In a presentation at the 2024 European Space Weather Week conference in Coimbra, Portugal, next week, Jenny Knuth, a web application developer at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), will shine a spotlight on the exciting developments in space weather tools and their impact on our daily lives. Knuth’s talk, “Space Weather Applications for Operations, Science, and Society,” has been selected by conference organizers as a highlight of two sessions: “The Path from Models and Data to Operational Services” and “Space Weather Appcraft: From the Drawing Board to Delivery.”
As a member of the Data Systems group at LASP, Knuth collaborates with CU Boulder’s Space Weather Technology, Research, and Education Center (SWx TREC) to create user-friendly applications designed to make space weather data accessible to all, including a suite of innovative tools and model visualizations that empowers users to explore the latest space weather developments from their browser.
“Now that we are in a period of peak solar activity, I am hoping these tools can bring new insights to the data we have coming from the variety of instruments constantly monitoring our Sun,” Knuth said. “While aurorae are one of the most visible impacts of space weather, these tools can help people, from forecasters and scientists to the general public, view other impacts as well.”
As we enter the solar maximum of Solar Cycle 25, the applications are set to provide unprecedented visualizations of space weather events from “Sun to Mud”—from intense solar eruptions to their disruptive effects here on Earth. Users can examine phenomena like solar flares and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) and see their impacts on everything from satellite orbits to radio communications to electrical grids and navigation here on Earth.
Among the highlights of CU’s space weather tools is the Space Weather Data Portal, a pioneering resource developed through collaboration between SWx TREC and LASP, which was funded by CU Boulder’s Grand Challenge Initiative, “Our Space. Our Future.” Initially aimed at supporting researchers and students in navigating the vast array of space weather data scattered across various platforms, the portal has evolved into a tool for operational forecasters to retrospectively examine space weather events, displaying 194 different data products through a single web interface.
This innovation enables users to visualize relevant data without having to interface with hundreds of disparate space weather databases across the world. The portal is backed by LaTiS—a software library that implements a mathematical technique for describing and manipulating scientific datasets.
“Our Space Weather Data Portal is unique in allowing students, researchers, and operational forecasters a tool to explore all kinds of space weather data without the need to download the data first,” said SWx TREC Director Thomas Berger. “LASP’s LaTiS technology is the engine behind this innovation, and we are continually enabling easy web-based access to new space weather data sources using this powerful tool.”
SWx TREC’s innovative tools are making space weather data and the associated data-driven models more engaging and comprehensible than ever before, paving the way for a future where space weather is not just a concern for scientists but a topic of public interest and understanding for all. However, Knuth emphasizes the need for even more user-friendly applications.
“Increased space weather awareness is at our fingertips, but not yet fully realized,” Knuth said. “Space weather data can be more visible and useful with modern web technologies and when the scientific community adopts familiar design systems. Working with users to develop better tools should remain a focus for the space weather community and funding agencies.”
By Sara Pratt, LASP Senior Communications Specialist
Founded a decade before NASA, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder is on a mission to revolutionize human understanding of the cosmos by pioneering new technologies and approaches to space science. The institute is at the forefront of solar, planetary, and space physics research, climate and space-weather monitoring, and the search for evidence of habitable worlds. LASP is also deeply committed to inspiring and educating the next generation of space explorers. From the first exploratory rocket measurements of Earth’s upper atmosphere to trailblazing observations of every planet in the solar system, LASP continues to build on its remarkable history with a nearly $1 billion portfolio of new research and engineering programs, backed by superb data analysis, reliable mission operations, and skilled administrative support.