  Solar flare prediction studies have been recently conducted with the use of
Space-Weather MDI (Michelson Doppler Imager onboard Solar and Heliospheric
Observatory) Active Region Patches (SMARP) and Space-Weather HMI (Helioseismic
and Magnetic Imager onboard Solar Dynamics Observatory) Active Region Patches
(SHARP), which are two currently available data products containing magnetic
field characteristics of solar active regions. The present work is an effort to
combine them into one data product, and perform some initial statistical
analyses in order to further expand their application in space weather
forecasting. The combined data are derived by filtering, rescaling, and merging
the SMARP with SHARP parameters, which can then be spatially reduced to create
uniform multivariate time series. The resulting combined MDI-HMI dataset
currently spans the period between April 4, 1996, and December 13, 2022, and
may be extended to a more recent date. This provides an opportunity to
correlate and compare it with other space weather time series, such as the
daily solar flare index or the statistical properties of the soft X-ray flux
measured by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES).
Time-lagged cross-correlation indicates that a relationship may exist, where
some magnetic field properties of active regions lead the flare index in time.
Applying the rolling window technique makes it possible to see how this
leader-follower dynamic varies with time. Preliminary results indicate that
areas of high correlation generally correspond to increased flare activity
during the peak solar cycle.
