• What is the IHY?
• What is the particular project?
• What could the IEEE-CS do?
• How do the project instruments work?
• Why CS might want to be involved

3
What is the IHY?

• In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the IGY
  International Geophysical Year of 1957
• The United Nations has designated 2007 as the
  International Heliophysical Year
• Goals
• Continue a tradition of international
  collaboration on the 50th anniversary of the IGY
  1957
• Demonstrate the beauty, relevance, and
  significance of space and Earth science to the
  world
• Inspire our future explorers
• Advance our understanding of the heliophysical
  processes that govern the Suns influence on
  Earth and the heliosphere

4
Whats Going On?

• Stanford, in collaboration with teachers, NSF and
  NASA partners, has developed inexpensive Space
  Weather Monitors targeted for use in high schools
  and the equivalent around the world

5
The IHY, UN, and Stanford

• The United Nations and organizers of the IHY have
  designated these as official IHY instruments, to
  be placed in 191 countries around the world.

• There is a significant software and computer
  aspect to this project

6
How does the CS fit in?

• Significant computer component the students and
  their monitors require software (and a PC, which
  the host country will provide)
• Data management software will be provided
• Data will be hosted at a central site (Stanford)
• A package of simple data analysis software,
  tools, and instructions are needed

7
What kind of software docs?

• Suitable for use by high school/community college
  students without much knowledge of computers
• Collect appropriate tools from resources that are
  feely available, e.g. Open Source, PDL,
  OpenOffice Excel, etc.
• Arrange/package for use with monitors and for
  worldwide distribution
• Document so students can learn to use the tools,
  the computers, and program them to do their own
  analyses

8
How would it work?

• Dunno its just a crazy idea??? But, maybe
• CS would take responsibility for choosing,
  packaging, and documenting software tools and how
  to program or extend their usage by students
• CS would work primarily with the Stanford team
• IHY human resources are readily available
• IHY financial (minimal) resources may be available

9
While you consider that, Ill give you a Quick
Intro to the Monitors and their Data

• Why needed?
• Scientific Goals
• The Sun, the ionosphere, and VLF waves
• VLF transmitters
• A bit about our monitors
• Data from the monitors
• Comparison with satellite data
• Relating back to solar active regions

10
Solar Activity has Dramatic Effects on the Earth

• Knocks out satellites (military loses over 1
  billion/yr)
• Disrupts power grids (e.g. 1989 Montreal, 6
  million without power)
• Disrupts communications
• Causes dramatic aurorae
• Irradiates aircraft over 25,000
• Radiation dangerous or fatal to astronauts, esp.
  going to Moon, Mars

11
Scientific Goals

• Daytime data Understand the effects of solar
  activity on the Earth, hopefully for predictive
  capabilities
• Nighttime Data Understand the electrodynamic
  coupling between the troposphere, mesosphere, and
  the lower ionosphere driven by lightning and
  thunderstorm systems

12
The Sun, ionosphere, and radio waves
13
VLF Transmitters
24 around the world
Antenna Wires
Primarily U.S. Navy stations for communicating
with submarines
NLK 24.8 KHz Navy Radio Station, Jim Creek,
WA 1 cycle 7.5 miles (12 km)
200 Towers
VLF signals can be received all over the world,
because of the ionosphere!
14
Our Monitors

• SID
• Low Cost (150)
• Single band
• 1 sample/5 seconds
• Preassembled tuned
• Students build antenna
• Available free to underserved schools

• AWESOME
• Moderate cost (3000)
• Broadband sample rate of 100kHz on each channel
• Capture ELF/VLF frequencies
• 30 Hz - 50kHz
• Dual use system
• Daytime monitor solar activity
• Nighttime monitor atmospheric phenomena
  (e.g. lightning)
• So sensitive that nearly any signal above the
  ambient Earth noise floor can be detected
• Data useable for ionospheric and solar researchers

15
Detecting Solar Flares SID(s)
SID Events!
Student data graphed by Excel But undeveloped
nations cannot afford Excel
Not all events are readily explainable students
can research these
16
GOES-12 Weather Satellite
Detecting X-Rays from the Sun
17
Connecting SID to GOES Data
C5.9
M1.3
C4.5
C3.8
Students have also found flares not cataloged by
GOES!!!
18
Connecting SID events to sunspots (Active Regions)
Event Begin Max End Obs Q Type
Loc/Frq Particulars Reg ----------------
--------------------------------------------------
------------- 1960 1727 1736 1744
G12 5 XRA 1-8A C4.5 3.1E-03
0424 1990 1930 1946 1954 G12 5
XRA 1-8A C5.9 5.9E-03 0424 2000
2112 2134 2140 G12 5 XRA 1-8A
C3.8 3.1E-03 0424 2040 2341 2354
0002 G12 5 XRA 1-8A M1.3 8.5E-03
0424
19
For more informationon Space Weather Monitors
http//solar-center.stanford.edu/SID
20
Advantages to the CS

• The IEEE Computer Society could be highly visible
  in the program, packaging and distribution --
  Press releases, articles in Computer, printed
  materials, etc.
• Funds for publication of manual and software may
  be available from IHY, possibly to CS Pubs?
• Exceptional way to reach out to the worlds youth
  and inspire them with computers and software!

21
Caveats
???

• Would require Committed Buy-in by CS Excom, BOG,
  and Staff
• Would require a team of 2-3 Volunteers to
  collect, organize, document the software
• Serious inquiries only this is a REAL project,
  timelines are short, and there are no backups if
  the CS should make a commitment and, gasp, fail
• What do you think?