The applicability of advanced ionosondes to the IRI Original Research Article

The ionosonde has evolved from the early analog film-recording depictor of the ionosphere, into a precision diagnositic instrument. Contemporary monitoring ionosondes occupy an intermediate niche in this evolution. Some of these present digital ionogram images to interpretation experts who use the conveniences of digital data presentation to identify and record parameter values. This approach can improve parameter precision, but it remains as labor intensive as in the days of film recording. Other monitoring in accuracy compared to manual analysis. The reduction in accuracy is often unquantified, which can introduce unknown errors into the IRI and other ionosphere models. Autoscaling algorithms have not succeeded to duplicate expert judgments because, in part, of the limited information available from contemporary monitoring instruments. Advanced digital ionosondes can make up this difference, and much more, with precision measurements of all available echo properties. Automated data reduction algorithms can use these measurements to improve the accuracy and continuity of established parameters, and to develop new diagnostic capabilities for a wider variety of ionospheric properties. These improvements are essential for the continuing development of ionospheric models such as the IRI.