Satellite-beacon lonospheric-scintillation global model of the upper atmosphere (SIGMA): Enhancements and GPS signal propagation modeling

In this paper, we present enhancements made to the spectral modeling capabilities of the previously developed SIGMA for Ionospheric propagation. The incorporation of Shkarofsky's generalized spectrum offers the flexibility required to more effectively represent the wide range of electron density distributions observed in Equatorial and Polar Regions. In exercising this new capability we demonstrate the potential impact that the satellite line-of-sight (LOS), irregularity orientation and degree of anisotropy can have on correlation processing of a received GPS signal. The results from this study provide valuable physical insights into Ionospheric propagation which will aid in further validation of SIGMA as an Ionospheric propagation model.