Keynote Speaker

Space Weather Forecast: Malaysia’s Distinctive Insight

This keynote presentation offers a comprehensive exploration of Malaysia’s stance in space weather, focusing on its strategic equatorial position and burgeoning space sector. We will delve into collaborative initiatives involving governmental bodies, research institutions, and private enterprises that contribute to advancing space weather understanding. Highlighting innovative forecasting technologies and emphasizing international cooperation, this keynote aims to inspire dialogue and collaboration within the broader space weather community. The insights shared from Malaysia’s perspective will enrich the discussions at the Space Weather Forum, fostering a collective approach to addressing global space weather challenges.

Mr. Azlikamil Napiah was born in Pasir Panjang, Sekinchan Selangor, on 11 September 1969. He started his professional career in the private sector as a Senior Geologist in 1993. He joined the government sector as a Research Officer at the Malaysian Remote Sensing Agency (MRSA) – (formerly known as the Malaysian Centre for Remote Sensing – MACRES) in August 1994. During his career as a Research Officer, he gained formal knowledge through certified training in Remote Sensing in Australia, the United Kingdom and The Netherlands. At MRSA, he confers his knowledge and experience in spatial data analysis and modelling activities including satellite image processing to help Malaysia exploit the advancement of remote sensing technologies for nation development, security, and people’s well-being. He is
also actively involved in the ASEAN Subcommittee of Space and Technology Application (SCOSA) and has been appointed as one of the Executive Committee of the ASEAN Regional Training Centre for Space and Application (ARTSA) based in Thailand. After 10 years of invaluable contribution in Research and Development (R&D) at local and international level, he was promoted as Special Officer at MRSA Director’s Office in year 2004. Besides, he is also an active member of the Institution of Geospatial and Remote Sensing Malaysia (IGRSM). With vast experience in R&D, and technical management, he was then appointed to lead the corporate and strategic section in MRSA for 4 years. His serious dedication and commitment in remote sensing technology management and development in Malaysia was realised when he was promoted as Deputy Director General (Technical Service) MRSA, in the year 2011. In May 2015, he was appointed as Director General of MRSA with the task of spearheading the development and operationalisation of remote sensing and related technologies in Malaysia. With the merger of the Malaysian Remote Sensing Agency (MRSA) and the National Space Agency (ANGKASA) in 2019, he has been appointed as the Director General of the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA).

SPACE WEATHER MONITORING: FROM COMPREHENSIVE RESEARCH TO REGIONAL SERVICES

As an equatorial large country, Indonesia has the need to fulfil information derived from space weather observation for aviation, telecommunication, and space activities. It continues the programme in space weather-related activities. Indonesia has had the legal basis for space activities, including the National Space Act/Law No.21 Year 2013, and the Presidential Decree No.45 Year 2017 – Master Plan of National Space Activities 2016-2040 which is also related to Information, Mitigation and Early Warning of Space Weather. Space weather research and development activities are aimed at developing data processing and analysis methods as well as establishing a system for space weather monitoring. Indonesia has established the Space Weather Information and Forecast Services (SWIFtS) is a system which was initially established in 2015 to fulfill increasing needs in space weather services in Indonesia. SWIFtS has joined and become the Regional Warning Center (RWC) Indonesia under the network of global space weather information and prediction services of the International Space Environment Service (ISES) since June 2016. Space weather-related activities comprise observation, research, and information technology. The observation of space weather in Indonesia is conducted using local facilities including space-based such as magnetometers and ground-based such as solar telescopes, solar radios, magnetometers, etc. The research activities have been conducted in basic and applied research areas to produce a robust model for space weather monitoring and forecast systems. Advances in IT related activities are needed to develop the software and hardware for data storage, web information systems, and data transfer. The use of sophisticated computation techniques such as artificial intelligence and big data processing are therefore potential for producing more robust space weather data products and rapid access. Those components are combined to establish a decision support system in space weather data and products for operational purposes. The current space weather observation facilities of Indonesia are operated in several locations in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java, East Nusa Tenggara, and Papua under the management of BRIN. The facilities are managed as open platforms to promote and encourage collaborative activities by all stakeholders at national and international levels. However, international collaborations are necessary to enhance the capacity in data acquisition and analysis, product provision and access, and human resources.

