Professional Surveying Space Weather Report

Surveying Operations Impact Assessment
Generated: 2025-12-19 00:56:59 UTC

Executive Summary

Overall Threat Level

MODERATE

Confidence Level

MODERATE

Key Findings

  • Geomagnetic activity unsettled with Kp up to 3-4, below storm levels
  • Solar activity low with minimal flare risk (15% M-class)
  • Ionospheric disturbances may moderately degrade GNSS accuracy, especially at high latitudes

Current Space Weather Conditions

Solar Activity

LOW
ParameterValue
Solar Flux (10.7cm)115 sfu
Active Regions7 regions with mostly simple magnetic types (alpha/beta)
Flare Probability15% for M-class, 1% for X-class

Geomagnetic Activity

UNSETTLED
ParameterValue
Kp Indexcurrent Kp ~3, forecast range 1-3 over next 3 days
Planetary A Indexcurrent A=10, forecast 5-10 over next 3 days

Space Weather Storms

Storm TypeCurrent StatusForecast
Geomagnetic StormsNo active storms; G1 occurred on Dec 18, quiet to unsettled forecasted-
Solar Radiation StormsBelow S1 thresholds, no storms expected (1% probability)-
Radio BlackoutsSlight chance for R1-R2 events (15% probability), no current blackouts-

Geomagnetic Activity Trends - Last 7 Days

Hp30 and ap30 geomagnetic activity indices for the last 7 days

Graph Statistics

ParameterValue
Data Points337
Period2025-12-12 23:30 UTC to 2025-12-19 23:30 UTC
Max Hp305.67
Max ap3067 nT

Activity Levels

Quiet: Hp30 ≤ 2.5, ap30 ≤ 7 nT
Unsettled: Hp30 2.5-4.0, ap30 7-15 nT
Active: Hp30 4.0-6.0, ap30 15-30 nT
Storm: Hp30 ≥ 6.0, ap30 ≥ 30 nT

Data Source: GFZ Helmholtz Centre Potsdam - Geomagnetic Observatory Niemegk
Note: Hp30 and ap30 indices provide high-resolution (30-minute) measurements of geomagnetic activity.

Solar F10.7 Flux - Last 30 Days

F10.7 solar flux for the last 30 days

Graph Statistics

ParameterValue
Data Points30
Period2025-11-19 20:00 UTC to 2025-12-18 20:00 UTC
Current F10.7116.0 sfu
Max F10.7220.0 sfu
Mean F10.7150.3 sfu

Activity Levels

Very Low: 60-80 sfu
Low: 80-120 sfu
Moderate: 120-160 sfu
High: 160-200 sfu
Very High: >200 sfu

Data Source: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC)
Note: F10.7 cm solar flux is a key indicator of solar activity and ionospheric conditions affecting surveying GNSS accuracy.

Surveying Operations Impact Assessment

Positioning Accuracy

MODERATE Risk

Affected Regions: Global, Higher impact at high latitudes

Expected Impact: Ionospheric delays and scintillation may introduce errors in GNSS signal propagation, reducing precision

Accuracy Degradation: 1-3 centimeters expected

RTK GNSS Performance

MODERATE impact

Initialization Time: Possible delays of 5-10 minutes due to increased ionospheric variability

Network RTK Stability: Moderately stable; correction networks may experience intermittent latency or errors

Survey Operations

Recommended Methods:

  • static
  • network_rtk

Session Duration: Increase static session times by 20-30% to mitigate noise

Quality Control:

  • Perform additional baseline redundancy checks
  • Use dual-frequency GNSS data for ionospheric correction

Surveying Operations Recommendations

Immediate Actions

  • Monitor NOAA SWPC space weather alerts for updates
  • Verify GNSS receiver settings are optimized for ionospheric correction (e.g., enable dual-frequency)
  • Schedule high-precision surveys during local daytime when ionospheric conditions are more stable

Survey Planning

  • Avoid critical, high-accuracy surveys during unsettled geomagnetic periods (Kp >3)
  • Prefer post-processing kinematic (PPK) methods for flexibility in data correction

Equipment Considerations

  • Use dual-frequency GNSS receivers to minimize ionospheric errors
  • Ensure antenna positioning is optimized to reduce multipath effects

Field Crew Guidance

  • Conduct frequent data quality checks during surveys, especially for RTK initialization
  • Have backup survey methods (e.g., total station) ready in case of GNSS degradation

Risk Timeline

Next 24 Hours

MODERATE Risk
  • Continued unsettled geomagnetic conditions with possible active periods
  • Low solar activity with slight flare risk

Next 3 Days

LOW Risk
  • Geomagnetic conditions expected to quiet to quiet levels by Dec 21
  • Minimal solar flare activity forecasted

Extended Outlook

MODERATE Risk
  • No items specified