165/2004

Report on the 2002-2003 U.S. NLDN® System-wide Upgrade

Exploring Long-range Lightning Detection over the Oceans

Vaisala Radiosonde RS92 on Trial in Italy

Vaisala Upgrades Dubai International Airport Contents

Over the past two years, Vaisala has invested in the most comprehensive upgrade of the President's Column 3 North American Lightning Detection Network to date. The upgrade included the Vaisala Remote Sensing installation of the new Vaisala IMPACT ESP Lightning sensors throughout the Report on the 2002-2003 U.S. NLDN® continental United States. The upgrade will System-wide Upgrade 4 improve the performance of the sensors, minimize maintenance and downtime and Exploring Long-range Lightning Detection build a stronger base for future over the Oceans 9 improvements.

Vaisala takes part in the 84th American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting in Seattle 11 In May 2004 Vaisala's new clean room was Vaisala Soundings taken into operation and the production of sensors was re-started. A clean room is a Vaisala Radiosonde RS92 on Trial in Italy 12 nearly particle-free area where air quality, temperature and humidity are carefully Vaisala HydroMet regulated to ensure that sensitive equipment is free from contamination. The new facility is Chilean Navy Weather Service Invests in state-of-the-art and will allow Vaisala to continue to produce high quality sensors for Vaisala Automatic Weather Stations 18 our products. Update of the Vaisala Automatic Weather Stations MAWS101 Monitoring Transmission Lines 19

Hydrometeorological Real-time network in The Vaisala Radiosonde RS92 family has North-eastern Italy 20 been available on the market for over a year. In November 2003 and March 2004 testing Co-operating to Improve was carried out in Italy to compare the PTU measurement performance of the Vaisala Water Quality Measurements in Finnish Waterways 22 Radiosonde RS92 and the Vaisala RS90.

Vaisala Road Weather

Norwegian Roads Safer with Vaisala's Remote Measurement and Forecasting Technology 23

Vaisala Aviation Weather

Vaisala updgrades Dubai International Airport 24 Cover photo: General Grand Canyon, Arizona USA

Vaisala Invests 6.5 million Euros in New Clean Room 26

Secretary General of the World Meteorological Organization Visits Vaisala 28

In Vaisala 30 Editor-in-Chief: Printed in Finland by Angela Billings Edita Prima, Finland Publisher: ISSN 1238-2388 Vaisala in Brief Vaisala Oyj P.O. Box 26 – We develop, manufacture and – We focus on market segments FIN-00421 Helsinki market products and services for where we can be the world leader, FINLAND environmental and industrial the preferred supplier. We put a Phone (int.): measurements. high priority on customer satis- ONM +358 9 894 91 IR EN NV T E A faction and product leadership. L IC L Telefax: D A B – The purpose of these measure- We secure our competitive advan- R

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+358 9 8949 2227 L ments is to provide a basis for a tage through economies of scale N better quality of life, cost sa- and scope. Internet: vings, environmental protection, http://www.vaisala.com 441 002 improved safety and better per- Design and Artwork: Printed matter formance. Edita Prima

2 165/2004 President’s Column Insource the core, outsource the context

“Insource the core, out- source the context” is a business slogan, which is ap- plied in many global compa- nies. The key message is that in order to be competitive, re- sources should be focused on the core activities of the busi- ness, that is to say, to areas which generate a competitive edge. Non-core or context ac- tivities should be purchased from competent service providers. At times it is even better to take some of the core pieces from strategic partners, if you are unable to meet the vol- ume required by that activity. I believe that this guidance applies equally well to the met- eorological community. For most of our customers the ulti- mate need is weather observa- tion data or further value added information, supporting operational decision making in a specific application. Activ- ities such as integrating and in- creasingly more expensive to oped expertise by focusing their stalling a system, owning it, op- maintain resources for that on efforts on their core. A wide erating it and maintaining it, the local level. range of manufacturing activities have all traditionally been The paradigm is changing belongs to this category. This mandatory in order to meet and the key word today is ser- transformation has helped us to one's need for data or informa- vice. I believe that our customers develop our competitiveness tion. Those originally mandatory will increasingly need services as and growth. activities may have changed over they begin to focus their re- I may have been a bit time to become activities deter- sources on their core activities. provocative above. But we have mined to be context. At the same time they will in- good experience already in Technology development is creasingly want supporting serv- many areas of shifting from be- also creating a push for change. ices from a reliable partner. Our ing solely a provider of hardware Increasing automation makes technical and application com- to providing services and data. equipment challenging to main- petencies give us a good position In the U.S we already provide tain and upgrade. During the to take responsibility in system lightning data to multiple appli- equipment's lifespan upgrades integration, maintenance, opera- cations. This will be an area to can increase the value of data tions, financing, and to meet the increase our offerings. and information. Using the In- ultimate needs of the customer: Let's talk about it. ● ternet enables new system archi- deliver high quality information tectures, where central process- and data. ing can be done efficiently on a Vaisala has done similar global level. More skills are need- things in our own industrial ac- ed to manage the recent develop- tivity. We rely on competent ser- Pekka Ketonen ments in technology and it is in- vice providers, who have devel- President and CEO

165/2004 3 Michael J. Grogan Product Manager, Network Data and Software Vaisala Tucson, USA

Vaisala's U.S. National Lightning Detection Network® Report on the 2002-2003 U.S. NLDN® System-wide

Two years ago, Vaisala began an ambitious project to Upgrade re-build the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN) by replacing more than 100 early generation sensors with new, more sensitive lightning sensors to improve network performance and expand applica- tions. Initial third-party validation studies indicate that the network is operating better than ever with minimum 90 percent flash detection efficiency.

