Frequently Asked Questions
Some of the things we're most commonly asked about the Maryland
Mesonet project, along with some information we think it's
important to share! Feel free to browse all the questions, or select from one of the
general topic sections in the dropdown menu below:
The above-ground measurements will be sampled every one second, except for air pressure (sampled every 12 seconds) and rainfall or snow depth (sampled only when the relevant events are happening). These data points will be averaged and reported every minute.
The below-ground measurements will be sampled every 3 to 1800 seconds, then averaged and reported every 5 to 30 minutes.
All of this data is transferred wirelessly to a central server, where it can then be displayed on the web in a user-friendly format with visualizations, maps, charts, and archives - as well as disseminated to stakeholders like fire departments, farmers, emergency managers, etc. It will also be shared with the National Weather Service for weather model ingestion, verification, and early detection and warning uses.
Once collected, it'll go downstream into forecast and warning systems, then out to our forecasters in the field, other forecasters and users, data analytics tools, and the broader weather enterprise.
What are the components of the mesonet stations?
Each station will consist of a 30ft (~10m) tower equipped with sensors to measure wind speed and direction, solar radiation, air temperature, relative humidity, air pressure, snow depth, rainfall totals, soil moisture levels, and soil temperature at several points within the upper 1m soil layer.What kind of specific measurements will those be used for?
The following will all be collected in real time:- Wind speed + direction
- Air temperature
- Relative humidity
- Barometric pressure
- Solar radiation
- Snow depth
- Rainfall intensity + amount
- Soil moisture + temperature
The above-ground measurements will be sampled every one second, except for air pressure (sampled every 12 seconds) and rainfall or snow depth (sampled only when the relevant events are happening). These data points will be averaged and reported every minute.
The below-ground measurements will be sampled every 3 to 1800 seconds, then averaged and reported every 5 to 30 minutes.
All of this data is transferred wirelessly to a central server, where it can then be displayed on the web in a user-friendly format with visualizations, maps, charts, and archives - as well as disseminated to stakeholders like fire departments, farmers, emergency managers, etc. It will also be shared with the National Weather Service for weather model ingestion, verification, and early detection and warning uses.
How will the data collection actually happen?
The National Weather Service operates a system called the Meteorological Assimilation Data Ingest System (MADIS), which is designed to ingest and compile a large amount of non-federal data from myriad contributors across the states and private sector. The Maryland Mesonet data will also be collected via MADIS.Once collected, it'll go downstream into forecast and warning systems, then out to our forecasters in the field, other forecasters and users, data analytics tools, and the broader weather enterprise.