what are cosmic rays?

The Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field protects us from a hostile space radiation environment:

• Galactic cosmic radiation (GCR) is omnipresent. The GCR intensity varies with latitude, longitude, and time of year due to effects of solar activity on the interplanetary magnetic field.
• Solar radiation is significant during unpredictable and short lived solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).

Space radiation collides with gases in the atmosphere, leading to a complex shower of high energy radiation.

regulatory requirements

Excessive exposure to radiation can damage DNA and lead to long-term health effects such as an increased risk of cancer. Radiation levels at altitudes used by commercial aircraft are greater than at sea level due to cosmic rays, and aircrew are classified as radiation workers in some countries. For example, Section OPS 1.390 of the European Union COMMISSION REGULATION (EC) No 859/2008 and Council Directive 96/29/Euratom outlines the standards for the protection of workers from ionizing radiation exposures.

automated assessments via web api

Assessing cosmic radiation exposures of aircrew is complex and can disrupt business processes such as rostering and record keeping due to the need for external consultants.

Our web API connects your existing software, whether crew management, flight planning, SaaS platform, or mobile app, to a validated model of cosmic radiation in the atmosphere using standard interfaces.

Rather than waiting hours or days, and exchanging data files with third parties, your software can assess exposures automatically in a matter of seconds.