4 165/2004 and sensor downtime by replac- ing aging sensors and sensing station equipment ● Build a stronger base for future improvements, including cloud lightning detection oppor- tunities Pre-Upgrade Operations In the early 1990s, the NLDN consisted of early generation magnetic direction finding sen- sors. The network detected 65 to 80 percent of cloud-to-ground lightning discharges with loca- tion accuracy ranging from 2 to 4 kilometers. The first major upgrade proj- Image shows 24 hours of lightning data from the U.S. National Lightning Detection Network ect to the NLDN began in 1994 and was completed in 1995. Vaisala – then Global Atmos- pherics – partnered with the Electric Power Research Institute U.S. National to improve network perfor- mance to produce operational Lightning Detection benefits targeted at the electric ® utility industry. Electric power Network Backgrounder utilities needed more detailed in- formation and more accurate eather forecasters in both public and private lightning locations to design W sectors use real-time lightning maps and indi- more effective lightning protec- vidual lightning stroke characteristics from the NLDN® tion to improve the reliability of to closely monitor thunderstorm development, transmission and distribution strength, and paths for more accurate severe weather systems. The focus of the 1994- forecasting and for issuing warnings. NLDN users in- 1995 upgrade project was to: clude the National Weather Service, NASA, FAA, and ● Report strokes as well as other government agencies. Operations that are affect- flashes ed by lightning and thunderstorms – electric power ● Improve location accuracy utilities, airports, telecommunications, explosives han- ● Increase percentage of dling and others – rely on NLDN lightning data to tell lightning discharges detected which facilities are at increased risk from thunder- ● Report peak current esti- storms. ver the past two years, mates for cloud-to-ground light- NLDN information is used for monitoring current Vaisala has invested in ning strokes conditions and for studying past events. Since 1989, the O the most sweeping up- NLDN has reported more than 20 million cloud-to- grade yet of the NLDN with the The primary means to ground lightning flashes that occur every year, creating installation of new Vaisala IM- achieve these goals was to em- a comprehensive archive of lightning data used for sta- PACT ESP Lightning Sensors at ploy the latest lightning sensor tistical and forensic analysis. sensing stations throughout the technology; a combination of NLDN data is available to subscribers through vari- continental United States. These time-of-arrival and magnetic di- ous lightning mapping software and Internet lightning new sensors replaced more than rection finding methods in a sin- tracking services. These application tools are specialized 100 of the first generation IM- gle sensor, the original IMPACT for real-time lightning tracking and warning or for PACT Lightning Sensors and Lightning Sensor. At the com- analysis of past lightning activity. Real-time data is deli- older LPATS III Lightning Sen- pletion of the 1994-1995 project, vered by satellite broadcast or TCP/IP. Historic lightning sors. the network consisted of 47 of data is delivered by CD or via traditional Internet pro- The main goals of the up- the new combined technology tocols. ● grade were to: sensors and 59 of the existing ● Improve network perfor- time-of-arrival sensors. In central mance by using newer sensing processing, the location and technology stroke processing algorithms ● Minimize maintenance were also refined and ➤

165/2004 5 improved. ment and the desire to improve The result of the 1994-1995 performance by using more ad- NLDN Timeline project was a new flash detection vanced technology led to initial efficiency of 80 to 90 percent planning of the next system- 1984-1989: Three separate regional lightning networks and 500-meter median location wide upgrade. After more than a develop and operate at various locations. These networks accuracy. The results of the 1994- year of planning and develop- using early direction finding methods for lightning detec- 1995 upgrade were verified by in- ment, work began in November tion dependent validation studies. 2001 to install new and more ad- vanced Vaisala IMPACT ESP 1989: Regional networks share data to establish a na- Upgrade Calls for Lightning Sensors throughout tional network, the NLDN. This cooperative project is All New Sensors the network. The new sensors funded by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) and A combination of aging equip- would replace the old sensors operated by the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany. For the first time, real-time data is available to users across the country. This will allow the first time ever

1991: Real-time and historic lightning data becomes commercially available.

1993: NLDN Network Control Center is moved to its cur- rent location in Tucson, Arizona.

1994: Comprehensive customer research leads to the de- velopment of new, more powerful lightning display and lightning analysis software.

1995: First major system-wide upgrade completed with project partner EPRI. This upgrade added new lightning sensors that combined magnetic direction finding and Today’s NLDN consist of 113 lightning sensor locations across the time-of-arrival detection methods in a single sensor, the continental U.S. original IMPACT Lightning Sensor. NLDN began reporting flashes and individual return strokes within a flash. Flash detection efficiency increased to 80-90% with median stroke location accuracy of 500 meters.

1996-1999: Commercial applications of historic light- ning data proliferate in electric power, insurance, and Distinguishing Flashes and Strokes other industries as a result of improved location accuracy and application-specific software developments. NLDN lightning flash data provides time, location, polarity, first-stroke amplitude, and multiplicity of each cloud-to- 1998: The Canadian Lightning Detection Network, ground lightning flash. However, research has shown that owned by Environment Canada, is completed. Operations there can be up to 20 return strokes that make up a flash and for the CLDN are combined with NLDN operations in Tuc- these strokes often strike the earth in different locations up to son. The lightning data from the NLDN and CLDN sensors several kilometers apart. NLDN stroke data provides time, lo- – close to 200 sensors –are processed on a single process- cation, polarity, and amplitude of these strokes, providing the ing platform. very detailed data needed for in-depth lightning analysis and lightning incident investigations. Flash data is most often used 2000: NLDN real-time and historic lightning data is avail- for general trending of lightning events; stroke data is critical able on the Internet in several application-specific for- for understanding specific incidents. mats. Key Performance Measurements 2003: Second major system-wide upgrade completed • Median stroke location accuracy: 50 percent probability error with replacement of aging sensors and earlier sensing for locating a cloud-to-ground stroke technology with new, more advanced, third generation • Flash detection efficiency: Percentage of cloud-to-ground Vaisala IMPACT ESP Lightning Sensors throughout the lightning flashes detected by the network network. Preliminary evaluations indicate overall mini- • Stroke detection efficiency: Percentage of all return strokes mum 90% flash detection efficiency and 60-80% stroke within a flash detected by the network detection efficiency. ●

