Space weather is an inherently international matter. Solar and magnetic storms affect large regions of the Earth simultaneously and equatorial ionospheric disturbances occur routinely around the world. It is therefore appropriate for the United Nations to promote improvements in space weather modelling and forecasting for the benefit of all nations.
The International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI) was launched in 2009 and has developed research capacities in the scientific disciplines of Sun-Earth relations and space weather in many countries around the world. ISWI has established a platform that takes a bottom-up approach in order to produce space weather-literate communities, in particular in developing countries, enabling those communities to work together as a network to share ideas, information and data and to develop joint projects.
ISWI has enabled scientists to use global navigation satellite system data in studies on space weather. These data have brought together scientists from various disciplines (such as seismology, the ionosphere and the atmosphere) to work in the field of space weather and have made it possible to apply the fundamental physics of Sun-Earth relations to everyday life, which is of great importance to policymakers.
All achievements of international cooperation and coordination for ISWI, including instrumentation, data analysis, modelling, education, training, and public outreach, are made available through the ISWI Newsletter and the ISWI Website ( https://www.iswi-secretariat.org/)
The United Nations/Germany Workshop on the International Space Weather Initiative: Preparing for the Solar Maximum will be held in Neustrelitz, from 10 to 14 June 2024. This workshop is being organized by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA). The workshop is supported by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and by the International Committee on Global Navigation Satellite Systems (ICG).
The main objectives of this workshop are to continue efforts in the deployment of instruments in developing countries and interpretation of space weather data; to focus on new research results and findings; and at the same time aim at strengthening international coordination and cooperation on space weather products and services.
The workshop will provide ample time for discussion open to all participants, and networking opportunities, as well as to address in-depth questions and answers on specific topics unique to a particular region.
The expected outcomes of the workshop will be recommendations for improved collection, exchange, and delivery of space weather data, as well as improved operational analysis, modelling and forecasting methods through the promotion of best practices, suggestions of means to improve accuracy, reliability, and interoperability.
The discussions at the workshop will also be linked to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and to its targets set out for Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The workshop will contribute to:
The programme of the workshop will include a series of technical presentations addressing the following topics:
A poster session will also be organized to allow speakers and participants to present their ideas and to share them with the other participants. The posters will be grouped by subject and authors will be at the posters for one of the two afternoon poster sessions according to the schedule in the programme.
Proceedings of the United Nations/Germany Workshop on the International Space Weather Initiative: Preparing for the Solar Maximum will be published by Springer soon after the workshop. The Proceedings book will highlight the current status of global space weather research, especially in developing countries. All participants are invited to prepare and submit their manuscripts using the template that will be provided before the start of the workshop. The manuscript length is 6 pages for invited papers and 4 pages for contributed papers and poster papers. All manuscripts will be peer-reviewed and submitted to the publisher by 30 September 2024. The proceedings book will be edited by the workshop conveners.