HR: 1330h
AN: U23A-05    [Abstracts]
TI: Virtual Global Magnetic Observatory Network in Africa: Capacity Building for Electronic Geophysical Year
AU: * Famutimi, E O
EM: famuteo@umich.edu
AF: SPRL/AOSS, University of Michigan, 2455 Hayward St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 United States
AU: Papitashvili, V
EM: papita@umich.edu
AF: SPRL/AOSS, University of Michigan, 2455 Hayward St, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 United States
AB: The study of ground-based geomagnetic observations in Africa dated back to 1840 when data were collected at the Hobart observatory in South Africa. Available literature shows there were a total of thirty-five African stations with available geomagnetic data held at different data centers and institutions around the globe. Rather than an increase in the number of these stations, there has been a decline with some stations going into extinction. As of date, twenty-one (60 percent) of these stations are already closed, eleven are still opened and the status of three stations is unknown. The major problem an average African station faces is the absence of financial support to either install some new equipment or to maintain existing instruments. The Virtual Global Magnetic Observatory Network (VGMO.NET) as the name implies, is a virtual geomagnetic observatory that gives the user the power to have access to geomagnetic data at various data archives over the World Wide Web. It is specifically designed for geomagnetic data analysis and it can simulate a geomagnetic station right on your desktop. This paper examines the deployment of this system under the Electronic geophysical Year (eGY) initiative to some African institutions and the effect it may have in the development of the study of geomagnetism in the continent of Africa.
UR: http://mist.engin.umich.edu/vgmo.html
DE: 2194 Instruments and techniques
DE: 2494 Instruments and techniques
DE: 2794 Instruments and techniques
DE: 7594 Instruments and techniques
DE: 9305 Africa
SC: Union [U]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly