Flux File Format Example
Format of the stkFluxGeoMag.fxm file
------------------------------------
The stkFluxGeoMag.fxm file contains three sections of data, separated by
"BEGIN' and 'END' records. The three sections include observed solar flux/
geomagnetic indices data, predicted flux data, and predicted geomagnetic
indexes. The sections are designated by the following keywords, and must be
given in this order:
BEGIN OBSERVED
END OBSERVED
BEGIN F10_PREDICT
END F10_PREDICT
BEGIN AP_PREDICT
END AP_PREDICT
Observed Values
---------------
The observed values come from the YYYY[.vX] files from the ftp site:
ftp://ftp.ngdc.noaa.gov/STP/GEOMAGNETIC_DATA/INDICES/KP_AP
where YYYY is the four-digit year, and .vX may be tacked on to indicate the
months contained in the file for the current year. The latest two files, for
example, are named "2002.final" and "2003.v6".
The format of this file is given on the ftp site in the file named 'kp_ap.fmt'.
The main difference between the stkFluxGeoMag.fxm file used in STK and these
raw data files are:
1. STK uses a 4-digit year instead of a 2-digit year, and
2. STK adds an 81-day averaged F10.7 value at the end of each line.
Since STK changes the year to four digits by adding two additional columns, the
column designations in the 'kp_ap.fmt' file do not match what STK uses. Listed below
is a modified version of the 'kp_ap.fmt' file with the column designations corrected
to match the stkFluxGeoMag.fxm file.
Listing of modified kp_ap.fmt:
------------------------------
The National Geophysical Data Center provides the observations here with no re-
strictions on their use. Please contact them at the address below with your com-
ments and questions about the form and the content of this information product
or about the measurements themselves.
NATIONAL GEOPHYSICAL DATA CENTER
325 Broadway Mail Code E/GC2
Boulder, Colorado 80303-3328 USA
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/ngdc.html
Telephone: (303) 497-6475 Telex: 592811 NOAA MASC BDR
FAX: (303) 497-6513
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SELECTED GEOMAGNETIC AND SOLAR ACTIVITY INDICES
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
WORLDWIDE INDICES--------------------------------------------------------------
The subscript "p" means planetary and designates a global magnetic activity in-
dex. The following 13 observatories, which lie between 46 and 63 degrees north
and south geomagnetic latitude, now contribute to the planetary indices: Ler-
wick (UK), Eskdalemuir (UK), Hartland (UK), Ottawa (Canada), Fredericksburg
(USA), Meannook (Canada), Sitka (USA), Eyrewell (New Zealand), Canberra (Aus-
tralia), Lovo (Sweden), Brorfelde (Denmark), Wingst (Germany), and Niemegk
(Germany).
THREE-HOUR-RANGE INDEX K-------------------------------------------------------
K indices isolate solar particle effects on the earth's magnetic field; over a
3-hour period, they classify into disturbance levels the range of variation of
the more unsettled horizontal field component. Each activity level relates al-
most logarithmically to its corresponding disturbance amplitude. Three-hour
indices discriminate conservatively between true magnetic field perturbations
and the quiet-day variations produced by ionospheric currents.
K indices range in 28 steps from 0 (quiet) to 9 (greatly disturbed) with frac-
tional parts expressed in thirds of a unit. A K-value equal to 27, for exam-
ple, means 2 and 2/3 or 3-; a K-value equal to 30 means 3 and 0/3 or 3 exactly;
and a K-value equal to 33 means 3 and 1/3 or 3+. The arithmetic mean of the K
values scaled at the 13 observatories listed above gives Kp.
EQUIVALENT AMPLITUDE-----------------------------------------------------------
The a-index ranges from 0 to 400 and represents a K-value converted to a linear
scale in gammas (nanoTeslas)--a scale that measures equivalent disturbance am-
plitude of a station at which K=9 has a lower limit of 400 gammas.
FORMAT FOR RECORDS OF SELECTED GEOMAGNETIC AND SOLAR ACTIVITY INDICES
(NOTE: Column numbers have been altered to match the stkFluxGeoMag.fxm file)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COLUMNS FMT DESCRIPTION
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1- 4 I4 YEAR
5- 6 I2 MONTH
7- 8 I2 DAY
9-12 I4 BARTELS SOLAR ROTATION NUMBER--a sequence of 27-day intervals
counted continuously from February 8, 1832.
13-14 I2 NUMBER OF DAY within the Bartels 27-day cycle.
15-16 I2 Kp or PLANETARY 3-HOUR RANGE INDEX for 0000 - 0300 UT.
17-18 I2 Kp or PLANETARY 3-HOUR RANGE INDEX for 0300 - 0600 UT.
19-20 I2 Kp or PLANETARY 3-HOUR RANGE INDEX for 0600 - 0900 UT.
21-22 I2 Kp or PLANETARY 3-HOUR RANGE INDEX for 0900 - 1200 UT.
23-24 I2 Kp or PLANETARY 3-HOUR RANGE INDEX for 1200 - 1500 UT.
25-26 I2 Kp or PLANETARY 3-HOUR RANGE INDEX for 1500 - 1800 UT.
