Modeling of ionospheric TEC corrections based on modified mapping function and Gram–Schmidt orthogonalization at low latitude region

The ionospheric medium is the primary source of error for signals from the Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites. Modeling ionospheric effects is one of the main challenges in developing accurate and reliable services for Space-Based Augmentation Systems. The Mapping Function (MF) and the estimation of the model coefficients are an essential parameter in the aspects of ionospheric modeling. In the present study, a Planar Fit (PF) model is considered to model the ionospheric Total Electron Content (TEC). The Ionosphere observations (GPS-TEC) obtained directly from the GPS receiver at Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF)-Guntur (16.44° N, 80.62° E) station and are used as reference values for comparison during the period 2015. The PF model is two-fold: first, the ionospheric line-of-sight TEC is converted into vertical TEC (vTEC) based on the Modified Mapping Function (MMF), and secondly, the PF coefficients are estimated based on the Gram–Schmidt Orthogonalization (GSO). The performance of the model is tested under quiet and disturbed ionosphere conditions and for different months of the year. The PF model values are in good agreement with the GPS-TEC values for the scenarios considered. The Average Absolute Error (AAE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) values are maximum in equinoxes (March and October) and moderate in winter (January and December) and minimum in summer months (July and August). The PF model is adequate for characterizing the low-latitude ionospheric characteristics in different space weather conditions. The results would support towards the development of regional ionosphere models for navigation users under the GAGAN/NavIC system in India.