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Modeling African equatorial ionosphere using ordinary Kriging interpolation technique for GNSS applications

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Abstract

The ability to model the ionosphere accurately for single frequency users in satellite applications has gained some appreciable usage, most especially during quiet conditions in a mild (middle latitudes) ionosphere. However, solving the problem of ionosphere for single frequency user of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) in equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) region is of a great concern for space scientists and engineers. Several methodologies have been used to develop models that describe global or regional maps for ionosphere errors in order to mitigate the effect of the errors on GNSS systems. Global or regional ionosphere Maps have been known to be an efficient tool to monitor the delay introduced by the ionosphere in the satellite signals. This research uses the conventional Planar fit and ordinary Kriging methodologies to assess a regional map for ionosphere correction in equatorial African sector. The result obtained is an indication that modified Kriging methodology describes the EIA ionosphere corrections better compared with ordinary Kriging and Planar fit methodologies.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federal Government of Nigeria (NIGNET network), the administrator of IGS, AFREF and SONEL networks for preserving the GNSS data and make it publicly available for scientific community. The authors also thank the Editor and the anonymous reviewers for their objective assessment of the paper and their valuable suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria

    O. E. Abe

  2. Department of Physics, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria

    O. E. Abe

  3. Centre for Atmospheric Research, National Space Research & Development Agency, NASRDA, Anyigba, Nigeria

    A. B. Rabiu

  4. Department of Physics, University of Lagos, Akoka, Lagos State, Nigeria

    O. S. Bolaji & E. O. Oyeyemi

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  1. O. E. Abe
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  2. A. B. Rabiu
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  3. O. S. Bolaji
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  4. E. O. Oyeyemi
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Correspondence to O. E. Abe.

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Abe, O.E., Rabiu, A.B., Bolaji, O.S. et al. Modeling African equatorial ionosphere using ordinary Kriging interpolation technique for GNSS applications. Astrophys Space Sci 363, 168 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10509-018-3387-x

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