The International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) is the international standard for the specification of ionospheric densities and temperatures. It was developed and is being improved‐updated by a joint working group of the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) and the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). A new version of IRI is scheduled for release in the year 2000. This paper describes the most important changes compared to the current version of IRI: (1) an improved representation of the electron density in the region from the F peak down to the E peak including a better description of the F1 layer occurrence statistics and a more realistic description of the low‐latitude bottomside thickness, (2) inclusion of a model for storm‐time conditions, (3) inclusion of an ion drift model, (4) two new options for the electron density in the D region, and (5) an improved model for the topside electron temperatures. The outcome of the most recent IRI Workshops (Kühlungsborn, 1997, and Nagoya, 1998) will be reviewed, and the status of several ongoing task force activities (e.g., efforts to improve the representation of electron and ion densities in the topside ionosphere and the inclusion of a plasmaspheric extension) will be discussed. A few typical IRI applications will be highlighted in section 6.

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The paper presents the latest version of the International Reference Ionosphere model (IRI‐2016) describing the most important changes and improvements that were included with this version and discussing their impact on the IRI predictions of ionospheric parameters. IRI‐2016 includes two new model options for the F2 peak height hmF2 and a better representation of topside ion densities at very low and high solar activities. In addition, a number of smaller changes were made concerning the use of solar indices and the speedup of the computer program. We also review the latest developments toward a Real‐Time IRI. The goal is to progress from predicting climatology to describing the real‐time weather conditions in the ionosphere.

The International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) project was established jointly by the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) and the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) in the late sixties with the goal to develop an international standard for the specification of plasma parameters in the Earth's ionosphere. COSPAR needed such a specification for the evaluation of environmental effects on spacecraft and experiments in space, and URSI for radiowave propagation studies and applications. At the request of COSPAR and URSI, IRI was developed as a data-based model to avoid the uncertainty of theory-based models which are only as good as the evolving theoretical understanding. Being based on most of the available and reliable observations of the ionospheric plasma from the ground and from space, IRI describes monthly averages of electron density, electron temperature, ion temperature, ion composition, and several additional parameters in the altitude range from 60 km to 2000 km. A working group of about 50 international ionospheric experts is in charge of developing and improving the IRI model. Over time as new data became available and new modeling techniques emerged, steadily improved editions of the IRI model have been published. This paper gives a brief history of the IRI project and describes the latest version of the model, IRI-2012. It also briefly discusses efforts to develop a real-time IRI model. The IRI homepage is at http://IRImodel.org.

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Abstract. This paper gives a brief overview over the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) project and model. IRI is recognized as the official standard for the ionosphere by the International Standardization Organization (ISO), the International Union of Radio Science (URSI), the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR), and the European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECCS). Of great importance are the external drivers of the model that help IRI to represent ionospheric conditions as realistically as possible. The paper discusses the drivers currently used presents recent improvements and changes. Besides the standard solar, magnetic, and ionospheric indices the paper also reports on the adjustment of the model with data and equivalent indices and on the progress towards a Real-Time IRI using data assimilation. IRI has been widely validated with many different data sources and has fared very well in community wide assessment studies. We present some of these studies and document the wide usages of the model in the scientific literature. Finally, we present an outlook on things to come in IRI-2018 and thereafter.

Under the supervision of an international steering committee, basic data for establishing ionospheric profiles were gathered, critically reviewed, and used for establishing vertical profiles of the most important parameters of the ionosphere, namely, electron density, electron and ion temperature, and (positive) ion composition. The data sources used are described in detail, their reliability and coverage is discussed, and remaining problems are reviewed. The International Reference Ionosphere (1978) is to be published soon by URSI in the form of computer programs.