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The IGS VTEC maps: a reliable source of ionospheric information since 1998

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Abstract

The International GNSS Service (IGS) Working Group on Ionosphere was created in 1998. Since then, the Scientific community behind IGS, in particular CODE, ESA, JPL and UPC, have been continuosly contributing to reliable IGS combined vertical total electron content (VTEC) maps in both rapid and final schedules. The details on how these products are being generated, performance numbers, proposed improvement as far as VTEC evolution trends during near one Solar Cycle, are summarized in this paper. The confirmation of (1) the good performance of the IGS combined VTEC maps, and (2) the characteristic VTEC variability periods, are two main results of this work.

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Hernández-Pajares, M., Juan, J.M., Sanz, J. et al. The IGS VTEC maps: a reliable source of ionospheric information since 1998. J Geod 83, 263–275 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00190-008-0266-1

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