27-28 I2 Kp or PLANETARY 3-HOUR RANGE INDEX for 1800 - 2100 UT.
29-30 I2 Kp or PLANETARY 3-HOUR RANGE INDEX for 2100 - 2400 UT.
31-33 I3 SUM of the eight Kp indices for the day expressed to the near-
est third of a unit.
34-36 I3 ap or PLANETARY EQUIVALENT AMPLITUDE for 0000 - 0300 UT.
37-39 I3 ap or PLANETARY EQUIVALENT AMPLITUDE for 0300 - 0600 UT.
40-42 I3 ap or PLANETARY EQUIVALENT AMPLITUDE for 0600 - 0900 UT.
43-45 I3 ap or PLANETARY EQUIVALENT AMPLITUDE for 0900 - 1200 UT.
46-48 I3 ap or PLANETARY EQUIVALENT AMPLITUDE for 1200 - 1500 UT.
49-51 I3 ap or PLANETARY EQUIVALENT AMPLITUDE for 1500 - 1800 UT.
52-54 I3 ap or PLANETARY EQUIVALENT AMPLITUDE for 1800 - 2100 UT.
55-57 I3 ap or PLANETARY EQUIVALENT AMPLITUDE for 2100 - 2400 UT.
58-60 I3 Ap or PLANETARY EQUIVALENT DAILY AMPLITUDE--the arithmetic mean
of the day's eight ap values.
61-63 F3.1 Cp or PLANETARY DAILY CHARACTER FIGURE--a qualitative estimate
of overall level of magnetic activity for the day determined
from the sum of the eight ap amplitudes. Cp ranges, in steps
of one-tenth, from 0 (quiet) to 2.5 (highly disturbed).
64-64 I1 C9--a conversion of the 0-to-2.5 range of the Cp index to one
digit between 0 and 9.
65-67 I3 INTERNATIONAL SUNSPOT NUMBER. Records contain the Zurich num-
ber through December 31, 1980, and the International Brus-
sels number thereafter.
68-72 F5.1 OTTAWA 10.7-CM SOLAR RADIO FLUX ADJUSTED TO 1 AU--measured at
1700 UT daily and expressed in units of 10 to the -22 Watts/
meter sq/hertz. Observations began on February 14, 1947.
From that date through December 31, 1973, the fluxes given
here don't reflect the revisions Ottawa made in 1966.
73-73 I1 FLUX QUALIFIER. "0" indicates flux required no adjustment;
"1" indicates flux required adjustment for burst in progress
at time of measurement; "2" indicates a flux approximated by
either interpolation or extrapolation; and "3" indicates no
observation.
74-78 F5.1 F10.7 81-day Average, based on F10.7 daily data taken from
40 days prior to 40 days following. If there is not data for
40 days following, whatever data is available is used.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
End of 'kp_ap.fmt' listing
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following is an example of a line from the stkFluxGeoMag.fxm file with the
column designations shown:
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678
200009292282 92023 72320171717143 7 9 3 9 7 6 6 6 70.31119192.60171.7
Predicted Values
----------------
Besides observed data, the stkFluxGeoMag.fxm file also contains predictions for
F10.7 and Ap. This prediction data (F10.7 and AP predictions) come from the
file "45DF.txt" located at:
ftp://ftp.sel.noaa.gov/pub/latest/
The format for the F10 predict section, as used in the stkFluxGeoMag.fxm file,
is:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COLUMNS FMT DESCRIPTION
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1- 4 I4 YEAR
5- 6 I2 MONTH
7- 8 I2 DAY
9- 9 1X blank space
10-12 I3 F10.7 Prediction value
13-13 1X blank space
14-18 F5.1 81-day F10.7 average
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The format for the Ap prediction section is:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COLUMNS FMT DESCRIPTION
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1- 4 I4 YEAR
5- 6 I2 MONTH
7- 8 I2 DAY
9- 9 1X blank space
10-12 I3 Ap Prediction value
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Summary
-------
The following listing shows sample segments of an stkFluxGeoMag.fxm file,
showing how the "BEGIN" and "END" records are used to differentiate between
observed and predicted data sections. Each section may contain as many records
as needed or are available.
BEGIN OBSERVED
1953021016372620 3 31330303347180 7 2 2 5 15 15 18 39 130.73 13 77.00 51.2
195302111637273727302717 72020183 22 12 15 12 6 3 7 7 100.63 13 77.00 52.0
195302121638 110131317172017 3110 4 5 5 6 6 7 6 2 50.21 7 74.00 51.1
.
.
.
200306282305253047336357474047363 15 39 18 94 67 39 27 39 421.57 93128.10128.9
200306292305263733404733373740303 22 18 27 39 18 22 22 27 241.26 94131.60128.9
200306302305273340433020272727247 18 27 32 15 7 12 12 12 170.94 92132.50128.9
END OBSERVED
BEGIN F10_PREDICT
20030701 130 129.2
20030702 130 134.1
20030703 140 131.8
.
.
.
20031027 160 168.8
20031028 165 168.7
20031029 170 168.8
END F10_PREDICT
BEGIN AP_PREDICT
20030701 020
20030702 015
20030703 020
.
.
.
20031027 015
20031028 013
20031029 012
END AP_PREDICT