At AGU’s Fall Meeting, the preeminent international Earth and space science meeting, researchers unveiled the world’s largest database of Extremely Low Frequency (ELF)/Very Low Frequency (VLF) data. The open-access database is named WALDO, or Worldwide Archive of Low-frequency Data and Observations. Researchers will be able to access nearly 1000 terabytes (TB) of data to further scientific efforts in fields like ionospheric remote sensing, earthquake forecasting, subterranean prospecting, and space weather effects. Space weather, which can lead to beautiful auroras in the night sky or destructive effects on power grids and satellites, are especially important for scientists and engineers to understand and predict. “It’s exciting that we saved this data all these years because right now is the time when it is becoming most valuable with advances in computing power, Big Data algorithms, and artificial intelligence,” said Mark Golkowski, PhD, professor of Electrical Engineering at CU Denver.
Stephen Gedney is chair and professor of electrical engineering with research focused on the prediction and removal of magnetic signatures from naval vessels.