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LOIS - Sweden’s Contribution to a Trans-European Sensor Network for
Space and Earth Observations
A vast network of sensors for advanced space and environmental studies
is being built in Europe. Sweden has been part of this cooperation for
several years by contributing with sensor, IT and radio research, as
well as a test compound in southern Sweden.
In the mid-1990’s radio astronomers in Europe, USA and Australia
initiated discussions on the possibility of studying the oldest, most
distant objects of the Universe. What was needed was a radio telescope
in the hitherto unexplored frequency band 10-250 MHz, a hundred times
more sensitive than the largest current telescopes. The solution was
LOFAR (Low Frequency Array), a digital ‘IT-telescope’ which combines
data in software from a vast network of 25000 radio sensors in a six
million hectare large area in the Netherlands and northwestern Germany.
Measurement data from the sensors are sent by hyper-fast networks to be
processed in the most powerful supercomputers in Europe.
When, in 2000, Swedish space physicists with experience in similar
digital radio projects joined the collaboration, the LOIS (LOFAR
Outrigger in Scandinavia) project was born. LOIS extends LOFAR with a
dedicated space environment radio/radar and IT infrastructure with up
to a few thousand units. The LOFAR/LOIS combination will be a
next-generation network-based space weather radar.
In 2003, the Netherlands government decided to finance LOFAR. Since
then the project has rapidly evolved into a trans-European sensor and
computer infrastructure for space, atmosphere and geophysics research,
agriculture and forestry development, early warning of natural
disasters, and more. It will also be used as a test-bed and technology
platform for future global sensor networks.
 Why southern Sweden?
Factors such as a geographical location with very low levels of auroral
and radio interference, support from a dynamic academic environment and
industry, a visionary regional IT policy, EU cooperation with the
Netherlands, and good relations between Academia and society made
Kronoberg County in southern Sweden an excellent choice as the hub of
LOIS. A LOIS test station is currently in operation, based on an
optical fibre network, partly funded by AerotechTelub AB, around Växjö.
The test station has a high-bandwidth connection to the Swedish
University Network, and hence to the Internet and the world.
Versatile and cost-efficient technology
For radio studies of space, LOFAR/LOIS behaves as a giant digital
camera for radio wavelengths, where data from every ‘pixel’ (antenna)
are digitised and transported by fast networks to supercomputers. There
each user creates his or her own optimised ‘radio camera’ in software
without affecting other ongoing observations. By replacing slow,
mechanical movement of heavy antennas with lightning-fast computer
operations the usability, accessibility and cost efficiency of the
system is maximised.
The innovative ‘quantum radio’ technology developed by space physicists
in Sweden uses previously underutilised symmetry properties of the
electromagnetic field of radio waves, and makes it possible to extract
more information from the radio signals than conventional methods. The
technique is inspired by group theory methods developed in quantum
physics and by modern quantum optics.
The total data flow in the sensor network is many tenths of Terabits
(millions of megabits) per second and is processed in a modern GRID
environment, using Swedish database technology run on one of the
fastest supercomputers in the world, BlueGene/L, custom developed by
IBM for LOFAR. A scientific cooperation between LOIS and IBM Research,
USA, has been initiated to cover the computing area of the project, and
IBM has donated a supercomputer to LOIS to be used for data management
and analysis.
Since much of the raw data is saved in databases, it becomes possible
to make observations after the fact. It is even possible to examine
data using methods of analysis not yet developed at the time of data
collection. This possibility is of particular importance for future
climatological and environmental studies.
Cross-scientific ‘triple helix’
The scientific base for LOIS in Sweden consists of a cross-scientific
‘triple helix’ spun from equal parts of prominent space environment,
telecommunications and IT research. The technological base consists of
the Swedish industrial profile, competence and long experience in all
three research areas and access to a relatively interference-free
physical environment. These factors make Sweden well suited to house a
world-leading sensor network of this kind.
The ambitious scientific goals set for LOFAR and LOIS assures that the
project will not only catapult Sweden and Europe to a leading position
in the space radio field, but will also challenge and extend the
frontiers of IT and telecom.The project will therefore pave the way for
‘e-Science’ as well as future advanced network and communications
technologies.
Openness
In order to build bridges between science and the surrounding society
the LOIS project aims at maximum openness. Citizens, schools,
associations and organizations is encouraged to take active part in the
research. They could, for example, enter measurement data from their
own sensors using the LOIS computer network or analyze the data that is
freely distributed, a kind of ‘e-Science’ for everybody. Software for
receiving and analyzing data from some of the LOIS sensors can be
downloaded from the LOIS web site.