6 165/2004 and several new sensor locations validated at 500 meters. The and relocations were planned to 2002-2003 upgrade may have optimize network geometry. improved location accuracy in NLDN Mission: The combined magnetic di- some regions, especially bound- rection finding and time-of-ar- ary areas, but location accuracy Quality and Value rival sensing technology em- improvements are expected to ployed by each new IMPACT be incremental and are currently he NLDN’s high stan- ESP sensor raises the benchmark undergoing re-validation. T dards of reliability, for NLDN performance. This In 1998, flash detection effi- availability and perfor- more advanced combined tech- ciency was scientifically verified mance are the result of nology replaces the now outdat- to range from 80 to 90 percent well-planned redundancy ed, stand-alone time-of-arrival for those events with peak cur- and strict, documented technique and also updates the rents above five kiloamps, vary- quality control. NLDN ope- original IMPACT sensors. The ing slightly by region. rations are constantly scru- IMPACT ESP – the third gener- As of March 2004 the actual tinized from data acquisi- Network Control Center for the ation of the IMPACT sensor – performance of the NLDN is tion from the sensors to NLDN and CLDN is manned 24 has improved sensitivity, shorter still being confirmed by inde- data delivery to customers. hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days dead time (less than 1 millisec- pendent scientific evaluation, Here are a few highlights: a year. ond), and more processing pow- but preliminary evaluations and er than its predecessor. Like ear- statistical models look promis- System-wide Redundancy lier versions of the IMPACT ing. • Two separate satellites and acquisition hubs acquire data sensor, the new sensor employs One evaluation project us- from two evenly distributed sensor configurations. If one satel- both electric and magnetic field ing digital video cameras with lite, its hub, or its hub communication link fails, the sensor set sensing to provide both arrival GPS time synchronization con- reporting to the remaining satellite and hub provides sufficient time and azimuth information ducted by Kenneth E. Kehoe coverage across the United States; for each detected lightning dis- and University of Arizona pro- • Private carrier-grade communications system of direct links charge. fessor E. Philip Krider around with back-up links in the event of a primary circuit failure; A network of these new sen- Tucson, Arizona – at a boundary • Two central processors operating independently with auto- sors can detect survey-level of the network – during the sum- matic fail-over for uninterrupted analyzes of incoming sensor amounts of cloud lightning, de- mer of 2003 determined that av- data and lightning solution output; pending on sensor spacing. This erage NLDN flash detection effi- • Back-up network control center is available at State Universi- cloud lightning capability offers ciency for 18 storms near Tucson ty of New York at Albany. an important step toward more was about 95 percent and stroke timely and more accurate now- detection efficiency was about Quality Control casting and forecasting since 78 percent. A paper on this • NCC operators review regional network performance hourly cloud lightning is a typical pre- study is scheduled for presenta- using a graphical statistical analysis tool displayed by the cen- cursor to cloud-to-ground light- tion at the 18th International tral processor; ning as well as an indicator of Lightning Detection Conference • Comprehensive statistical reports on regional network per- heavy precipitation, downbursts, in June 2004. formance and on individual sensor performance are generated and other weather hazards. Observations in these other by the central processor and reviewed daily by staff scientists; Cloud lightning is a valuable areas are also being evaluated: • Failure notification of any individual sensor occurs within one weather element used by avia- ● Higher multiplicity minute; tion professionals, meteorolo- ● Detection of smaller medi- • On-call repair and maintenance staff are dispatched to sensor gists, and others to issue thun- an peak current sites usually within 48 hours of sensor failure and regional tech- derstorm warnings faster and ● Lightning type classifica- nicians can provide even more rapid response when needed. more accurately by identifying tion for strokes below 10 to 20 thunderstorms earlier and pro- kiloamp range Uptime and Availability viding more detailed storm in- • 99.9789% average uptime for data acquisition from sensors formation. Significant Increase in (2003) Cloud lightning detection Stroke Detection • 99.9928% average availability of data broadcast to users via capabilities using either the IM- The most promising preliminary satellite (2003) PACT ESP sensors or its 2004 result thus far is the increase in • 99.9413% average availability of Internet services (2003) successor, the Vaisala Thunder- stroke detection efficiency from storm Total Lightning Sensor 40 to 50 percent in 1995 to 60 to Mission Critical Operations LS8000, is currently being evalu- 80 percent today – an increase of • NCC is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. ated. 20 to 30 percent. Evaluations in- • Controlled access to NCC. dicate the upgraded network de- • Uninterrupted power supply with gas generator for sustain- Preliminary Results tects more small subsequent able power source to the NCC. Median stroke location accuracy strokes. This increase in stroke • Disaster recovery procedure in place. ● of the NLDN is scientifically detection efficiency ➤

165/2004 7 leads to the increase in flash de- tection efficiency.

Validation Results Key Applications for NLDN Lightning Data Forthcoming Video evaluation is underway • Weather forecasting: Help predict severe weather for public warning near Dallas, Texas, which is con- • Electric power utilities: Pre-position field crews for approaching storm threats and to improve sidered to be an interior network engineering and design with lightning analysis location. In addition, detection • Air traffic management: Re-route aircraft around hazardous thunderstorms efficiency, location accuracy, • Airports: Suspend high-risk activities like fueling during lightning threats and peak current calibration • Insurance and arson: Investigate lightning as the cause of property damage or fire studies are being carried out by • Power-sensitive operations: Prepare for storm-caused power outages by switching to back-up researchers at the University of power early Florida's International Center • Hazardous materials handling: Warn personnel working near explosives and flammable for Lightning Research and Test- materials to evacuate ing in Camp Blanding. Finally, • Forestry: Dispatch crews to suspected fire starts for more successful initial attack relative detection efficiency • Golf and outdoor recreation: Warn players to seek safety from storms measurements will be produced • Aerospace: Monitor for safest weather conditions for shuttle and satellite launches so that NLDN users will be able to compare 2002 and later light- ning information with previous years. Like validation studies after the 1994-1995 upgrade, final evaluation results from the GPS- synched digital video evalua- tions and relative detection effi- ciency analysis of the 2002-2003 upgrade will be made available to NLDN users as they become available. ●

