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Research on Frequency Selective Surface (FSS) structures has led to major advances in the design and manufacture of the world's most advanced payload instrumentation for use in Earth observation satellites. This technology has provided the core element of the radiometer instrumentation needed for more accurate global weather forecasts and better understanding of climate change. The advances described have made it possible to combine all of the different functions of the MetOP-SG radiometer into one instrument, thereby halving the footprint of the satellite payload resulting in a [text removed for publication] cost saving.
Global Positioning System (GPS) devices are integrated into many modern electronic systems. The protection of these systems is vital to the daily operation of a nation's infrastructure and security. A new device and service for radio-frequency interference detection has been developed at Bath and is protecting GPS-reliant infrastructure from deliberate and accidental jamming. The system resulted from research into GPS signal processing. Commercial impact has resulted from the development of products and services operated internationally by a UK company. Policy impact has resulted from Ofcom's move towards making the possession of a GPS jammer illegal [text removed for publication]. Economic and societal benefit has resulted from the protection against criminal jamming, ensuring the seamless running of transportation, telecommunications and emergency services that depend on GPS.
Research conducted within the Department of Space and Climate Physics at UCL has had a significant impact upon e2v Ltd., a manufacturer of charge-coupled devices (CCDs). Through working collaboratively with e2v, UCL has helped the company to secure major contracts and business [text removed for publication]. This includes two contracts for the supply of CCDs for the European Space Agency (ESA) missions Gaia (€20 million) and Euclid (€10 million). Furthermore, the symbiotic relationship has contributed to the establishment of e2v as Europe's leading supplier of high-quality CCDs for space science applications and has underpinned an improved understanding of device design and optimisation within the company.
The University of Southampton's research into space debris has made a vital contribution to space policy by addressing an issue identified by the United Nations (UN) as having important implications for all humanity. This research has played a key role in advising policymakers "on how best to manage the orbital environment in a sustainable manner for generations to come" (page 52, UK in Space, British National Space Centre, 2009). Challenging prevailing theories, researchers influenced Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee (IADC) Space Debris Mitigation (SDM) guidelines, resulting in the implementation of sustainable practices by satellite operators in Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) requiring an investment by them of an estimated £1 billion since 2008.
Researchers at the University of Reading have developed and implemented ground and satellite-based techniques that improve the monitoring of impending volcanic eruptions and their aftermath. Our systems have been mainly used in collaboration with the Montserrat Volcano Observatory (MVO) and the local government civil protection committee on Montserrat. In July 2008 the early rescinding of a precautionary evacuation was made possible by these techniques, thereby minimising disruption and lost economic revenue. The deployment of a permanent, operational ground-based instrument on Montserrat provides a capability that will reassure inhabitants and the island's commercial sector of future timely warnings, thereby enhancing their quality of life and allowing companies to return to the island.
The difficulty of certifying the safety (often termed Verification and Validation — V&V) of increasingly complex and more autonomous Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) systems is now widely accepted to be a serious threat to the success of future space missions. In response to this threat, the European Space Agency has funded Dr Prathyush P Menon and his team to develop a suite of mathematical tools for the V&V of advanced GNC systems. These tools have now been widely adopted throughout the European Space industry, and have been successfully applied by major companies such as Astrium, Thales-Alenia and GMV to systems ranging from flexible and autonomous satellites, to launch vehicles and hypersonic re-entry vehicles.
Recognising a national shortage of young people adopting careers in physics, particularly in Wales, we used our experience in engaging the public with physics research to have an impact on the work of the young people's organisation Urdd Gobaith Cymru at its National Eisteddfod, one of the largest cultural youth festivals in Europe. At the heart of the pavilion, Aberystwyth researchers presented an exhibition of our research on the Sun and the Solar System, supported by the STFC Science in Society scheme. This core activity convinced the organisation to reintroduce a prominent science pavilion (the GwyddonLe), having originally planned not to host a science event. Since 2010, this has grown to be one of the largest and most popular events at the Eisteddfod, attracting external funding and allowing DMAP researchers to have a further impact on society by demonstrating physics to tens of thousands of school children and their parents.
Researchers in the Global Environmental Modelling and Earth Observation (GEMEO) group at Swansea University have used satellite data to improve weather forecasts and climate predictions. Using observations of the Earth's land surface from NASA's orbiting Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) flying on board the Terra and Aqua satellites, Swansea University has worked directly with two leading meteorological agencies — the UK Met Office and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) — to refine the way in which land is represented in their numerical weather prediction models. Improved weather forecasting is of clear benefit to society, facilitating day-to-day planning by the public, agriculture, commerce, utility suppliers and transport sectors, as well as preparation for extreme weather events such as floods, heat waves and droughts. The Met Office provides daily weather forecasts for the UK, while the ECMWF model is routinely used by over 30 countries for weather, aviation planning and extreme event warning. The Met Office states that the research presented here has resulted in significantly improved weather forecasts, in particular of rainfall and temperature, and more realistic climate simulations to inform the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The ECMWF reports improvement of precipitation forecast, increasing predicted summer rainfall by 7%, and its variability, which is relevant to flood and drought forecast, increased by 30%.
Satellite measurements of sea surface temperature (SST) make a much greater impact on weather forecasting and climate change detection since University of Southampton (UoS) research revolutionised the way SST data are processed. Multiple satellite observations can now be combined into the more complete and detailed SST maps needed by fine resolution meteorological models and used for marine industry operations. Pioneering methodology using a new shipborne radiometer tests the quality of SST maps more rigorously than was previously possible. It provides the first traceable validation of data from the UK's AATSR sensor, confirming their fundamental reliability for observing climate change.
Lancaster undertakes fundamental research into the space plasma environments. AuroraWatch UK, a spin-out of this research, provides a free service alerting when aurorae may be visible from the UK. The number of AuroraWatch subscribers has increased significantly from 22,000 in 2008 to over 109,000 at present. A survey by the Royal Astronomical Society suggests that AuroraWatch is very effective in promoting interest in science. As a result of subscribing to AuroraWatch, 3667 respondents watch science on television, 4437 read science magazines, websites and blogs, 524 now study science, 865 participate in citizen-science projects, and 1400 listed other changes in their behaviour (e.g. aurora sightseeing trips). The AuroraWatch School programme involves 1800 pupils across UK.