About
Many surface weather stations across the globe suffer from incorrect siting, poor maintenance and limited communications for real-time monitoring. To expand observation networks in sparsely observed regions, the 3D-PAWS (3D-Printed Automatic WeatherStation) initiative has been launched by the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR) and the US National Weather Service International Activities Office (NWS IAO), with support from the USAID Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA).
Goals
- Build capacity to reduce hydrometeorology-related risk in developing countries
- Observe and communicate weather and climate information to rural communities
- Develop observation networks and applications to reduce weather related risk
Overview
A very high quality 3D-PAWS surface weather station can be manufactured in about a week, at a cost of only $200-400, using locally sourced materials, microsensor technology, low-cost single board computers, and a 3D printer. 3D-PAWS sensors currently measure pressure, temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, and visible/infrared/UV light. The system uses a Raspberry Pi single-board computer for data acquisition, data processing, and communications.