Comparison: Before and After the 2002-2003 NLDN Upgrade

Basic Parameters Before After* Number of sensors 107 113 Types of lightning sensors First generation IMPACT sensors Third generation Vaisala and older LPATS III sensors IMPACT ESP sensors Sensing technology Combined MDF/TOA sensors Combined MDF/TOA sensors and TOA only sensors Flash detection efficiency 80-90% 90% or better Stroke detection efficiency 40-50% 60-80% Stroke location accuracy 500-meter median error 500-meter median error Network uptime > 99.7% > 99.7% Minimum peak current detected (1st percentile) As low as 5-8 kA As low as 3-4 kA Multiplicity 1.9 to 2.4, varying by region Increased by 20-30%

*Independent validation studies were still underway in March 2004 to verify these preliminary findings

8 165/2004 Nicholas W. S. Demetriades, Research Scientist Ronald L. Holle, Meteorologist/Consultant Vaisala Tucson, USA

Exploring Long-Range Lightning Detection over the Oceans

Vaisala's Research in transoceanic lightning tracking points to more be off by hundreds of kilome- accurate prediction models and improved aviation and maritime ters, resulting in adverse impacts to coastal communities. transportation safety. Vaisala and its research partners are studying Preliminary long-range light- cloud-to-ground lightning tracking techniques, effectiveness, and ning observations and research applications with experimental versions of Vaisala IMPACT ESP models over the Pacific and At- lantic Oceans and Gulf of Mexi- Lightning Sensors that use very low frequency (VLF) lightning co suggest that lightning map- detection technology. ping may be able to improve oceanic storm location accuracy and therefore significantly re- ong-range lightning data ● Surface weather observa- duce forecast errors. over ocean areas looks es- tion stations aboard ships and L pecially promising for buoys Transportation more accurate numerical weath- ● Aircraft Routes and Safety er prediction models and storm ● Geostationary and polar- Ships and aircraft face severe forecasts for densely populated orbiting satellites weather hazards that threaten coastal areas. It also improves ● Upper air soundings from human safety and can result in weather observations where un- islands damage or loss of goods being detected hazardous weather im- transported. By knowing where pacts aviation and shipping The quality of these observa- and when convective weather is transportation routes and safety. tion methods continues to be active, dispatchers and air traffic improved and refined, but the management can modify routes Lightning Adds data quantity and type have not to avoid thunderstorm hazards. New Dimension changed substantially. Using As it does over land masses, Oceanic weather observations these data sources, numerical lightning enables faster and are collected primarily from weather prediction forecasts of more accurate identification of these sources: oceanic storm positions can still convective weather. Since ➤

165/2004 9 Kathryn Schlichting Marketing Manager Vaisala Sunnyvale, USA

radar is not available over the vations point to very exciting ad- veloping weather patterns and New Vaisala products oceans, lightning data is even vances that extend the reach of hazardous convective weather are introduced at AMS more important for accurate lightning observations to areas needed to improve weather fore- The AMS meeting is the host to identification of formation and where better identification of de- casts. ● the largest exhibit program any- dissipation of convective cells. where in the atmospheric, Satellite imagery is available oceanic and related sciences. It over the oceans, but does not provides the best showcase for provide the level of detail and Vaisala is privileged to collaborate on introducting new and innovative timeliness that lightning data long-range lightning applications with research teams from equipment in these industries. can provide. Satellite imagery is these distinguished organizations: Vaisala had a number of prod- often of limited use for identify- ucts which launched at the AMS ing convective activity when ob- ● Aviation Weather Center of the National Weather Service meeting including: scured by higher clouds. ● University of Hawaii School of Ocean & Earth Science & Tech- ● Vaisala Thunderstorm In- nology and associated collaborators formation System, the integrat- Pacific Ocean ● NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center ed technology lightning sytem Research ● National Weather Service Forecast Offices in Seattle, Jack- ● Vaisala Ceilometer CL31 For lightning activity mapping sonville, and Upton ● Vaisala CARBOCAP® Car- over the north and central Pacific ● University of Washington, Department of Atmospheric Sciences bon Dioxide Probe GMP343 Ocean areas, experimental long- ● State University of New York at Stony Brook Department of At- ● Vaisala TacMet Tactical range VLF lightning sensors – mospheric Sciences Meteorological Observing Sys- modified versions of Vaisala IM- ● Environment Canada tem MAWS201MP, the pole PACT ESP Lightning mounted sytem Sensors – were in- ● Vaisala Software Defined stalled on the islands Receiver/Processor, SPS311, for of Kaui and Kona, use in the Vaisala DigiCORA® Hawaii and Dutch ● New Vaisala DigiCORA® Harbor, Alaska. Tethersonde features including Data from these balloon improvements for in- lightning sensors is creased flight stability, and safe- supplemented with ty, as well as many software im- data from Pacific provements and upgrades. Coast-area sensors from Vaisala’s U.S. Other Vaisala products of National Lightning keen interest to visitors to the Detection Network booth were the Vaisala Ra- and Environment diosonde RS92, Vaisala Incident Canada’s Canadian Weather Observing Station Lightning Detec- IWOS, Vaisala Wind Profilers tion Network. and Vaisala Ultrasonic Wind Figure 1 shows Sensor. five consecutive days Figure 1. More than 10,000 cloud-to-ground lightning strokes were detected over the Our booth was active with of lightning activity North Pacific Ocean over a 120-hour period starting 00h00 UTC on 10 February and many AMS attendees stopping over the North Pacif- ending at 24h00 UTC on 14 February 2004. by to see our product offerings ic Ocean. Figure 2 il- PHOTOCOURTESY OF NOAA/NWS. and talking with Vaisala person- lustrates how adding Figure 2. Satellite imagery and nel. long-range cloud-to-ground lightning to satellite lightning detected between 1421 imagery provides First ever and 1721 UTC 18 December Vaisala workshop valuable detail about 2002 over the North Pacific. the convective areas Flashes indicate convection along Vaisala held its first workshop at of a cold front. a cold front, in the cold pool AMS and featured product pre- behind the front, and ahead of sentations by the Soundings, Important the frontal system. The presence Wind Profiler, and Thunder- of lightning indicates convection Benefits storm groups. The four-hour Anticipated in only a portion of the locations with high clouds shown by workshop was a venue where Research and devel- infrared satellite imagery. Vaisala's new products and up- opment will continue grades could be discussed in de- in long-range cloud- tail with a group of interested to-ground lightning customers. Ken Goss, Director detection and appli- of Sales and Marketing for cations. Early obser- North America was extremely