Prof. Dr. Erna Sri Adiningsih is a Research Professor in Remote Sensing Technology. She has conducted research activities in the areas of image processing and satellite applications since 1989. She achieved her PhD in Applied Geophysics and Meteorology from the IPB University Indonesia. Formerly, she was assigned as the Director of Aerospace Policy Analysis and Information Center of the Indonesian National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) from 2007 until 2013. She was appointed as the Executive Secretary of LAPAN from 2018 until 2021. Then she was appointed as the Acting Head of Research Organization for Aeronautics and Space under the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). Now Prof Erna is continuing her enrollment as senior researcher at the Research Center for Remote Sensing of BRIN. She has also been assigned as the Executive Director of the Indonesian Space Agency (INASA) Secretariat of BRIN since May 2022 to conduct tasks in international space affairs and multilateral cooperation in space activities. She can be contacted at email: rrer001@brin.go.id

Space Weather in a New Space Age: LEO Satellite Environment?

It is the case that most space weather services are currently based on the traditional R/S/G indices. In a new space age, where the number of LEO satellites has surprisingly increased in just over a couple of decades, the present SW services tend to require more customized and/or localized information for nowcasting/forecasting satellite environments. The different types of disturbances such as surface/internal charging, energetic particle impacts, neutral drags and space debris, should be considered for monitoring the SW activities at the LEO locations. It is evident that each type of risk is sensitive to the orbit of height, inclination, and local time in a differential manner, and it is necessary to prepare for the synthetic SW evaluation by giving multi-aspects of risk assessment to each satellite or the constellation. We would like to submit this LEO subject to our space weather community as one of the representative issues in a new space age.

Prof. Lee has been one of the early space physicists in Korea who introduced space weather to the Korean space science community. He has been involved in many aspects of international collaborations in the space physics community such as chairs or organizers in various meetings of IUGG/IAGA, URSI, AGU as well as COSPAR, most of which are highly associated with space weather. He has worked for organizing annual space weather workshops and conferences in Korean academic societies and also worked for the Korean NSTC associated with the R&D budget in the area of space science. Prof. Lee is currently leading the consortium of space weather research teams working for KSWC, where many innovative research developments are attempted. Some of the topics include the space weather models for LEO and the AI model for solar surface magnetic field imaging. As one of the major academic societies in the area of space sciences, the COSPAR 2024 the 45th Scientific Assembly will be held in Busan, Korea, from July 13 – July 21, where Prof. Lee is working as the Chair of the Scientific Program Committee. He will prepare for very attractive events in space weather, where a number of international space weather agencies, institutions, and companies are expected to attend under the agenda of Team Spirit in global space research.

Space Weather: A scientific phenomenon of global concern

The Sun is one of the main sources of space weather because of the variability in its mass and photon emissions on various time scales. The electromagnetic emission consists of the quasi-steady irradiance and flares. Solar flares cause sudden changes in the ionization level in the ionosphere. The mass emission has two sources on the Sun: the closed magnetic field regions where coronal mass ejections (CMEs) erupt and closed magnetic regions marked by coronal holes (CHs) pushing out fast solar wind. CMEs accelerate particles to high energies observed as solar energetic particle (SEP) events; they also cause geomagnetic storms when the southward field in the CME and/or in the shock sheath reconnects with Earth’s magnetic field. While flares and CMEs have different space weather consequences, they are closely related through the magnetic reconnection process in the source active region. High-speed solar wind from coronal holes compresses the preceding slow solar wind resulting in stream interaction regions that act like CMEs in causing geomagnetic storms, which are of lower intensity but more frequent. This presentation provides an overview of how the International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI) engages in space weather activities in the global arena.

Dr. Natchimuthuk “Nat” Gopalswamy is an Astrophysicist in the Heliophysics Science Division of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. He is an expert in solar eruptions and their space weather consequences. He has authored or co-authored more than 475 scientific articles and has edited nine books. His publications have received more than 24,000 citations, yielding a Hirsch index of 83.He is the Executive Director of the International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI), Past President of the Scientific Committee on Solar Terrestrial Physics (SCOSTEP), and Vice Chair of COSPAR’s panel on Space Weather. He has received numerous awards including the 2013 NASA Leadership Medal, the 2017 John C. Lindsay Memorial Award for Space Science, and the American Geophysical Union’s Space Physics & Aeronomy Richard Carrington (SPARC) Award (2019). He was conferred with a Doctor Honoris Causa by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (2019). Dr. Gopalswamy received the 2021 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Elavenil Science Association and the Indian Science and Technology Association. He is a Fellow of the International Science Council and of the American Geophysical Union. He received his PhD (Physics) from the Indian Institute of Science (1982) and postdoctoral training (radio astronomy) at the University of Maryland at College Park (1985).