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Title: Aurorasaurus database of real-time, crowd-sourced aurora data for space weather research

Abstract

This work documents the details of Aurorasaurus citizen science data for the period spanning 2015 and 2016 as well as its routine data filtering protocols. Aurorasaurus citizen science data is a collection of auroral sightings submitted to the project via its website or apps and mined from social media. It is a robust data set and particularly abundant during strong geomagnetic storms when auroral precipitation models have the highest uncertainty. This data is offered to the scientific community for use through an open-access database in its raw and scientific formats, each of which is described in detail in this technical report. Furthermore, by demonstrating its scientific utility, we aim to encourage its integration into auroral research.

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [3];  [4]
+ Show Author Affiliations
  1. The Catholic Univ. of America, Washington, DC (United States); NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States); New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States); New Mexico Consortium, Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  3. Lancaster Univ. (United Kingdom)
  4. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE; National Science Foundation (NSF); National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA); Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) (United Kingdom)
OSTI Identifier:
1484671
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-18-29919
Journal ID: ISSN 2333-5084
Grant/Contract Number:  
89233218CNA000001; 1344296; ST/M001059/1
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Earth and Space Science
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 5; Journal Issue: 12; Journal ID: ISSN 2333-5084
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union (AGU)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 96 KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND PRESERVATION; aurora; dataset; citizen science; space weather

Citation Formats

Kosar, B. C., MacDonald, Elizabeth A., Case, Nathan A., and Heavner, Matthew. Aurorasaurus database of real-time, crowd-sourced aurora data for space weather research. United States: N. p., 2018. Web. doi:10.1029/2018EA000454.
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Kosar, B. C., MacDonald, Elizabeth A., Case, Nathan A., & Heavner, Matthew. Aurorasaurus database of real-time, crowd-sourced aurora data for space weather research. United States. doi:10.1029/2018EA000454.
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Kosar, B. C., MacDonald, Elizabeth A., Case, Nathan A., and Heavner, Matthew. Tue . "Aurorasaurus database of real-time, crowd-sourced aurora data for space weather research". United States. doi:10.1029/2018EA000454. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1484671.
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@article{osti_1484671,
title = {Aurorasaurus database of real-time, crowd-sourced aurora data for space weather research},
author = {Kosar, B. C. and MacDonald, Elizabeth A. and Case, Nathan A. and Heavner, Matthew},
abstractNote = {This work documents the details of Aurorasaurus citizen science data for the period spanning 2015 and 2016 as well as its routine data filtering protocols. Aurorasaurus citizen science data is a collection of auroral sightings submitted to the project via its website or apps and mined from social media. It is a robust data set and particularly abundant during strong geomagnetic storms when auroral precipitation models have the highest uncertainty. This data is offered to the scientific community for use through an open-access database in its raw and scientific formats, each of which is described in detail in this technical report. Furthermore, by demonstrating its scientific utility, we aim to encourage its integration into auroral research.},
doi = {10.1029/2018EA000454},
journal = {Earth and Space Science},
number = 12,
volume = 5,
place = {United States},
year = {2018},
month = {11}
}
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Journal Article:
Free Publicly Available Full Text
Publisher's Version of Record
DOI:  10.1029/2018EA000454
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Cited by: 1 work
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Figures / Tables:

Table 1: Part 1 Table 1: Part 1: Description of data attributes found in raw T- and PVT-files. Raw and cleaned version of PVT-file headers are identical to each other and they are a subset of column headers found in T-file with four additional fields. The distinction between T- and PVT-files is demonstrated inmore » the last column.« less
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Works referenced in this record:

Statistical characterization of the growth and spatial scales of the substorm onset arc
journal, October 2015

  • Kalmoni, N. M. E.; Rae, I. J.; Watt, C. E. J.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, Vol. 120, Issue 10
  • DOI: 10.1002/2015ja021470

Determining the Accuracy of Crowdsourced Tweet Verification for Auroral Research
journal, November 2016

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Aurorasaurus: A citizen science platform for viewing and reporting the aurora: AURORASAURUS
journal, September 2015

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  • Space Weather, Vol. 13, Issue 9
  • DOI: 10.1002/2015sw001214

On the Origin of STEVE: Particle Precipitation or Ionospheric Skyglow?
journal, August 2018

  • Gallardo‐Lacourt, B.; Liang, J.; Nishimura, Y.
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  • DOI: 10.1029/2018gl078509

Diffuse, monoenergetic, and broadband aurora: The global precipitation budget: GLOBAL PRECIPITATION BUDGET
journal, September 2009

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  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, Vol. 114, Issue A9
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Using citizen science reports to define the equatorial extent of auroral visibility
journal, March 2016

  • Case, N. A.; MacDonald, E. A.; Viereck, R.
  • Space Weather, Vol. 14, Issue 3
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An empirical Kp-dependent global auroral model based on TIMED/GUVI FUV data
journal, June 2008

A case study comparing citizen science aurora data with global auroral boundaries derived from satellite imagery and empirical models
journal, October 2018