10 165/2004 Vaisala takes part in the 84th American Meteorological Society Annual Meeting in Seattle

The 84th American Meteorological Society (AMS) Annual Meeting was held January 11-15 in Seattle, Washington. Vaisala was an active participant on many fronts including the exhibi- tion, presentation of papers, the general public WeatherFest forum, hosting a workshop, and meeting with customers in all areas of our meteorological business – soundings, aviation weather, wind profilers, hydrometeorology, thunderstorm detection and data systems, optical sensors and instrumentation. The AMS meeting was a resounding success.

to the general public called WeatherFest. This interactive half-day science and weather fair is designed to promote the field of meteorology to students, ele- mentary and secondary school teachers, media, and weather hobbyists of all ages. Education- al materials were provided on the Vaisala U.S. National Light- ning Detection Network and lightning safety at the Weather- Fest fair. Seattle offered good surroundings for AMS 2004 Overall, the AMS Annual Meet- ing attracted more then 3,400 at- tendees to 21 conferences and symposia as well as various workshops and courses. The WeatherFest, an educational event open to the public and the media, attracted over 1,000 peo- George Frederick, Del Hildebrand and Geoff Bing in the Vaisala Remote Sensing section of the Vaisala Booth. ple. Everyone enjoyed the venue with downtown Seattle offering its gourmet coffee, fresh salmon pleased with the participation participating in productive were presented by Vaisala R & D and seafood, lively Pike Place and outcome of the event. group discussions. personnel from our Optical, Market, and plenty of rain. “Vaisala’s first AMS workshop Thunderstorm, Wind Profiler, The 2005 AMS Annual was a resounding success for cus- Vaisala presents and Soundings groups. These Meeting to be held 9-13 January tomers from a number of appli- six technical papers papers were published by AMS in San Diego, California will cation areas. In a fast paced se- Research and Development (R & and distributed to everyone at- have the conference theme, ries of presentations, Vaisala D) is an area in which Vaisala is tending the conference sessions. “Building the Earth Information brought them up to speed on constantly investing. We pre- System”. It will provide another our latest product offerings”, sented selected topics at AMS as Involving opportunity for Vaisala to show- noted Ken. The event was very our way of offering the newest in the general public case its leadership in weather ob- well received with many impor- technological advances to the This year Vaisala participated in servation systems and instru- tant customers in attendence meteorological field. Six papers the pre-conference event open mentation. ●

165/2004 11 Maria Rita Leccese Managing Director Eurelettronica Icas Srl Rome, Italy Vaisala Radiosonde RS92: On Trial in Italy

12 165/2004 The Vaisala Radiosonde RS92 family has been available for over a year along with the supporting Vaisala DigiCORA® Sounding System and sounding software. Worldwide, a number of RS92 operational trials have been concluded successfully. A greater number are either underway or scheduled to begin soon. This article focuses on the RS92 trial that was conducted in Italy by Vaisala in collaboration with the Italian Air Force and Reparto Sperimentazioni di Meteorologia Aeronautica (ReSMA), the Center for Air Force Meteorological Research.

he “Italian Air Force tri- The first Vaisala Radiosonde RS92-SGP/RS90-AG test rig is launched at Vigna di al” was conducted in two Valle, witnessed by General Roberto Sorani, chief of the UGM. T test phases. The first phase took place in mid-Novem- ber 2003, the second in early March 2004. The Italian Air Force trial compared the meas- urement performance of the all- digital RS92-SGP to that of the RS90-AG, complete with their respective ground equipment and sounding software. Every di- mension of radiosonde perfor- mance was analyzed. Special at- tention was paid to ensuring the continuity of aerological data when making the operational transition from the RS90 to the RS92. Italian Air Force Meteorological Service: Brindisi and Trapani Birgi. Meteorologia Aeronautica (ReS- some background The Italian Air Force Mete- MA) is the Center for Air Force The Italian Air Force has run a orological Service also carries Meteorological Research. Its re- Meteorological Service since out climatological and environ- sponsibilities include overseeing 1925. This service assumed a mental analyzes in growing co- the quality of meteorological ob- central role of national impor- operation with the Regional servations, certifying the compli- tance in 1950, when Italy joined Meteorological Services, which ance of weather instruments to the WMO. Over the years, the were formed to support local so- international standards and con- Italian Air Force Meteorological cio-economic activities by pro- ducting special weather observa- Service has built an extensive viding high-resolution, localized tion campaigns. observation network which cov- meteorological products. The ers the national territory. Nowa- Italian Air Force Meteorological Role of the Italian days the Italian Air Force Mete- Service is managed by Ufficio Space Agency in orological Service acts as the na- Generale per la Meteorologia the trial tional weather service, responsi- (UGM), formed within the “Co- Vaisala has developed a close re- ble for general weather forecast- mando Squadra Aerea” with its lationship with the Italian mete- ing, issuing weather bulletins headquarters in Rome. orological research community and alerts for public safety. The over the years, in particular with Italian Air Force Meteorological Reparto the Agenzia Spaziale Italiana Service runs 6 synoptic sound- Sperimentazioni di (ASI ), the Italian Space Agency. ing stations located in Milano Meteorologia ASI’s base in Trapani Milo has Linate, Udine Campoformido, Aeronautica (ReSMA) been a very active contributor to Pratica di Mare, Cagliare Elmas, The Reparto Sperimentazioni di many European atmospher- ➤

