Table of Contents: 
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1. COSPAR-IAA abstract submission deadline extended until 13th May
2. Vertical Total Electron Content Maps available from DLR Institute for 
   Communication and Navigation
3. SIDC Questionnaire
4. News from URSI Commission G
5. Book Announcement: Storms from the Sun - The Emerging Science of
   Space Weather
6. Some ESA Tender Actions from ESA/EMITS
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   \"/          *                                            SPACE WEATHER 
 = + =             ( >Q< -)-_ - _ ) -_                EURO NEWS 
    /"\      *                                                        S*W*E*N 
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                                       Send all contributions to: 
                                            #swen@esa.int

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1.  COSPAR-IAA abstract submission deadline extended until 13th May
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From: Alexi Glover 

Please note that the abstract submission deadline for the joint COSPAR-
IAA Session on Space Weather: Research and Applications of the 2002 
World Space Congress, Houston Texas has been extended until 13th May 2002.

For more information about this session, please visit the following sites:
http://www.estec.esa.nl/wmwww/wma/spweather/wsc
http://www.copernicus.org/COSPAR/COSPAR.html

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2. Vertical Total Electron Content Maps available from DLR Institute for 
   Communication and Navigation
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From: Norbert Jakowski

I would like to draw your attention on two web links established by DLR/Institute for 
Communication and Navigation that provide the vertical total electron content (TEC) 
over the European area:
http://www.kn.nz.dlr.de/daily/tec-eu/
and over the Northern polar cap (lat. > 50 deg):
 http://www.kn.nz.dlr.de/daily/tec-np/
The TEC data are computed from ground based GPS measurements obtained from the
global GPS station network of the International GPS Service (IGS). The maps are 
produced by assimilating the data into regional TEC models especially developed for 
the European and the polar region, respectively.

We have established a permanent service that computes these maps from the previous 
day in the early morning hours.

More general information on TEC map generation is available at http://www.kn.nz.dlr.de/

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3. SIDC Questionnaire
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From: David Berghmans

The 'Solar Influences Data analysis Center' (SIDC) combines the status of a Regional 
Warning Center of the ISES, as well as a World Data Center of the FAGS. As such, 
space weather products are send daily to a few hundred registered users. These products 
include fast alerts of significant events, daily forecasts of solar and geomagnetic activity  and
weekly and monthly reviews.

In order to improve our services, a questionnaire was issued some weeks ago among our 
users. The goal of this questionnaire is to probe the user satisfaction and to collect user 
expectations and requirements that arecurrently not satisfied. This information will help us 
setting out a further development program of the SIDC services.

We now also want to open this questionnaire outside our user community. By answering a 
few questions you can make sure that the SIDC evolves as a useful service for your 
applications. The questionnaire can be found on the SIDC homepage:
http://sidc.oma.be, third link in the menu; 
or go directly to 
http://sidc.oma.be/questionnaire.html. 
Thanks for your time/effort.

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4. NEWS FROM URSI COMMISSION G
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From: Paul Cannon

There has been some background discussion in URSI Commission G which indicates that it 
might be useful to inaugurate a new WG - perhaps jointly with another Commission, focused 
on Ionospheric Research to Support Radio Systems. The full list of Commission G Working 
Groups can be found at http://www.intec.rug.ac.be/URSI/Gwgs.html.

The terms of reference (TORs)  of the new WG will need to be agreed but might  include
ionospheric research to improve the operation of the following systems:
  a. Communications - LF, MF and HF skywave radio, especially
      digitally modulated systems such as those embodied within the new
      Digital Radio Mondiale system.
  b. Radars/ surveillance -  including HF over the horizon, space-based
      radars and ground based radars.
  c. Navigation - including GNSS, GPS etc and various augmentation
      systems

The research activities of the Group might include:
  a. ray tracing
  b. scintillation measurement and modelling
  c. space weather/ ionospheric forecasting
  d. ionospheric specification
  e. sensor integration for ionospheric specification
  f. channel modelling

The purpose of the WG might include:
  a. exchange of code and modelling techniques
  b. integration of space weather resources
  c. a better understanding of the engineering utility of our research
  d. sponsorship of meetings and sessions at the General Assembly.

