Determination of suitable stations location for the radio telescope (LOFAR) in Iraq using geographic information systems

• Main Authors: Kahdim, Zina Fadel, Abood, Kamal M.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: Gas pipelines; Geographic information systems; LOFAR; Natural gas; Petroleum pipelines; Power lines; Radio telescopes; Railway stations; Software; Software radio; Telescopes
• ISSN: 0094-243X; 1551-7616
• DOI: 10.1063/5.0183168

The frequency-low radio telescope (LOFAR) is software with a range of (15 to 240MHz) and offers a high possibility of observing the sky from more than one location. Our research aims to study the possibility of establishing a low-frequency wireless monitoring station in Iraq Iraq which its the first kind in the Middle East using GIS analysis software. We took (20 km) as a sufficient distance to achieve radio calm in the area to avoid noise sources like (lines, towers, pipelines, power transmission lines, railways, terminal roads, buildings, oil and gas pipelines, administrative boundaries, and rivers). The results show that there are only four Iraqi governorates, namely Nineveh, Anbar, Najaf, and Muthanna, which are spatially prepared for construction, and the empty area in each of Nineveh, Najaf and Muthanna is 5682 km2, 16,422 km2, and 8247 km2, respectively. Moreover, only in Anbar are four suitable areas in different locations in the governorate due to the large size of the desert. These areas are divided as follows: north Anbar is 4257 km2, in the East is 16342 koverm2, and from the west is a place of 2690 km2, and the southern region is 6457 km2. The research recommends considering all the factors that protect this space to preserve the radio telescope from any interference that may significantly affect telescope observations.