Phone-based maps outperform the traditional Klobuchar ionospheric model globally
Underserved regions like Africa benefit from enhanced ionosphere data
Geomagnetic storms are tracked with high precision using smartphone networks
Mapping the ionosphere is critical for improving the accuracy of navigation systems, but existing methods face significant limitations. While ground-based GNSS stations provide detailed maps of ionospheric total electron content (TEC), their coverage is uneven, leaving large gaps in underserved regions.
Now, researchers from Google Research, Mountain View, CA, USA, have demonstrated an innovative solution utilizing millions of Android smartphones as a distributed network of sensors in a study published in Nature.
