SDR-BASED IONOSPHERIC SOUNDER · DEVELOPED AT INGV, ITALY

AISP
Next-Gen
Ionosonde

An SDR-based, fully programmable pulse compression ionosonde for real-time vertical ionospheric surveys. Developed and validated at INGV — the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, Italy.

01 / THE MISSION

Redefining Ionospheric
Sounding

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The Challenge

Traditional ionosondes rely on fixed, hardware-heavy architectures. Inflexible analog chains, proprietary waveform generators, and rigid operating modes make them difficult to adapt for evolving research needs.

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The Solution — AISP

AISP was developed and validated at INGV — National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, Italy. It evolves the existing INGV AIS ionosonde by replacing bespoke hardware with SDR platforms that act as both transmitter and receiver, creating a fully software-reconfigurable ionosonde with unprecedented versatility.

02 / ARCHITECTURE

System Design

SIGNAL PROCESSING CHAIN

SDR Core

Acts as both transmitter and receiver, handling RF signal generation, timing control, and coherent I/Q data acquisition across 1–18 MHz.

Pulse Compression Engine

Complementary coded pulse

Coded pulse radar techniques dramatically improve SNR, enabling detection of weak ionospheric echoes that traditional ionosondes miss.

Ethernet Interface

High-speed PC-to-SDR Ethernet link allows flexible configuration, remote deployment, and near-real-time data streaming to analysis nodes.

Power & Antenna Control

Integrated management of RF power amplifiers and specialized antenna arrays ensures coordinated transmission with optimal radiated power.

03 / TECHNOLOGY

Key Technical Features

Coded Pulse Radar

Complementary Golay 16 waveform for high-resolution range measurement via complex correlation.

SDR-Based DSP

Real-time signal processing, filtering, and decimation in programmable fabric.

2D-CA-CFAR Algorithm

Constant False Alarm Rate detection of ionospheric echoes against noise.

Programmable Waveforms

Software-switchable pulse patterns.

TECHNOLOGY STACK
HARDWARE
SDR Platforms (USRP N-series)
Custom RF Power Amplifiers
Broadband Antenna Arrays
SOFTWARE
C++ Host Control Layer
Python Analysis Pipeline
GNU Radio / UHD Drivers
METHODOLOGY
Vertical Ionospheric Sounding
Pulse Compression
2D Complex Correlation
04 / RESULTS

Research Impact

< 1 km
Virtual Height Resolution
1–18
MHz Sweep Range
2D-CA-CFAR
Echo Detection

Validated at INGV · Global Ionospheric Models

AISP has been operationally validated at INGV — the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, Italy, one of Europe's foremost Earth science research bodies.