SIDC Space weather services

Responsible person: Eva Robbrecht 

Overall description
The SIDC group is the World Data Center (WDC) for the Sunspot Index since 1981 and the Regional Warning Center (RWC) of the International Space Environment Service (ISES) for Western Europe since 2000. The SIDC group is actively involved in the ESA SWENET network. We monitor the solar and geomagnetic activity over time scales from the solar cycle (the sunspot index) down to real-time flaring alerts. Space weather messages are produced by a daily operator and by automated data processing. In the past years we have built up considerable IT infrastructure for the monitoring of solar activity (SWB), for the automated detection of coronal mass ejections (cactus, nemo) as well as for the logistic handling of incoming/outgoing space weather messages over the ISES network ('previmaster', products) and the collection of sunspot observations from stations worldwide (WOLF interface). The present work package deals with the maintenance, development and further expansion of the operational service of space weather monitoring, alerting and forecasting. 

Long Term Goal
In the US, space weather services are significantly ahead of Europe. The Space Weather Prediction Center (SPWC) operated by NOAA in Boulder is the reference for space weather services, also for European users. Our long term ambition is to grow into a European equivalent of the SPWC with complementary and/or improved services.