This paper describes the significance of the achievements of four ionospheric European COST Actions on science and technology for space weather and telecommunications. The period spans the two millennia from 1991 to 2009, bringing together more than 100 devoted scientists from around 40 scientific institutions and academia in about 25 countries worldwide. They have provided a forum for the establishment of collaborative European initiatives and a centre of expertise in ionosphere knowledge. Hide

The Australian Space Forecast Centre (ASFC) had its origins in the International Geophysical Year (IGY), 1957–58, when a need arose for short-term forecasts of the near-space environment to support the IGY scientific programmes. Skills developed during the IGY provided the platform for building the current space weather services, which take advantage of internet communications, a wide range of space-based imagery and our significantly enhanced scientific knowledge of the space environment. Hide

Solar-terrestrial prediction services in China began in 1969. In 1990, China joined the International URSIgram and World Days Service (IUWDS). The Regional Warning Center Beijing (RWC-Beijing) of IUWDS was officially approved in China in 1991. In 1996, IUWDS was renamed the International Space Environment Service (ISES). In 2000, RWC-Beijing was renamed RWC-China. RWC-China headquarters is located on the campus of the National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC). Hide

John Alan Chalmers spent almost 40 years working on atmospheric electricity at Durham University, UK. He is particularly remembered in the atmospheric physics community for his accessible and insightful textbook, Atmospheric Electricity. He also supervised over 35 research students. This article, inspired by a Royal Meteorological Society discussion meeting held at Durham, provides an overview of his background, scientific contributions, and legacy to modern atmospheric science. Hide