In this mission LOIS cooperates with XperimentHuset/Rymdhuset, which
together with Växjö University has received EU funding for public
outreach. The link to industry is provided by Videum Science Park in
Växjö. The County Council and the County Administrative Board of
Kronoberg is actively participating in the project, and media is
regularly invited to press briefings.
Cooperation
Because LOIS prioritises the important task for research to cooperate
with society at large, the project will, from day one, have the
capacity for both researchers and the general public alike to freely
and immediately access data. This data will be distributed and processed
by the emerging GRID technology where LOIS is a key project. Societal
institutions, businesses, organisations and citizens in the geographic
area covered by LOIS are invited to use the service and capacity of
the high-bandwidth networks.
New methods-new studies
LOFAR/LOIS transcends the boundaries between research project, network
and computer and is best described as a huge distributed real-time
computer system with peripherals (sensors) placed in several countries.
This makes concurrent, simultaneous studies of many areas possible,
such as
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Intercept and analyse red-shifted 21 cm radio signals, emitted
shortly after ‘Big Bang’, from the original hydrogen atoms in order
to test theories about the birth of the universe
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Study the solar atmosphere in order to be able to give better
forecasts of solar particle storms which may damage technical
and biological systems
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Study the ‘electrosmog’ from radio, TV, and radar transmitters and
its influence on the Earth’s near-space environment
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Study the interaction of ultra-fast cosmic particles and the
atmosphere, and the ionisation and electromagnetic radiation caused
by it
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Trace foreign substances in the atmosphere by the weak light spectra
they emit when radiated by radio waves.
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Study, in detail, the effects of lightning storms and heavy
turbulence in the atmosphere
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Use the Universe-Nature’s own radio laboratory-to explore new
properties of electromagnetic radiation
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Exploit the full information contained in the electromagnetic vector
field of radio waves, in order to make optimal use of the radio
spectrum in research and wireless communications
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Correct satellite navigation errors caused by plasma perturbations in
the Earth’s ionosphere
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Conduct realistic field tests of advanced, hyper-fast computer
networks over large distances in urban and rural environments
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Effectively collect, distribute and analyse gigantic amounts of data
in real time within the new GRID computer network concept
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Communicate with the International Space Station ISS, research
satellites and other spacecraft.
National and international partners
The LOIS project is run in cooperation with research groups from Växjö
University, the Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Uppsala University,
Lund University, Linköping University, Blekinge Institute of
Technology, the IT University of the Royal Institute of Technology,
Chalmers Institute of Technology, the Danish Meteorological Institute,
and the Finnish Meteorological Institute. In addition, researchers from
France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Kenya, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland,
Russia, Ukraine and the USA are taking part in the project. All in all,
the LOIS science team consists of about 70 researchers from 15
countries in three continents. In order to have close contacts with the
surrounding society a LOIS consortia has been founded in the Kronoberg
County.
Investments and results
By a grant of 72 million Euros to LOFAR from the government of the
Netherlands in 2003 the financing of the main part of the fibre
network, sensor system and other infrastructure is secured. In spring
2004 LOFAR completed a test station in northern Netherlands which,
using just a few tenths of antennas, produced stunning results. So far,
investments in the Netherlands has created over 200 jobs. In total,
investments in LOFAR of 150 million Euros is planned.
The need for investments in high-bandwidth networks and other
infrastructure in Kronoberg County is approximately 5 to 25 million
Euros, depending on level of ambition and synergy gains. The scientific
part of LOIS has hitherto received about 2 million Euros in grants from
the government, private research financiers and business, and about 10
people are employed in the project. A LOIS prototype was installed in
Växjö in the autumn of 2003 and has since been expanded to a complete
test station. It continually produces high-quality scientific data
which demonstrates that the unique measurement concept of LOIS works.
The German government has financed project LOPES, a side project to
LOIS, intended for studies of cosmic radiation and its effect on the
atmosphere of Earth using new radio methods. Comparison experiments
made at a conventional cosmic radiation measurement compound in
Karlsruhe has shown the new methods to work excellently. Similar
results have been had with the LOIS test station outside Växjö.
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Web sites: http://www.lois-space.net and http://www.lofar.org
Postal address: LOIS Space Centre, MSI, Växjö University, SE-351 95 Växjö, Sweden
Visiting address: Videum Science Park, PG Vejdes Väg 15, SE-351 96 Växjö, Sweden
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