Continued Development and Validation of the USU GAIM Models

We developed two physics-based data assimilation models of the ionosphere under a program called Global Assimilation of Ionospheric Measurements GAIM. One of the data assimilation models is now in operational use at the Air Force Weather Agency AFWA in Omaha, NE. The GAIM models assimilate bottom-side Ne profiles from ionosondes, slant TEC from ground GPSTEC stations, in situ Ne from four DMSP satellites, occultation data, and line-of-sight UV emissions measured by satellites. The project involved 1 Test assimilation strategies for the SSULI UV data in an effort to mitigate the noise problem 2 Assimilate GUVI UV data, which is a new data source that will be available at AFWA 3 Assimilate UV data from the Tiny Ionospheric Photometer TIP on the 6 COSMIC satellites 4 Continue validation of the Gauss-Markov model in collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory and 5 Continue testing and perfecting the driver determining algorithms in the Full Physics GAIM model. We also were to deliver new versions of the operational models to AFWA as the models are upgraded and new data are assimilated.