GPS-DERIVED LOCAL TEC MAPPING OVER PENINSULA MALAYSIA DURING SOLAR MINIMUM OF SUNSPOT CYCLE 24

The ionosphere is the major contributor of errors in Global Positioning System (GPS), especially during the 11-year sunspot cycle. The incoming 11-year sunspot cycle is expected to peak in 2013. The ionosphere condition is distinctly severe during ionospheric disturbances caused by high solar activity, which raises the question of how will this affect the ionosphere in the equatorial region, especially Malaysia. This study monitors the changes of Total Electron Content (TEC) by generating local TEC maps over Peninsula Malaysia using GPS measurements. The TEC maps show insignificant morphological changes in TEC variations during the period of study. The findings have widened the understanding of TEC variations in equatorial region, particularly during solar minimum