165/2004 13 The Reparto Sperimentazioni di Meteorologia Aeronautica (ReSMA) research station in Vigna di Valle.

ic research programs thanks to correlating GPS technology. The Phase 2, Trapani Birgi is a synoptic its ideal location, modern instru- secondary goal was to evaluate Trapani Birgi test sounding station and the sound- mentation and highly trained the benefits of upgrading to the ings were done so as not to dis- staff. For these and other rea- Vaisala DigiCORA Sounding Phase 2 of the Italian Air Force turb normal operation. The sons, Vaisala came up with the System MW21 from the Vaisala trial comprised 7 soundings RS92-SGP and RS90-AG were idea of using the Trapani Milo MARWIN® Sounding System made at the Trapani Birgi sound- not placed on a rig but launched base for initial operational test- MW12 and Vaisala DigiCORA ing station, at the standard syn- separately and simultaneously. ing of the RS92 in Italy. Vaisala Sounding System MW11/15 optic times of 12:00, 18:00 and approached ASI with the idea, systems currently in use. The Air 24:00 and hours in-between. Ground equipment the ASI kindly agreed, and RS92 Force testers directly compared Like Vigna di Valle, the Trapani set-up operational tests were carried the general usability of the Birgi sounding station often ex- Two sounding systems were used out in June 2002 and late Sep- MW21 and MW12 systems in periences radar interference to collect data from the two ra- tember 2003. light of their respective ground from a nearby radar installation. diosondes. ReSMA’s existing The encouraging results of check procedures, reading of cal- Vaisala MARWIN Sounding the Trapani Milo test were the ibration coefficients and adjust- Radiosonde set-up at System MW12 system was used background to the Italian Air ment of transmitter frequencies. Vigna di Valle to receive data from the RS90- Force operational trial, which in- Ten twin soundings of the Vaisala AG. A newly installed Vaisala cluded tests at ReSMA’s Vigna di Phase 1, Radiosonde RS92-SGP/RS90-AG DigiCORA Sounding System Valle sounding station from 7-20 Vigna di Valle test were made at Vigna di Valle. At MW21 was used to receive data November 2003 and at the Tra- Phase 1 of the Italian Air Force launch, the radiosondes were sus- from the RS92-SGP. pani Birgi sounding station from trial comprised 15 soundings pended about 1 meter below the At Trapani Birgi the existing 8-10 March 2004. made at the Vigna di Valle re- test rig. After launch and unwind- Vaisala DigiCORA Sounding search station. Ten of the sound- ing, the radiosondes reached a sus- System MW15 system was used Goals of the Italian ings were twin soundings of the pension point approximately 60 to receive data from the RS90- Air Force trial RS92-SGP/RS90-AG; five were meters below the sounding bal- AG. A Vaisala DigiCORA® The primary goal of the Italian solo soundings. The majority of loon. The same was true for the 5 Sounding System MW21 was Air Force trial was to compare the twin and solo soundings solo soundings that were made: used to receive data from the the pressure, temperature and were made at the standard syn- four RS92-SGP soundings and RS92-SGP. Both sounding sys- humidity (PTU) measurement optic times of 6:00, 12:00 and one RS90-AG sounding. tems were operated independent- performance of the Vaisala Ra- 18:00. The Vigna di Valle weath- ly, in normal mode. The RS90- diosonde RS92-SGP to that of er station often experiences radar Radiosonde set-up at AG ground check was carried out the RS90-AG currently used at interference from a nearby radar Trapani Birgi as normal with the GC24 ground Air Force sounding stations, as installation, which was an illumi- Seven soundings were made at check set. The RS92-SGP ground well as to assess the improved nating factor in the testing. Trapani Birgi. The radiosonde check was carried out as normal windfinding performance set-up was slightly different than with the Vaisala Ground Check brought by Vaisala’s new code- the one used at Vigna di Valle. Set GC25.

14 165/2004 Italian Air Force testers with a Vaisala Radiosonde RS92- Figure 1. Vaisala Radiosonde RS80-15GE/RS92-SGP twin sounding: RS80- SGP/RS90-AG test rig ready for launch. 15GE humidity measurement in red, RS92-SGP humidity measurement in blue

