Comparing Accuracies of Spatial Interpolation Methods on 1-Minute Ground Magnetometer Readings

Abstract

Geomagnetic disturbances caused by external solar events can create geomagnetically induced currents (GIC) throughout conducting networks of Earth’s surface. GIC can cause disruption that scales from minor to catastrophic. However, systems can implement preemptive measure to mitigate the effects of GICs with the use of GIC forecasting. Accurate forecasting is dependent on accurate modeling of Earth’s geomagnetic field. Unfortunately, it is not currently possible to have a measurement at every point of Earth’s field. Spatial interpolation methods can be implemented to fill in for the unmeasured space. The performances of two spatial interpolation methods, Inverse Distance Weighting and Kriging, are assessed to determine which better predicts the unmeasured space. Error testing shows both methods to be comparable, with the caveat of Kriging having a tighter precision on predictions.