Data Management for the IHY-in-Africa Space Weather Program

During the past year an international group of scientists has been working towards coordinating space science activities in Africa. The intent of the IHY-in-Africa consortium is to increase the observational infrastructure in the African sector and leverage activities in other disciplines, in order to address compelling science questions under the IHY umbrella. Several GPS and magnetometer observing sites have already been secured and instruments are being deployed in African universities. Through the IHY framework, we propose to leverage GPS and magnetometer observations in the region by coordinating data acquisition, distribution, and research, and actively partnering with other disciplines. In particular, we seek to coordinate the new observations in Africa by establishing an IHY-in-Africa database, organize Space Weather Workshops in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2007 and 2009, and perform mid- and low- latitude ionospheric research in collaboration with scientists in African universities and our international collaborators. The NOAA National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) will be the central repository for Africa-in IHY datasets and will provide access to these data for IHY-in-Africa scientists and collaborators. Existing tools within the data center will be used for data presentation and dissemination.