Natalia E. Papitashvili

A Virtual Global Magnetic Observatory Network: VGMO.NET

Since the mid-1990s, many geomagnetic datasets began appearing on the World Wide Web. Often these data were not submitted to the World Data Centers as recommended since the International Geophysical Year (1957- 58). As a result, existing data become naturally distributed creating an urgent need for more sophisticated search engines capable of identifying and retrieving the data from Web for scientific analyses. We introduce a Virtual Global Magnetic Observatory concept for “pulling” geomagnetic data distributed worldwide. The VGMO moves information exchange from simple file transfers to a higher level of abstraction, forming the distributed databases through establishment of self-organizing data nodes. We present the first working VGMO prototype: an “on-demand” objects-building Internet application that is transparent in its internal data management to the external users/clients. The VGMO server continuously builds data-objects only from client requests by going through a pre-set list of Web-based data nodes (including WDCs). As the retrieved data are added to the server (or node) database, future requests of the same interval would not force a new Web search. Furthermore, new nodes can be made available to others through the VGMO network, building the worldwide geomagnetic data “fabric” in a platform-independent and location-neutral environment of newly “webbed“ digital data. Application is on a server at http://mist.engin.umich.edu.

Magnetospheric geomagnetic coordinates for space physics data presentation and visualization

Abstract Corrected geomagnetic coordinates, which account for the multipolar geomagnetic field, are frequently used to organize the ionospheric-altitude data. However, realistic organization of data measured simultaneously in the magnetosphere and ionosphere in a some sort of magnetic coordinate system requires a combination of the high-altitude external magnetic fields and the multipolar low-altitude field. Such combinations have been non-existent in the past. A new magnetospheric geomagnetic coordinate system is introduced providing such a combination.

Space weathering investigations enabled by NASA's virtual heliophysical observatories

Space weathering by the plasma and energetic particle radiation environment of the heliosphere contributes to the physical and chemical evolution of exposed surfaces on airless bodies such as the Moon, asteroids, comets, and icy bodies of the outer solar system. The Multi-Source Spectral Plot (MSSP) service of the NASA Virtual Energetic Particle Observatory (VEPO) enables enhanced access and comparative global heliospheric analysis of ion flux spectra from the past and present fleet of interplanetary spacecraft for modeling of space weathering effects. Commonly red colors of low-inclination Classical Kuiper Belt Objects may be the result of specific compositional origin and spectral irradiation effects in the outer heliosphere. VEPO also enables easy comparison of flux spectra to check intercalibration issues.