The performance of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers on Earth can be adversely affected by certain ‘Space Weather’ phenomena (whose occurrence is usually related to the 11-year solar cycle). Solar Cycle 25 will peak in 2024/2025 and its effects will increasingly impact GNSS positioning, especially precise GNSS positioning.
Scintillation is a space weather phenomenon affecting users in mainly tropical and polar areas. Scintillations can cause sporadic loss-of-lock on satellites, resulting in the receiver being unable to calculate a reliable position.
The following resources explain the phenomenon and mitigations that can be put in place to minimise the likelihood of scintillations interrupting operations.
Fugro is trialling a scintillation prediction service, contact your account manager for more details.