Hello, my name is Ben Lovegrove and in this video I'm going to try to answer the question,
"What is the Kp-index" and I'll discuss what risks, if any, it might pose to operators
of UAV.
Some say that a high Kp-index reading is a risk to UAV flying while others say the risks
are negligible and therefore it can be safely ignored.
So if you're a drone pilot and you would like to gain an appreciation of what this measurement
means for your planned flights then this video is for you.
What follows is my understanding of the Kp-index so if you notice any errors or omissions feel
free to correct me by posting a comment below.
If you've flown drones during a high Kp-index reading and noticed even the slightest difference
in GPS accuracy then please post a comment too.
Drones use GPS to calculate their position above the Earth. It’s what makes them so
easy to fly and it's the GPS tracking that enables many of the features that make UAV
both useful to commercial operators and fun to fly for amateurs.
For example, within the DJI Phantom range it's GPS programming that powers the Failsafe,
Home Lock, and Ground Station features.
That's all well and good but what are the risks of losing satellite connection?
One of the external forces that can reduce the satellite signal strength and cause a
string of mishaps that might lead to the dreaded flyaway is a geomagnetic storm and it's this
aspect of space weather that is measured using the Kp-index.
The Kp-index is a measurement of disturbances within the Earth's magnetic field. It represents
these disturbances on a scale of zero to nine.
A reading of 1 to 4 confirms calm conditions, whereas 5 to 9 denotes a magnetic storm of
increasing degrees of intensity.
The readings are displayed in three hour intervals, usually as a graph in green, yellow, and red.
The measurements of disturbances are collected by magnetometers at various locations around
the globe and recorded into their respective K-index.
The global Kp-index is a curation of all this data based on the averages from each recording
station's K-index.
The disturbances in the field are caused by solar flares, so increased solar activity
poses a risk to any GPS equipment.
When the index is in the green area (0-3 on the scale) there’s a good chance of strong
satellite lock. When it goes over 3 and stronger then there is a risk of disruption to satellite
connectivity. Anything above 5 indicates a magnetic storm of increasing strength.
So the theory goes that if your drone has locked on to 12 satellites but a solar storm
causes disturbances in the Earth's magnetic field you may lose the connection to one or
more.
The accuracy of the GPS may be affected too, but again, some say this is too small a risk
to worry about.
Judging by the comments on forums it seems many believe it's not worth any concern. However,
latitude of the drone flight and the type of drone itself may be significant.
Some drone pilots report that the closer you get to the North or South pole then the lower
the safety threshold on the index.
Another reported that it never has any effect on the satellite lock when flying his DJI
Mavic but his Phantom was susceptible.
So it seems from anecdotal evidence that the risks are very low but it's not a outright
myth.
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If you have experienced any variation in satellite lock during a high Kp-index reading then please
describe it below stating the drone you flew and in which country.
Finally, if you want to see the aurora borealis or Northern Lights or aurora australis or
Southern Lights then a high Kp-index reading is desirable.