This paper describes the neural network (NN) application for the prediction of the total electron content (TEC) over Chumphon, an equatorial latitude station in Thailand. The studied period is based on the available data during the low-solar-activity period from 2005 to 2009. The single hidden layer feed-forward network with a back propagation algorithm is applied in this work. The input space of the NN includes the day number, hour number and sunspot number. An analysis was made by comparing the TEC from the neural network prediction (NN TEC), the TEC from an observation (GPS TEC) and the TEC from the IRI-2007 model (IRI-2007 TEC). To obtain the optimum NN for the TEC prediction, the root-mean-square error (RMSE) is taken into account. In order to measure the effectiveness of the NN, the normalized RMSE of the NN TEC computed from the difference between the NN TEC and the GPS TEC is investigated. The RMSE, and normalized RMSE, comparisons for both the NN model and the IRI-2007 model are described. Even with the constraint of a limited amount of available data, the results show that the proposed NN can predict the GPS TEC quite well over the equatorial latitude station.

We have analyzed the total electron content (TEC) derived from dual-frequency GPS receivers (GPS TEC) at the Chumpon station, Thailand, during the period [2004][2005][2006]. The diurnal, monthly, and seasonal variation in the measured TEC is compared with the TEC derived from the IRI-2007 model as well as the TEC obtained from the International GNSS service (IGS). To date, TEC data at equatorial latitudes are limited. The Chumphon station (10.72• N, 99.37• E) is located at the equatorial latitude and the dip latitude of 3• N. The TEC from the IRI-2007 model is based on the actual F 2 plasma frequency ( f o F 2 ) measurement. The results of our study show that the TEC derived from the IRI-2007 model agrees with the GPS TEC data mostly in the morning hours, but that it generally underestimates the GPS TEC. The maximum differences are about 15 TECU during the daytime and 5 TECU during the nighttime. The underestimation is more evident at daytime than at nighttime. The noon-bite out phenomena are clearly seen for the IRI-2007 TEC, but not on the IGS TEC and GPS TEC. The general underestimation of the IRI-2007 model can be explained from the exclusion of the plasmasphere, whereas the large difference during noon bite-outs is caused by the difference in the slab thickness in the ionosphere between the IRI-2007 model and the actual measurement. When compared with the TEC from the IGS model, the TEC measurements at Chumpon appear to be quite similar.

To reveal the temporal change of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) asymmetry, a multipoint satellite-ground beacon experiment was conducted along the meridional plane of the Thailand-Indonesia sector. The observation includes one station near the magnetic equator and four stations at off-equator latitudes. This is the first EIA asymmetry study with high spatial resolution using GNU Radio Beacon Receiver (GRBR) observations in Southeast Asia. GRBR-total electron contents (TECs) from 97 polar-orbit satellite passes in March 2012 were analyzed in this study. Successive passes captured rapid evolution of EIA asymmetry, especially during geomagnetic disturbances. The penetrating electric fields that occur during geomagnetic disturbed days are not the cause of the asymmetry. Instead, high background TEC associated with an intense electric field empowers the neutral wind to produce severe asymmetry of the EIA. Such rapid evolution of EIA asymmetry was not seen during nighttime, when meridional wind mainly controlled the asymmetric structures. Additional data are necessary to identify the source of the variations, i.e., atmospheric waves. Precisely capturing the locations of the crests and the evolution of the asymmetry enhances understanding of the temporal change of EIA asymmetry at the local scale and leads to a future local modeling for TEC prediction in Southeast Asia.

Total electron content (TEC) is an important parameter for revealing latitudinal ionospheric structures, such as the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) in Southeast Asia. Understanding the EIA is beneficial for studying equatorial spread F. To reveal the structures, the absolute TEC as a function of latitude must be accurately determined. In early 2012, we expanded a GNU Radio Beacon Receiver (GRBR) network to provide latitudinal coverage in the Thailand-Indonesia sector. We employed the GRBR network to receive VHF and UHF signals from polar low-Earth-orbit satellites. The TEC offset is an unknown parameter in the absolute TEC estimation process. We propose a new technique based on the two-station method to estimate the offset for the latitudinal TEC estimation, and it works better than the original method for a sparse network. The TEC estimation system requires two iterations to minimize the root-mean-square error (RMSE). Once the RMSE reaches the global minimum, the absolute TECs are estimated simultaneously over five GRBR stations. GPS-TECs from local stations are used as the initial guess of the offset estimation. The height of the ionospheric pierce point is determined from the ionosonde hmF2. As a result, the latitudinal GRBR-TEC was successfully estimated from the polar orbit satellites. The two EIA humps were clearly captured by the GRBR-TEC. The result was well verified with the TEC reconstructed from the C/NOFS density data and the ionosonde bottomside data. This is a significant step showing that the GRBR is a useful tool for the study of low-latitude ionospheric features.

Predawn plasma bubble was detected as deep plasma depletion by GNU Radio Beacon Receiver (GRBR) network and in situ measurement onboard Defense Meteorological Satellite Program F15 (DMSPF15) satellite and was confirmed by sparse GPS network in Southeast Asia. In addition to the deep depletion, the GPS network revealed the coexisting submesoscale irregularities. A deep depletion is regarded as a primary bubble. Submesoscale irregularities are regarded as secondary bubbles. Primary bubble and secondary bubbles appeared together as a cluster with zonal wavelength of 50 km. An altitude of secondary bubbles happened to be lower than that of the primary bubble in the same cluster. The observed pattern of plasma bubble cluster is consistent with the simulation result of the recent high‐resolution bubble (HIRB) model. This event is only a single event out of 76 satellite passes at nighttime during 3–25 March 2012 that significantly shows plasma depletion at plasma bubble wall. The inside structure of the primary bubble was clearly revealed from the in situ density data of DMSPF15 satellite and the ground‐based GRBR total electron content.