Space Weather – The Key Observations (Invited Presentation)

Space weather is a broad term that captures the variability of the near-Earth space environment that can impact humans and technologies.  Some of these influences are subtle and slowly varying, and others, dramatic and eruptive.  The impacts of space weather can be widespread and critical infrastructure is at risk in an extreme event.  It takes a host of ground-based and space-based measurements to observe and predict space weather.  Some of the key observables can be sensed remotely, while others must be measured in situ.  Furthermore, orbital mechanics and finite budgets constrain a realistic and achievable space weather observing system.  This presentation will explore the key observations and their relative contribution to the space weather services framework.