Overview
In the early hours of 3 January 2026 (approximately 02:00 local time), United States forces conducted Operation Absolute Resolve in Caracas, Venezuela. The operation involved coordinated strikes against defensive infrastructure followed by an apprehension action targeting Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores.
This project demonstrates how passive Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) monitoring can be used to characterise radio-frequency (RF) conditions during major military operations using publicly available receiver data.
Methodology
GNSS receivers recorded carrier-to-noise density (C/N₀) measurements across 2–3 January 2026. Measurements were grouped into 15-minute time bins. For each bin, the fraction of observations falling below 28 dB-Hz was calculated as an indicator of degraded signal quality.
Data from multiple stations were spatially interpolated to produce a continuous disruption surface for each time step. The resulting time-resolved fields are visualised as an animated heatmap.
GNSS Disruption Visualisation
Black points indicate GNSS monitoring stations. Colour intensity represents the interpolated fraction of low C/N₀ observations. The timeline spans 2 January into 3 January 2026, making the overnight transition visible.
Interpretation
Localised or abrupt increases in the fraction of low C/N₀ measurements are consistent with elevated RF activity, which may arise from jamming, high-power transmissions, or other forms of electronic warfare. GNSS observations alone cannot uniquely identify causation, but they provide valuable situational awareness when analysed in context.