Overview

An automatic weather station (AWS) is a “meteorological station at which observations are made and transmitted automatically” (WMO 1992a). Despite the increasing number of AWS’s deployed, many remote areas are not covered yet by surface observations. The lack of local trained personnel and funding availability to manage the instrumentation, together with the risks associated with the safety of the equipment in remote and possibly insecure areas, represent the most relevant constraints.

Current Condition or Trend

In case of Nepal, significant positive trends are observed in annual and seasonal temperature. All Nepal minimum temperature shows significantly positive trend only in monsoon season. No significant trend is observed in precipitation in any season. All Nepal annual maximum temperature trend is significantly positive (0.056oC/yr). All Nepal annual minimum temperature trend is also positive (0.002oC/yr) but it is insignificant.

How Does DANDA Address This?

Taking the urban resiliency data citizen science initiative forward, Meteorological data are being collected using Acurite Weather station. It measures outdoor weather-related variables Temperature, Humidity, Speed of Wind, Maximum and Minimum temperature, and Rainfall. The automated data are stored in its memory is affordable, user-friendliness, durability, wireless network connectivity, and smart device application capabilities. The station has a monitor that displays the weather parameters in real-time, an application that displays the readings, and an online network for communities to access the weather measurements on the web from anywhere.