European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association (EISCAT)

The European Incoherent Scatter Scientfic Association (EISCAT) is the world’s leading scientific organisation for the use of radar in the Ionosphere. Its headquarters is located in Kiruna. Sweden. EISCAT includes the UK, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Japan, China and Finland. EISCAT was founded in 1975.

EISCAT’s function is to make incoherent scatter radar measurements in high latitudes. The receiver stations of the radar system are located in Kiruna (Sweden), Sodankylä (Finland), Tromsø (Norway) and in Longyearbyen on the Spitzbergen, where the second antenna was completed in 2000.

The director of EISCAT is Professor Tony van Eyken. EISCAT’s annual budget is about SEK 30 million.

The observation time allocated to Finland is around 6 per cent, but the Finnish proportion of the research publications relating to EISCAT operations is some 20 per cent. The strong position of the Finns is also highlighted by the fact that EISCAT uses the Guisdap software (Design and Analysis of the EISCAT Svalbar Radar Experiments Program), which was developed by Finnish scientists. The Academy of Finland has supported its development.