Vector magnetometer calibration using a variety of magnetic reference sources

Jessica Mondoskin; Matthew Finley; Katya Sanamyan; Miguel Martinez-Ledesma; Andrew Mentges; Alex P. Hoffman; Hyunju K. Connor; David M Miles

doi:10.25820/data.008281

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Vector magnetometer calibration using a variety of magnetic reference sources

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Vector magnetometer calibration using a variety of magnetic reference sources

Jessica Mondoskin, Matthew Finley, Katya Sanamyan, Miguel Martinez-Ledesma, Andrew Mentges, Alex P. Hoffman, Hyunju K. Connor and David M Miles

University of Iowa

06/29/2026

DOI: 10.25820/data.008281

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ReadMe_Data3.91 kBDownload View

README Information about the data files Open Access CC BY V4.0

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ReadMe_Code4.52 kBDownload View

README Information about the code/script files Open Access CC BY V4.0

LowCostCalAnalysis9.92 kBDownload View

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LowCostCalAnalysis_IgnoreOutliers9.60 kBDownload View

Code/Script Open Access MIT license

OffsetDetermination2.91 kBDownload View

Code/Script Open Access MIT license

Abstract

Triaxial magnetometers are a critical tool used to determine how mass, momentum, and energy are coupled through near-Earth space by various geophysical phenomena. These magnetic field sensors can be deployed on spacecraft orbiting the Earth or other planetary bodies, on suborbital sounding rockets that rapidly traverse through active aurora, or at remote ground stations built to withstand adverse conditions. Increasingly, however, low-cost versions of these sensors are being deployed at universities, high schools, and urban backyards as educational, outreach, or citizen science opportunities. These sensors provide an opportunity for low-cost access to science, where such opportunities may otherwise be inaccessible or sparse. For effective and accurate use, these magnetometers must first be calibrated, a process which can be both costly and complex. A low-cost methodology for calibration would provide the community at large with greater opportunities to use magnetometers. This manuscript presents analysis of the error associated with a low-cost method of ground-based magnetometer calibration using scalar references at a variety of price points, enabling greater potential scientific return from low-cost sensors and applications. The following tests will show how this low-cost calibration can achieve similar performance levels of high-precision calibration facilities (i.e., < 0.3% error in one case).

Triaxial magnetometers

Calibration

Details

Title: Subtitle: Vector magnetometer calibration using a variety of magnetic reference sources
Creators: Jessica Mondoskin - University of Iowa
Matthew Finley - University of Iowa, Physics and Astronomy
Katya Sanamyan - Walter Johnson High School, Bethesda, MD
Miguel Martinez-Ledesma - Catholic University of America
Andrew Mentges - Goddard Space Flight Center
Alex P. Hoffman - Goddard Space Flight Center
Hyunju K. Connor - Goddard Space Flight Center
David M Miles - University of Iowa, Physics and Astronomy
Resource Type: Dataset
DOI: 10.25820/data.008281
Publisher: University of Iowa
Language: English
Date collected: 04/01/2025–06/30/2025
Date published: 06/29/2026
Academic Unit: Physics and Astronomy
Record Identifier: 9985174008802771

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