The Ionospheric Group of NOA

The main activities of the Ionospheric Group focus around the performance of systematic ionospheric monitoring and the development of ionospheric and trans-ionospheric nowcasting and prediction systems through the on-line implementation of advanced modelling techniques ingesting ground and space data from all geospace regions. The Group operates since 2000 the Athens Digisonde, which is of key importance for HF communications due to its unique geographic location.

The Ionospheric Group participates in a large number of European and international projects funded by EC, ESA, NATO, EOARD, etc, either as the prime investigator and coordinator or contractor. The Group coordinated the EC DIAS Project (2004-2006), the EC COST Action ES0803 (2008-2012), the EC Tech-TIDE Project (2017-2020), and it was a key partner in the EC-ESPAS FP7 e-Infrastructure project (2011-2015) having the responsibility of the scientific management of the project. Currently the Ionospheric Group coordinates the EC PITHIA-NRF Project (2021-2025).

The strategic goal of the Ionospheric Group of IAASARS is the establishment of a unique e-infrastructure in Europe and worldwide for the monitoring, specification, forecasting and prediction of the ionosphere - plasmasphere and thermosphere environment for both scientific and operational applications. The DIAS system (European Digital Upper Atmosphere Server) is the core of this activity and the main system in Europe that provides alerts, nowcasts and forecasts for ionospheric conditions.

Today, the Ionospheric Group through its research infrastructures, provides services able to support systematically HF communication systems, satellites orbiting at LEO and MEO heights and systems relying on transionospheric propagation, at any location of the Earth's upper atmosphere up to the plasmapause, and protect these systems from ionospheric disturbances and irregularities triggered by space weather events.

The Ionospheric Group is a key player in space weather community in Europe, coordinating - in collaboration with ROB and ESA - the scientific organization of the European Space Weather Weeks (since 2009), the organization of training schools for PhD students, young researchers and engineers, and leading the main scientific peer review journal of this field in Europe, the Journal of Space Weather and Space Climate, published by EDPS.