Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 March 2013
This paper summarizes how multi-wavelength measurements will be aggregated to determine Galactic structure in the interstellar medium (ISM) and produce the next-generation electron density model. Fluctuations in density and magnetic field from parsec scales down to about 1000 km cause a number of propagation effects in both radio waves and cosmic rays. Density microstructure appears to include Kolmogorov-like turbulence. The next generation electron-density model, NE2012, will include about double the number of lines of sight with dispersion and scattering measurements and it will be anchored with a much larger number of pulsar parallax distances. The foreground Galactic model is crucial for inferring similar ionized structures in the intergalactic medium (IGM) from scattering measurements on high-z objects. Intergalactic scattering is discussed with reference to distant sources of radio bursts. In particular, the cosmological radio scattering horizon is defined along with its analog for the ISM.