Low latitude ionospheric response to March 2015 geomagnetic storm using multi-instrument TEC observations over India

The regional ionospheric models are successful in capturing the variability of ionosphere with the inclusion of local ground-based GPS observations and location dependent ionospheric dynamics. In this context, there is a need to develop regional ionospheric maps that aids in improving the consistency of global models. In this paper, an attempt is made to understand the potentiality of multi-instrument observations over Indian region. Four different Total Electron Content (TEC) data sources namely from network of GPS receivers, Ionosonde stations, space based COSMIC radio occultation profiles and SWARM mission data is utilized. The multi-source data is chosen for the geo-magnetic storm conditions prevailed during March 2015. Data from multiple-sources is observed over the period from 15th March 2015 to 20th March 2015. Validation of ground and space-based TEC data with International GNSS service (IGS) station data is significantly observed.