THE OBJECTIVE OF SDO IS TO INVESTIGATE AND UNDERSTAND THE LIFECYCLE OF THE SOLAR MAGNETIC FIELD. TO THIS END ONE OF THE INSTRUMENTS ON SDO (THE HELIOSEISMIC AND MAGNETIC IMAGER OR HMI) PRODUCES GLOBAL MAPS OF THE SURFACE VECTOR MAGNETIC FIELD OF THE SUN. THESE MAPS ARE USED FOR MODELING OF THE SOLAR MAGNETIC FIELD INCLUDING HOW THE EFFECTS OF SOLAR ERUPTIONS PROPAGATE TO AND AFFECT THE EARTH AND SPACE?BASED ASSETS. THE NOISE PROPERTIES OF THESE GLOBAL MAPS ARE A NECESSARY INPUT TO THE ASSIMILATIVE MODELS USED FOR THAT PROPAGATION BUT THOSE PROPERTIES ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD. THE GLOBAL MODELS THAT DEPEND ON THESE MAPS ARE USED TO DETERMINE THE MOTION OF MAGNETIC FIELD AND PLASMA THROUGHOUT THE SOLAR SYSTEM. ALL ORBITAL ASSETS ARE AFFECTED BY THESE FIELDS AND PLASMA. UNDERSTANDING WHEN AND WHERE THE FIELD AND PLASMA WILL BE IS ESSENTIAL TO PREDICTING THE EFFECTS ON OUR ASSETS AND SOCIETY.