Expressions of Intent for IPY 2007-2008 Activities

Expression of Interest Details

PROPOSAL INFORMATION

INTERNATIONAL HELIOPHYSICAL YEAR  (IHY)

Outline
The overarching IHY objective is to discover the physical mechanisms at work which couple the Earth to events in the heliosphere. It has been obvious for some time that events on the Sun can affect geospace, and even the Earth's climate. The systematic global study of this connection is to be the central IHY theme and provides an obvious focus on the poles, consistent with the goals of IPY. An IHY/IPY affiliation is to be exploited. The IHY project is underway and is described in detail at http://ihy.gsfc.nasa.gov. It is envisioned as an international project with the following objectives:· To obtain a coordinated set of benchmark observations to study on heliophysical scales, the solar-generated events which affect life and climate on Earth· To document and report these observations, and provide a forum for the development of new scientific results utilizing these observations· To foster international cooperation in the study of Heliophysical phenomena now and in the future· To communicate the unique scientific results of the IHY to the scientific community as well as to the world populationAn International Steering Committee will coordinate all IHY activities, through three Science Working Groups with the following major thrusts:(i) Coordination of Scientific Campaigns One SWG team will review community proposals for IHY campaigns, will coordinate the input from spacecraft/observatory representatives, and maintain the observing and campaign schedule. (ii) Scientific Meetings and PublicationsOne SWG team will arrange for the communication of scientific results to the broader science community, through meetings and coordination of campaign activities. (iii) Public OutreachThe third group is responsible for increasing public awareness of IHY activities, through the publication of newsletters, maintaining the website(s), writing articles, coordinating media affairs, and developing outreach products. The basic mechanism for the implementation of the IHY concept is set up so that the grass-roots scientist can propose, lead and exploit campaigns that they have suggested. This is done through individuals leading the suggestion of campaigns through a proposal scheme, and the SWGs working with observatory reps to determine the feasibility and merit of the proposed observations and then implementing the campaigns. Specific implementation of the objectives of the IHY will be defined at a series of workshops. Several preliminary meetings have already been held and a number are planned. Regional workshops will be convened to begin to define the scientific programmes to be accomplished within the IHY framework. The IHY will provide a unique opportunity to coordinate observations from the impressive fleet of current and planned international space missions, with data from solar ground based observatories ground based auroral observatories, neutron monitor observations, magnetic field observatories, ionospheric, meteorological, and other atmospheric observatories. Unprecedented, simultaneous observations with broad coverage of associated solar, heliospheric, geospace, and atmospheric phenomena will be obtained. The resulting data will allow global studies of the complete Sun-Earth system, and provide a cost-effective way to enhance scientific return from new and existing resources.

What significant advance(s) in relation to the IPY themes and targets can be anticipated from this project?
Utilising the available fleet of spacecraft in an unprecedented set of campaigns, in conjunction with ground-based systems, will undoubtedly provide significant advances in solar-terrestrial physics research. Modelled on the successful inter-instrument and inter-spacecraft observations now used commonly by the solar community, in particular, we anticipate a significantly better understanding of the impact of heliophysical events mainly through a better exploitation of available instrumentation. In addition, the scheme allows all individuals in the science community to propose and run campaigns and in this way, IHY is an enabling activity. The IHY as such will consist of a large set of campaigns, defined by the community and, thus, the specific outcomes cannot be predicted at this time. However, they will be community-led and science-led because of the way IHY has been set up.

What international collaboration is involved in this project?
By definition, IHY involves the coordination and collaboration of numerous instruments aboard spacecraft from NASA, ESA, ISAS etc… as well as ground-based systems in many countries. Coordinators or contacts for many have already been appointed and listed. The IHY committee includes individuals from the USA and UK and a number of international representatives have been established. Meetings have occurred in the USA (e.g. AGU, COSPAR) and in Europe (e.g. EGU). Regional workshops are being defined and some have occurred already. IHY is an international collaboration already.