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OVATION Prime-2013: Extension of auroral precipitation model to higher disturbance levels: OVATION Prime 2013
journal, June 2014

Evaluation of OVATION Prime as a forecast model for visible aurorae: OVATION PRIME FOR VISIBLE AURORA FORECASTS
journal, March 2012

  • Machol, Janet L.; Green, Janet C.; Redmon, Robert J.
  • Space Weather, Vol. 10, Issue 3
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Ionospheric Sounding Using Real-Time Amateur Radio Reporting Networks: FRISSELL ET AL.
journal, December 2014

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Ionospheric tomography using ADS-B signals
journal, July 2014

Mapping auroral activity with Twitter
journal, May 2015

  • Case, N. A.; MacDonald, E. A.; Heavner, M.
  • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 42, Issue 10
  • DOI: 10.1002/2015gl063709

Observational evidence for an inside-out substorm onset scenario
journal, January 2009

A statistical model of auroral electron precipitation
journal, January 1985

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  • DOI: 10.1029/ja090ia05p04229

A statistical model of auroral ion precipitation
journal, January 1989

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  • Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 94, Issue A1
  • DOI: 10.1029/ja094ia01p00370

New science in plain sight: Citizen scientists lead to the discovery of optical structure in the upper atmosphere
journal, March 2018

  • MacDonald, Elizabeth A.; Donovan, Eric; Nishimura, Yukitoshi
  • Science Advances, Vol. 4, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaq0030

Aurorasaurus and the St Patrick's Day storm
journal, May 2015

Seasonal variations in diffuse, monoenergetic, and broadband aurora: SEASONAL AURORAL VARIATIONS
journal, March 2010

  • Newell, Patrick T.; Sotirelis, Thomas; Wing, Simon
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, Vol. 115, Issue A3
  • DOI: 10.1029/2009ja014805

Mapping auroral activity with Twitter
journal, May 2015

  • Case, N. A.; MacDonald, E. A.; Heavner, M.
  • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 42, Issue 10
  • DOI: 10.1002/2015GL063709

Using citizen science reports to define the equatorial extent of auroral visibility
journal, March 2016

  • Case, N. A.; MacDonald, E. A.; Viereck, R.
  • Space Weather, Vol. 14, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1002/2015SW001320

Ionospheric tomography using ADS-B signals
journal, July 2014

Ionospheric Sounding Using Real-Time Amateur Radio Reporting Networks: FRISSELL ET AL.
journal, December 2014

  • Frissell, N. A.; Miller, E. S.; Kaeppler, S. R.
  • Space Weather, Vol. 12, Issue 12
  • DOI: 10.1002/2014SW001132

On the Origin of STEVE: Particle Precipitation or Ionospheric Skyglow?
journal, August 2018

  • Gallardo‐Lacourt, B.; Liang, J.; Nishimura, Y.
  • Geophysical Research Letters, Vol. 45, Issue 16
  • DOI: 10.1029/2018GL078509

A statistical model of auroral ion precipitation
journal, January 1989

  • Hardy, David A.; Gussenhoven, M. S.; Brautigam, D.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 94, Issue A1
  • DOI: 10.1029/JA094iA01p00370

A statistical model of auroral electron precipitation
journal, January 1985

  • Hardy, D. A.; Gussenhoven, M. S.; Holeman, E.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol. 90, Issue A5
  • DOI: 10.1029/JA090iA05p04229

Statistical characterization of the growth and spatial scales of the substorm onset arc
journal, October 2015

  • Kalmoni, N. M. E.; Rae, I. J.; Watt, C. E. J.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, Vol. 120, Issue 10
  • DOI: 10.1002/2015JA021470

Aurorasaurus: A citizen science platform for viewing and reporting the aurora: AURORASAURUS
journal, September 2015

  • MacDonald, E. A.; Case, N. A.; Clayton, J. H.
  • Space Weather, Vol. 13, Issue 9
  • DOI: 10.1002/2015SW001214

Evaluation of OVATION Prime as a forecast model for visible aurorae: OVATION PRIME FOR VISIBLE AURORA FORECASTS
journal, March 2012

  • Machol, Janet L.; Green, Janet C.; Redmon, Robert J.
  • Space Weather, Vol. 10, Issue 3
  • DOI: 10.1029/2011SW000746

OVATION Prime-2013: Extension of auroral precipitation model to higher disturbance levels: OVATION Prime 2013
journal, June 2014

Diffuse, monoenergetic, and broadband aurora: The global precipitation budget: GLOBAL PRECIPITATION BUDGET
journal, September 2009

  • Newell, P. T.; Sotirelis, T.; Wing, S.
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, Vol. 114, Issue A9
  • DOI: 10.1029/2009JA014326

Seasonal variations in diffuse, monoenergetic, and broadband aurora: SEASONAL AURORAL VARIATIONS
journal, March 2010

  • Newell, Patrick T.; Sotirelis, Thomas; Wing, Simon
  • Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, Vol. 115, Issue A3
  • DOI: 10.1029/2009JA014805
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