FIRST MONITORING OF PRECIPITABLE WATER VAPOUR AND IONOSPHERIC TEC OVER UKM BANGI 
MALAYSIA BY GROUND-BASED GPS RECEIVERS 
 
 
Wayan Suparta1,2, Mohd Alauddin Mohd Ali2, Baharudin Yatim1, Mardina Abdullah2, 
Norbahiah Misran2 
 
1Institute of Space Science (ANGKASA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 
43600 Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia 
 
2Department of Electrical, Electronic and System Engineering 
Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 
43600 Bangi, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia 
 
 
ABSTRACT 
 
Weather phenomena over UKM Bangi are quite unique. The precipitation (rainfall) 
is not well distributed. In certain area a kind of there are border. The 
processes and the evolution of the phenomena during the precipitation event are 
not well understood. Therefore the aim of this work is to study the atmospheric 
behaviour of the wave-driven circulation in the lower and upper atmospheres, 
particularly its dependence on condition in the troposphere and ionosphere. 
Recent advances in GPS sensing technology and the availability of low-cost GPS 
receivers have allowed the continuous measurements of PWV and TEC in all weather 
conditions and on a global scale. The work is based on short monitoring of 
Precipitable Water Vapour (PWV) in the troposphere and Total Electron Content 
(TEC) in the ionosphere using ground-based GPS receivers at UKM Bangi. Data on 
PWV, TEC and surface meteorological measurements were gathered from 12 November 
to 7 December 2007 at seven locations. The importance of this work is to quantify 
both of PWV and TEC variations over UKM Bangi by two different GPS receivers. 
Further with long-term data available measured by GPS receivers at a few station 
along the line of the equator can be used to study and comparing Polar-Equatorial 
coupling through the dynamic behavior of these atmospheric phenomena and its effects. 
 
Keyword: GPS, Precipitabe Water Vapour, Total Electron Content, Surface 
meteorology, Monitoring, UKM Bangi