FIELD ACTIVITY DETAILS

Geographical location(s) for the proposed field activities:
Spacecraft observations can be coordinated through existing centres in Europe, the USA, Japan etc… and can involve campaign coordinator visits or be done remotely through established procedures. Dedicated ground-based observations will require specific proposal and operational procedures, some requiring site visits for the campaigns. The emphasis is on the coordination of established space-based and ground-based systems and so special field-work is required. However, some proposals may require the deployment of specific instruments in the field and such proposals would be dealt with on a case by case basis.

Approximate timeframe(s) for proposed field activities:
Arctic: See 2.1            
Antarctic: See 2.1            

Significant facilities will be required for this project:
IHY is mainly a coordination of established facilities in space and on the ground. Thus, the infrastructure exists, at least for most activities anticipated. The main support tools will be the Web-based proposal/coordination facility and the working group structure – these could, in principle, be continued after the IHY.

Will the project leave a legacy of infrastructure?
See 2.3

How is it envisaged that the required logistic support will be secured?
National agency
Own support
Other sources of support

IHY would be supported by various means which may differ from country to country. In many countries proposals to exploit IHY would go through normal proposal channels to existing funding bodies (e.g. PPARC in the UK) but in others a dedicated fund may be established and administered from a central group (e.g. USA).

Has the project been "endorsed" at a national or international level?
Yes, The project has been endorsed by COSPAR (http://www.cosparhq.org), by the IAU, and by the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs. The latter has dedicated its UN Basic Space Science Initiative (UNBSSI) (an initiative to involve developing countries) to IHY (see http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/SAP/bss/ihy2007/index.html). IHY is recognised by both PPARC in the UK and by NASA, though there is no formal endorsement. An IHY meeting in the UK was held at the RAS in 2003. A UK Web site exist at www.ihy.rl.ac.uk, which augments to USA Web site.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND STRUCTURE

Is the project a short-term expansion (over the IPY 2007-2008 timeframe) of an existing plan, programme or initiative or is it a new autonomous proposal?

IHY is a new project planned for 2007, though planning has been building up over the last 3-4 years. It is autonomous in that it will continue with or without affiliation within IPY but it is felt that IHY should be part of IPY, for the benefit of both.

How will the project be organised and managed?
The organisation of IHY is outlined at the Website ihy.gsfc.nasa.gov. The IHY chairman is Dr Joe Davila (Goddard Space Flight Center, USA). There is a small committee of 7 people from the USA and UK who have met on numerous occasions. A large group of national representatives already establishes, as does a list of contacts for the instruments involved. The planned organisation, including the Science Working Group structure and tasks, is outlined at the Web site.

What are the initial plans of the project for addressing the education, outreach and communication issues outlined in the Framework document?
One of the three Working Groups will be responsible for outreachy and educational issues and already published newsletters, maintains the Web site etc… The task of this group is outlined at the Web site. Such a large coordination of space activities has great outreach potential and this should be exploited fully.

What are the initial plans of the project to address data management issues (as outlined in the Framework document)?
IHY is mainly a coordination of existing hardware and, thus, we plan to utilise existing archive facilities and software. GRID technology will be valuable in bringing the components of major campaigns together. Thus, much of the required data management is either already established or is under development at this time.

How is it proposed to fund the project?
Funding will vary from country to country. For some countries we anticipate IHY endorsement which will have a role in proposal selection from individuals who wish to be involved, whereas in other countries we expect dedicated funds to be administered by a central group. Since the project makes use of existing instrumentation, the costs are not too high and funding agencies should see IHY as a method for better exploitation of existing facilities.

Is there additional information you wish to provide?
For details see ihy.gsfc.nasa.gov or the UK Web site at www.ihy.rl.ac.uk.

PROPOSER DETAILS

Professor Richard Harrison
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Space Science and Technology Department
Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire
OX11 0QX
UK

Tel: (+44) 1235 44 6884
Mobile:
Fax: (+44) 1235 44 5848
Email:

Other project members and their affiliation

Other Information