Further details can be obtained from

Prof. Paul Cannon
Technical Director, Communications Department.
Centre for RF Propagation and Atmospheric Research (CPAR)
QinetiQ, Malvern, WR14 3PS, UK
tel: +44 (0)1684-896468   fax: +44 (0)1684-895241
Mobile:+44 (0)7990-564772
Centre web site: http://www.cpar.qinetiq.com
email at Bath University: p.s.cannon@bath.ac.uk

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5.  Book Announcement: Storms from the Sun - The Emerging Science of Space Weather. 
**********************************************************************
From: Mike Carlowicz, Ramon Lopez 

We would like to announce the release of our popular science book, "Storms from the Sun -- 
The Emerging Science of Space Weather." Published by The Joseph Henry Press (trade arm 
of the National Academy Press), "Storms" is a 234-page, 11-chapter, color-illustrated account 
of the physics, history, and potential impacts of space weather.

Written for the non-scientist, "Storms from the Sun" is intended as a broad introduction to an
intriguing subject, not the definitive, comprehensive work that tells the whole truth. Our book
is an attempt to pull the Sun and Earth into the same field of view, to reveal our planet and our
star as part of an interconnected system that brings a lot more to our life than just daylight and 
sunburns.

We would like to thank James Van Allen for writing a thoughtful and generous foreword to 
the book, and Dan Baker for a critical and helpful review. We owe a lifetime of gratitude to the 
dozens of SPA colleagues who shared their time, insight, data, critical reviews, and imagery. 
We hope the book represents our field well to the general public.

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6. Some ESA Tender Actions from ESA EMITS 
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 AO4071 SPACE SURVEILLANCE
    (From 06/05/2002 to 17/06/2002, Act.Ref.: 01.112.04) 

AO4063 APPLICATION OF STEP TECHNOLOGY FOR SPACE ENVIRONMENT TOOLS
    (From 15/04/2002 to 10/06/2002, Act.Ref.: 01.1EM.16) 

AO4059 VULNERABILITY OF SPACECRAFT EQUIPMENT AGAINST SPACE DEBRIS IMPACTS
    (From 22/04/2002 to 14/06/2002, Act.Ref.: 01.127.18) 

AO3664 SPACECRAFT CHARGING EXPERIMENT
    (From 08/04/2002 to 03/06/2002, Act.Ref.: 99.1XE.04) 

For a complete list of ESA Tender Actions, see:
  http://emits.esa.int

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Note: This newsletter is an initiative of the ESA Space Environments
and Effects Analysis Section ( http://www.estec.esa.nl/wmwww/wma) and
is a prototype mailing list intended to provide a forum for information
posting news of interest to the Space Weather community in Europe.

- SWEN contact group (keeping SWEN informed of news from other channels)
  is currently:

  Eamonn Daly, ESA (excluding science programme)
  Richard Marsden, ESA science programme
  Maurizio Candidi, CNR
  Paul Cannon, URSI-Commission G
  Mike Hapgood,  EGS
  Hannu Koskinen, SCOSTEP working group on Space weather
  Pierre Lantos, Observatory of Paris Meudon
  Henrik Lundstedt, Lund space weather center
  Goetz Paschmann, ISSI
  Jean-Yves Prado, CNES Programme Directorate
  Michael Rycroft, ISU
  Volker Bothmer, EGS-Solar Physics Secretary
  Wolfgang Baumjohann, IWF Graz, Austria
  Jinbin Cao, Chinese Space Weather Activity Representative
  Barbara Poppe, NOAA Space Environment Centre
  William Liu, Canadian Space Agency.

- SWEN archives are currently available on:

http://www.estec.esa.nl/wmwww/wma/spweather/SWEN/swen.html

http://www.lund.irf.se/HeliosHome/SWEN/spweuro.html
 

- Replies and submissions to this newsletter are welcomed and should be
  sent to:

  #swen@esa.int

- To subscribe to the newsletter send your email address
  to:

  #swen@esa.int

- Please update your e-mail address in the event of a change.
  Please send both your new and old e-mail address to the editor
  to ease updating of your file.

- We look forward to receiving your input.

  SWEN editor:

  Alexi Glover

  Co-Editor:

  Nadine Hoffmann

  SWEN manager:

  Alain Hilgers
===============
#swen@esa.int
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