We have used the TOPEX satellite data set to compare climatologies of total electron content (TEC) measurements from the dual-frequency altimeter with the Doppler orbitography and radiopositioning integrated by satellite (DORIS) TEC results and with the international reference ionosphere (IRI) and Bent model predictions corresponding to the satellite measurements. We have used the TOPEX measurements from launch in 1992 through 1997 to build a database that includes time, geographic and geomagnetic coordinates of the measurement, geomagnetic indices (Kp, previous Kp, hemispheric power, and integral of hemispheric power over the previous 36 hours), solar index (F10.7), TOPEX and DORIS TEC measurements, and empirical model (IRI and Bent) results corresponding to the TOPEX measurements. We have binned the measurements in a magnetic local time, magnetic latitude coordinate system to produce global maps of TEC. We present climatological differences between TOPEX TEC and DORIS measurements as well as between TOPEX and the two empirical models. The maps were constructed using all appropriate TOPEX TEC data, DORIS TEC measurements, and the corresponding Bent and IRI model results for solar minimum conditions. ¿ 2001 American Geophysical Union