The 4D Ionosphere 2026 Workshop brings together a wide range of communities to jointly advance our understanding of the ionosphere and its role within the broader Earth system. Building on the achievements of the ESA 4D Ionosphere projects*, other community scientific projects and the wealth of data from missions such as, but not limited to, Swarm, SMOS, Biomass and L-Band SAR missions, along with synthetic data and models for future missions such as ROSE-L, complementary ground based and modelling efforts, the workshop will highlight how combining diverse approaches leads to stronger knowledge and more robust solutions.

This event is designed as a true meeting point for various communities, including, but not limited to, Earth Observation scientists, space weather researchers, GNSS and radio propagation experts,  model developers, spanning the various aspects of the heliophysics discipline and beyond. Together, these communities will explore project outcomes, identify cross-mission and cross-discipline synergies, and discuss how integrated approaches can advance the understanding of ionospheric processes from Earth to space. This includes improving our ability to characterise the state of the ionosphere, both “quiet” and “dynamic”, as well as its irregularities, scintillations and turbulence, and examining when these signatures represent geophysical signals or noise. The event will also focus on the quantification and characterisation of ionospheric conditions, why this is crucial for both science and applications, and how to address open questions and future directions in ionospheric research. This includes the development and use of advanced tools, datasets and simulations, the potential to support operational services through new modelling techniques, and the preparations for future mission planning.

The workshop organisers invite the broader scientific community to submit abstracts and contribute with their latest scientific advancements, ensuring that diverse perspectives and innovative ideas are represented.

Through invited talks, dedicated project sessions, panel discussions, and open community exchanges, the workshop will serve as a collaborative platform to define together the scientific priorities’ needs for the next phase of ionospheric research. 

The ultimate goal is to build a shared roadmap that leverages the strengths of each community to push the boundaries of what is possible in ionospheric science.

Above all, the 4D Ionosphere 2026 Workshop is meant to foster a collaborative environment where different scientific communities can meet, share, challenge, and converge, helping to build a unified vision for the future of ionospheric research in Europe and beyond.

* QUID-REGIS, Swarm-VIP-Dynamic, JOIN, F-BURST, SfOD