Goals

Table of Contents

Science goal

The primary scientific objective of the PSWS is to measure and characterize short-term, small-scale ionospheric and geomagnetic variability over a large geographic area, in order to understand how the ionosphere responds to sources from above (space weather) and below (atmospheric forcing). Coordinated HF, VLF, and magnetometer observations at the same sites make multi-instrument studies possible, including studies of:

  • solar flares, observed as sudden HF Doppler shifts across the sunlit network;
  • solar eclipses;
  • geomagnetic storms and pulsations;
  • traveling ionospheric disturbances, measured by their period, wavelength, and direction of travel;
  • the solar cycle, since the network has been recording since the start of Solar Cycle 25 in 2019.

Network goals, 2025 to 2028

These goals come from the NSF DASI Track 2 award that funds the network’s expansion (see Resources).

  • Deploy 30 standardized receive stations, each with an HF receiver, a VLF receiver, and a ground magnetometer, at low-noise sites across the United States.
  • Deploy 10 WSPRSonde transmitters near existing government transmitters, so that similar radio paths are sampled at several frequencies. The beacons are also received by the worldwide WSPR network.
  • Upgrade the central database: a data quality system, a programmatic interface for large downloads, VLF data support, a monitoring dashboard, and tools for comparing data across stations.
  • Support station hosts, and send the maintainer community quarterly network bulletins with the network map, events of interest, and new publications.

The project counts as successful if, by the end of 2028, the planned stations are deployed, a complete programmatic interface is available, and the network’s datasets are documented and available according to FAIR principles (findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable).

Timeline

Year Planned outcomes
2025 Begin instrument deployment and central server upgrades; begin student and volunteer science projects.
2026 Complete deployment and commissioning; complete the large-download interface; refine the data quality system.
2027 and 2028 Operate the network and database; support station hosts; expand data analysis tools; publish results.