Patent ID: 8181511
Filing Date: 2012-05-22
Classification: G01W

Abstract:
1. A method of globally monitoring a geocorona environment for space weather prediction applications, using a geocorona observatory, wherein the geocorona observatory includes a geocorona spacecraft and a geocorona imager, having a processor executing a computer executable program code, that when executed by the processor performing the method comprising: exposing a detector for measuring solar visible light intensity scattered by electrons in a near Earth space environment; compressing image data and creating telemetry packets and downlinking telemetry packets to an operation center; removing scene background, from signal source light using ground post-processing software in the operations center; estimating column electron density for each image pixel integral along a line of sight of the geocorona imager, based on geocorona imager measurement signal estimates, position, and orientation, and a physics based geocorona electron density model, using ground parameter estimation software in the operations center; estimating three dimensional distributions of electron density in the physics based geocorona electron density model, based on geocorona imager measurements and other space-based and ground-based sensors; transmitting geomagnetic storm warnings from space weather prediction models, to operational assets.