Data collection Relative humidity off-line and heated to prevent ic- gna di Valle were used to gener- and processing ing in preparation for coming on- ate statistics on the direct differ- The RS92 and RS90 measure rel- line. When the RS92 ascends ences in humidity measurement RS90-AG data was collected ative humidity with similar per- through clouds at low altitudes, between the two radiosondes. As from the Vaisala MARWIN formance – the same humidity therefore, its humidity measure- seen in Figure 2, the average di- Sounding System with a separate sensor is used for both radioson- ments are unaffected by icing. rect difference was less than 3%. PC, loaded with Vaisala Met- des. This humidity sensor is Furthermore, when the RS92 A factor which contributed graph software. The edited made of an H-type polymer, emerges from low-lying cloud, its significantly to the difference (EDT) data generated by the which is a significant technologi- humidity measurements are was the improved ground check Vaisala DigiCORA Sounding cal advance over the A-type largely unaffected by the transi- procedure for the RS92. This System MW21 system was ex- polymer used in the manufac- tion from the cloud’s high-hu- procedure takes advantage of the tracted from the MW21’s sound- ture of humidity sensors for midity conditions to “normal” at- new reconditioning functionali- ing database after every sounding RS80 radiosondes. mospheric conditions. ty in the Vaisala Ground Check – a useful ability made possible Moreover, the RS90 and Set GC25. The reconditioning by the new system architecture. RS92 are equipped with two H- Vaisala Radiosonde of the RS92’s twin humidity sen- The EDT data, generated every type humidity sensors and a tech- RS92-SGP vs. RS90-AG sors eliminates any chemical two seconds, was analyzed using nique which alternately heats humidity measurement contamination that may have the new RSK32 software devel- them. When one H-type humidi- The eight RS92-SGP/RS90-AG occurred during storage to throw oped by Mr. Sergei Kurnosenko. ty sensor is measuring, its twin is twin soundings carried out at Vi- off humidity measurement dur- ing sounding. Vaisala Radiosonde As seen in Figure 2, the RS92 vs. RS90 PTU Spotlight: Vaisala Radiosonde RS92-SGP RS92-SGP was used as the refer- performance vs. RS80-15GE humidity measurement ence and measured higher hu- midity values than the RS90-AG PTU data availability ne RS92-SGP/RS80-15GE twin sounding was made to com- at low altitudes (0-8 km) thanks The raw PTU data received by O pare the humidity measurement performance of these to its reconditioned humidity the MW21 and MW12 sound- two radiosondes (see Figure 1 above). A single sounding is not sensors. The difference at higher ing systems was used to calculate statistically significant. That said, the result reinforced the expe- altitudes is due to the slightly im- the average availability of PTU rience of recent WMO intercomparisons, which have shown that proved temperature dependence data for the RS92-SGP and the RS92’s humidity sensor has a faster response time than the correction used for the RS92- RS90-AG, as shown below: RS80’s humidity sensor and has a better temperature depend- SGP. In general, Figure 2 shows ence correction, especially at cold temperatures (below -40 °C). good correlation in humidity PTU This is clearly seen in the 8 – 14 km altitude range of Figure 1. At measurement between the RS92- RS92-SG 98.6% 97.5% 99.3% an altitude of approximately 11 km, the RS92-SGP/RS80-15GE rig SGP and RS90-AG, but a slight RS90-AG 86.7% 92.0% 92.6% entered a cloud and the humidity measurements of the two ra- edge in performance must be diosondes suddenly diverge widely. ● given to the RS92-SGP. ➤

165/2004 15 ure 3 shows the result: very mi- nor differences between the pressure measurements of the two radiosondes at very low alti- tudes, and increasingly good correlation as higher altitudes are reached. Vaisala Radiosonde RS92-SGP vs. RS90-AG temperature measurement The eight RS92-SGP/RS90-AG twin soundings of the Vigna di Valle test were used to compare the direct differences in temper- ature measurement between the two radiosondes. An improved temperature dependency correction has been developed for the RS92 temperature sensor. The results of this improvement are seen in Figure 2.1 Average direct differences in humidity measurement, Vaisala Radiosonde RS90-AG vs RS92-SGP. The bold blue line in the middle shows the humidity values measured by the RS92-SGP used as the reference. Figure 4. The RS90-AG is the bold red line. Vaisala Radiosonde RS92-SGP vs. RS90-AG wind data availability The RS92-SGP’s code correlat- ing GPS (ccGPS) technology en- ables highly accurate calcula- tions of wind speed and direc- tion and provides continuous wind data availability. The new ccGPS technology also features a high signal-to-noise ratio and immunity to non-GPS signals. Average wind data availabili- ty for the RS92-SGP as received by the MW21 sounding system was found to be 94.4% at Vigna di Valle and 95.5% at Trapani Birgi, based on calculations made with the raw GPS informa- tion received by the ground equipment. Average wind data availability for the RS90-AG as received by the MW12 sounding system was found to be 23.3%. Given that both test sites Figure 3.2 Average direct differences in pressure measurement, Vaisala Radiosonde RS90-AG vs RS92-SGP. The bold blue line in the middle shows the pressure values measured by the RS92-SGP, used as the reference. regularly experience strong exter- The RS90-AG is the bold red line. nal interference on the GPS band, the wind data availability figures for the RS92-SGP were Vaisala Radiosonde the direct differences in pressure were compared to an external considered to be very good. As RS92-SGP vs. RS90-AG measurement between the two reference. The correction values the wind data availability figure pressure measurement radiosondes. The RS92-SGP was were fed into the MW21 sound- of 23.3% shows, the RS90-AG is The eight RS92-SGP/RS90-AG pressure-corrected following ing system. Also following nor- far more sensitive to radar inter- twin soundings of the Vigna di normal procedure: the RS92- mal procedure, the RS90-AG ference than the RS92-SGP. Valle test were used to compare SGP’s pressure measurements was not pressure-corrected. Fig-

