Plots with positioning data during the geomagnetic storm

The news have been reporting hightened solar activity in various regions across the world. This is due to the fact that the sun is at the peak of its 11-year solar cycle. Auroras have been spotted in unusual places including Belgium in May and then again during early October 2024. Such "extreme" geomagnetic storms are known to disrupt high radio frequencies, GPS signals, power grids, and much more.

Since Septentrio headquarters are located in Belgium, the engineers took the opportunity to test the IONO+ ionospheric mitigation algorithms of Septentrio receivers. The results show that receivers were able to keep RTK (Real Time Kinematic) high accuracy positioning during the G5 geomagnetic storm. During the very peak of the storm a slight degradation in vertical accuracy was observed, but remained within the decimeter range. Centimeter-level accuracy was recovered after the peak of the storm has passed.

Below is a plot which shows vertical and horizontal positioning errors of a Septentrio receiver during May 10th and 11th.

The plot below shows the vertical and the horizontal error during May 12 as the geomagnetic storm continued into the weekend. It is visible that the vertical accuracy is slightly disturbed during the period of higher solar activity, but still remains within the decimeter range.

This data confirms Septentrio's dedication to providing the most robust GNSS receivers for industrial operations even in the most challenging environments.

Learn more about IONO+ Ionospheric scintillation monitoring and mitigation and find out how strong solar activity affects GNSS signals as they pass through the Earth's ionosphere. Discover various high-quality GNSS receivers offered by Septentrio.

Related insight article: Solar wind blows GNSS off course

Related news articles: Brussels Times and poollicht.be.