V-DAT Working Group

Data Exchange Format

IAGA2002 is the latest format for observatory ASCII data dissemination. This format was originally released in August 2001, followed by modification in December 2001, July 2003, and August 2011, and June 2015.

World Data Centers and Services

• Boulder, Colorado (NCEI) 
• Edinburgh, UK
• Kyoto, Japan
• Moscow, Russia
• Beijing, China

INTERMAGNET

The International Real Time Magnetic Observatory Network (INTERMAGNET) is a global network of cooperating digital magnetic observatories that uses modern standard specifications for measuring and recording equipment to facilitate data exchanges and development of geomagnetic products in near real time. The IAGA Working Group V-OBS coordinates issues related to the operation of geomagnetic observatories.

Access Data by Type

• NCEI provides access to Information on ground, marine, and airborne magnetic data and indices. 
• The Space Physics Interactive Data Resource (SPIDR) offers geomagnetic data and indices and the ground based magnetometers service. 
• SuperMAG provides access to ground-based magnetometer data from stations that provide absolute and/or variation measurements.
• Old magnetograms that are converted to digital images, as part of ICSU supported project "Rescue of old Analogue Magnetograms by converting to Digital Images" are available from World Data Centers in Kyoto, Japan or Moscow, Russia. Additionally, scanned magnetograms going back to the 1840s are available from Edinburgh, UK

Geomagnetic Indices and Event Lists

There are numerous indices of geomagnetic activity. IAGA officially recognizes the aa, am, Kp, Dst, AE, and PC magnetic indices. IAGA also endorses lists of remarkable geomagnetic events such as SSC, SFE, and international quietest (Q-Days) and most disturbed days (D-Days). Criteria for IAGA endorsement of indices were implemented in 2009. More information about the IAGA indices and geomagnetic event lists is available from the International Service of Geomagnetic Indices (ISGI).

• aa Index
• am Index
• Kp Index
• Disturbance storm-time Index (Dst)
• Auroral Electrojet Index (AE)
• Polar Cap (PC) Index
• Storm Sudden Commencement (SSC) and Solar Flare Effect (SFE)
• Q-Days and D-Days
• Station Locations

IAGA's Division V-DAT (formerly Working Group 2) holds business meetings every two years in conjunction with the IAGA or IUGG Assembly. Minutes from several recent meetings are available on-line.

• IUGG 2019 [Summary] (Montreal, Canada)
• IAGA 2017 [Summary] [Notes] (Cape Town, South Africa)
• IUGG 2015 (Prague, Czech Republic)
• IAGA 2013 (Merida, Mexico)
• IUGG 2011 (Melbourne, Australia)
• IAGA 2009 (Sopron, Hungary)
• IUGG 2007 (Perugia, Italy)
• IAGA 2005 (Toulouse, France)
• IUGG 2003 (Sapporo, Japan)
• IAGA 2001 (Hanoi, Vietnam)
• IUGG 1999 (Birmingham, England)
• IAGA 1997 (Uppsala, Sweden)

The working group occasionally forms task forces address critical focus areas. Past examples include:  

• Indices, Forecasting, Data Services, Effects (closed)
• ASCII based data exchange format (closed)
• Criteria for index endorsement (closed)
• Endorsement of PC as an IAGA index (closed)
• Endorsement of the classification of rapid variations as SC (closed)
• Data DOI