Would you mobile mesonet for science?

[Andrew Ryan]

My chase partner already has RM Young instruments, would that be OK? Or would we have to install one of the kits? Either way, I'm sure he would be fine with it.

 

[Tyler Allison]

Everyone will have to run the same kit to make it useful to the research community. Uniformity of equipment and installation is key when you are trying to compare one obs against another and make conclusions from those differences.

 

[Scott Hammel]

Oh yeah...I'd be on board for this!

 

[David Wolfson]

Accurate wind measurement is a sticky thing for me with respect to expense and mounting hassles. I'd be on-board with (and am working on, FWIW) a removable, aspirated, window-mount kit to record accurate temperature and moisture, with air pressure and solar radiation to follow. Perhaps a cheaper option that would allow people like me to participate with a subset of data is worth considering.

 

[Mike Potter]

Count me in I would Love It

 

[Bart_Comstock]

Count me in as well, I think this is an outstanding idea!

 

[Robert Edmonds]

I would do it... However, being a graduate student, the more the price could be "discounted" the better. If the equipment could be loaned for a season, with the payment being I'll drive near storms for you, even better! I won't hold my breath though on it happening.

 

[Wes Carter]

It would be nice if there was a way to get funding for at least a portion of the hardware cost. I'd love to take part, but like many have said I'm not going to spend a couple of grand on a mobile mesonet. But I would not mind carrying one on my vehicle if it does not cut into my chase funds nor have some kind of requirements that takes away any of my freedom to go where I want to go on a chase.

 

[Jayson Prentice]

While this sounds like a great idea and all, I have to question the validity of a project such as this. In such cases where you would be using mesonets to capture scientific caliber data you have quite a few things that you have to remember in order to not skew the data from the mesonet. Having drove/operated a mesonet for several years, driving style is key in not skewing the wind data that you observe. This means restrictions on how you park, as you always have to have your GPS pointing in the true direction you are facing (no backing up); no fast accelerations or decelerations (skew data either high/low); and of course watching where you park/drive (can't be in the slipstream of other vehicles/buildings). There are several other things that you would of course have to watch and 'rules' to follow in order to obtain accurate data for science.

Yes it would be great to have all these mesonets running around capturing data, but I can see a lot of the data being null as people get used to using them and actually realizing what it takes to capture true scientific data without skewing the results. Tyler, hopefully this discussion came up with the group that was discussing a project such as this, did they come up with ways to verify data at all?

I don't want to be the negative one, as this is a great idea, but just wanted to open up a few things to make sure everyone realizes that this would be another detail you would have to keep track of while you are chasing if you truly wanted to help the scientific community.

 

[Jay Cazel]

I think this whould be a great idea, I would like to see all the details when they are worked out but I would be in.

 

[Tyler Allison]

Why not eliminate the "driving" issue for wind by including an iPhone like accelerometer and electronic compass. Then the driver can do whatever they want and software can compensate. This "kit" needs to be idiot proof...so to speak

 

[Wes Carter]

This "kit" needs to be idiot proof...so to speak

"Make it idiot-proof, and someone will make a better idiot." -Author unknown

But seriously, that is a good idea. However, can't the code compensate or ignore all data during rapid acceleration and when in reverse? I would think that is would be easy to discern when a vehicle is in reverse. It would be short periods of travel 180 degrees from just before the vehicle stops. It should be fairly easy to define the parameters for reverse travel, but I have no real idea of how the software is coded nor what all it looks at.

 

[John Wetter]

I really like the idea Tyler. There are obviously a whole slew of details to figure out, but the basic concept makes a lot of sense. So many chasers claim they're out there for the science, I guess it's time for them to put their $$ where their mouth is.

I also agree with the 'good enough' data being good enough. I don't think you plan on collecting V2 mesonet quality data, but just a swarm of pretty good data. I look at it like some of the studies I've seen done with School-net type setups. You know that data isn't impeccable in quality, but it's pretty good and tells you what's going on and allows for trend-watching and general monitoring of storms.

 

[David Wolfson]

Regarding the vector position issue for wind measurement, you've started an idea going.... If it works there should be an inexpensive GPS-only solution for both moving and stationary vehicles. TBD.

Just as there's a need for SN participant validation, I think that the data integrity of mobile mesonet stations should have some sort of validation procedure as well. The way this might work is that a MM station would receive a calibration certificate from another certified MM station.

In practical terms, there will likely be an initial fleet of calibrated MM stations configured and dispatched from MM Central -- say, the Chicago area. A new MM station candidate must meet up somewhere with one of the calibrated vehicles, and would become certified to report thereafter if the data warehouse finds the candidate data to be comparable to the calibrated station. This could be refined whereby the data warehouse could even require a re-validation when a station's readings are shown to be repeatedly off relative to others when it conjoins, i.e. "chaser convergences". FWIW.

 

[Paul Townsend]

I'm more than interested also.

And I'd even be willing to be a subject in one of Mike Hollinghead's chaser convergence depth shots.