Publication: Analysis of low-latitude ionospheric Scintillation variations over Malaysia Using GPS data.
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Date
2026-08
Authors
Alhashimi, Nasser Said Saif
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Abstract
Ionospheric scintillation degrades the accuracy and reliability of GPS signals, particularly in equatorial regions such as Malaysia. This study investigated the temporal and spatial characteristics of ionospheric amplitude scintillation over Malaysia during 2014, the peak phase of Solar Cycle 24, and examined its relationship with solar activity and GNSS signal degradation. GPS observations from UNIMAS, UKM, and LNO were analysed using S4 index. Seasonal, diurnal, and geographic variations were evaluated together with the effects of sunspot numbers, Solar Radio Flux (F10.7), and solar flare events. A machine learning-based approach was applied to reconstruct missing scintillation data using multi-station observations, followed by hidden-data testing and simulation based validation using the Spirent GSS6700 simulator. Results showed that strong scintillation events (S4 ≥ 0.5) mainly occurred during post-sunset hours and in equinoctial months. UNIMAS recorded the highest scintillation intensity due to its proximity to the EIA region. The reconstructed S4 data achieved high prediction accuracy with a regression coefficient exceeding 0.97 while preserving realistic scintillation behaviour. The main contribution of this research is the establishment of an integrated framework that combines solar activity analysis, multi-station scintillation assessment, machine learning-based reconstruction, and GNSS simulation validation within a single study. This research demonstrates the feasibility of combining machine learning methods with GNSS simulations to reconstruct data and evaluate system performance.