16 165/2004 the RS90-AG. ● The differences that were seen in wind data availability were attributable to the fact that codeless GPS technology is used with the RS90-AG and correlat- ing GPS technology is used with the RS92-SGP. The presence of external interference in the GPS band made the differences very substantial. Wind data availabili- ty with the RS92-SGP is signifi- cantly higher than with the RS90-AG. The RS92-SGP’s all- digital data transmission was al- so a contributing factor. At the conclusion of the Ital- ian Air Force trial, the Air Force testers welcomed the perfor- mance of the Vaisala Ra- diosonde RS92 for operational use in their upper-air program. Vaisala appreciates the spirit Figure 4.3 Average direct differences in temperature measurement, RS90-AG vs RS92-SGP. The bold blue line on the right shows the temperature values measured by the RS92-SGP, used as the reference. The RS90-AG is the bold red line. of cooperation that character- ized the Italian Air Force trial. We send a special thank-you to Col. Giovanni Casu (Chief of Handling the Vaisala measurement by removing sub- differences in performance were ReSMA) and his personnel; Radiosonde RS92-SGP stances which may have contam- indeed identified and analyzed. Cap. Orazio Di Casola, M.llo and RS90-AG on inated the humidity sensors dur- The similarities and differ- Luigi Peloso and their personnel the ground ing storage or shipping. ences that were found in the trial in Trapani; M.llo Claudio Es- The Air Force testers compared The Air Force testers also can be summed up in the fol- posito and Stefano Rocchetti the general usability of the noted how easy it was to adjust lowing general conclusions: from the 8°RTO maintenance Vaisala MARWIN Sounding the RS92-SGP’s transmitter fre- ● The differences that were group of Pratica di Mare. ● System MW12/DigiCORA quency with the GC25. As a seen in temperature measure- MW15 and Vaisala DigiCORA general conclusion, they found ment were attributable to the Footnotes 1 Sounding System MW21 in the GC25 to be an improvement slightly different temperature de- This Figure is based on the twin light of the respective ground over older Vaisala ground check pendency corrections used for soundings made at Vigna di Valle. Each sounding generated approxi- check procedures, the reading of sets such as the GC24. the RS92-SGP and RS90-AG. mately 3,000 rows of data. The differ- calibration coefficients and the The RS92’s temperature depend- ences seen in this Figure are 100% di- adjustment of transmitter fre- Conclusions ency correction is an improve- rect differences. quencies. Like every national meteorolog- ment over the one used for the 2 The Air Force testers discov- ical service, the Italian Air Force RS90. This Figure is based on the twin ered that the GC25 simplifies Meteorological Service takes ● The differences that were soundings made at Vigna di Valle. Each sounding generated approxi- the ground check procedure – it great care to ensure the continu- seen in humidity measurement mately 3,000 rows of data. The differ- reads calibration coefficients au- ity of aerological data when were attributable to the RS92 ences seen in this Figure are 100% di- tomatically, for example. They adopting a new radiosonde for humidity sensor reconditioning rect differences. also found that the RS92-SGP is its upper-air program. and the RS92’s improved tem- easier to handle than the RS90- Since the RS92 and RS90 ra- perature dependency correction. 3This Figure is based on the twin AG. It is easier to take out of its diosondes share the same PTU Done as part of the ground soundings made at Vigna di Valle. Each sounding generated approxi- package and assemble, easier to sensors, the Air Force testers did check, the reconditioning solves mately 3,000 rows of data. The differ- ground-check, and easier to not expect to see significant dif- the so-called "dry bias" problem ences seen in this Figure are 100% di- launch thanks to its small size ferences in PTU measurement of humidity measurement. rect differences. and simple, single-phase un- performance between the two ra- ● The differences that were winder. diosondes. This was not taken seen in pressure measurement The Air Force testers also for granted, however, since the were attributable to the fact that noted the GC25’s humidity sen- two radiosondes are different in a ground reference pressure cor- sor reconditioning functionality size, weight and construction. rection was applied to the and the benefit it provides: it im- The Italian Air Force trial was set MW21 used with the RS92-SGP, proves the accuracy of humidity up carefully to ensure that any but not to the MW12 used with

165/2004 17 Angela Billings Vaisala Helsinki, Finland Chilean Navy Weather Service Invests in Vaisala Automatic Weather Stations The Chilean Navy Weather Service has undertaken a 10-year METEO water quality probes. project to improve the reliability and accuracy of coastal weather All of these functionalities made the MAWS301 particularly information and has selected Vaisala Automatic Weather Station well suited for the Chilean MAWS301 to meet their goals. The objective of the project is to coastal conditions as many of the improve the safety at sea by spreading more current information to existing and planned coastal syn- ships along the Chilean coast. optic stations are located in re- mote and difficult to access areas. Personnel and equipment has to ver the course of 2003 tion stations to be set-up along and accuracy of the data being be transported to the stations the Chilean Navy the coast. The MAWS301 sta- collected from the various across fjords, channels, valleys O Weather Service (CN- tion is equipped with sensors to weather stations along the and forests by use of helicopters, WS) decided to launch a 10-year measure wind velocity and direc- Chilean coastline. navy vessels or small boats. project called METEO. An inte- tion (WAS425S), air pressure gral part of this project is the in- (PMT16A), and temperature, rel- Making measurements Accurate and stallation of Vaisala Automatic ative humidity, and precipita- in remote and difficult reliable data improves Weather Station MAWS301 in tion (QMR102). The investment to access areas easy the safety at sea 20 existing Coastal Synoptic Sta- in the top of the line MAWS301 The Vaisala Automatic Weather Safety at sea requires accurate, tions as well as 20 new observa- will help improve the reliability Station MAWS301 is a new gen- real-time information. The CN- eration automatic weather sta- WS is responsible for monitor- tion especially designed for ap- ing weather conditions in the plications where no commerical coastal areas of Chile, and for is- power or communication net- suing bulletins and warnings works are present or are too ex- about adverse conditions. Light- pensive to be installed. The house personnel compile a Mar- MAWS301 is a very flexible sys- itime Weather Forecast Analysis, tem which can be used for both which is broadcast through the hydrological and meteorological Coastal Radio Network. The da- applications. Based on the latest ta collected by the new technology both in measure- MAWS301 system, combined ments and communication, the with existing, conventional MAWS301 can be interfaced equipment will greatly improve with a multitude of telecommu- the accuracy of these reports, nication equipment such as stan- and the safety of vessels operat- dard PTSN and GSM modems, ing in Chilean waters. radio modem and satellite trans- mitters. The MAWS301 can Vaisala: a complete even be connected directly to a service provider LAN network via TCP/IP using Vaisala, through its local repre- standard COM Server devices. sentative in Chile, Metcom Limi- The Vaisala MAWS301 has tada is providing the CNWS been designed for applications with technical support, assistance where only a few sensors are re- with installation and operation quired. The system can however, of the MAWS301, as well as op- easily be upgraded, even in the erational training to the CNWS field, to include a larger set of personnel. This arrangement of sensors, including smart sensors providing support services locally such as a ceilometer, visibility has lead to the successful first and present weather sensors and phase of this 10-year project. ●

18 165/2004 Ritva Siikamäki, MA Helsinki, Finland

Vaisala Automatic Weather Stations MAWS101 Monitoring he tests were conducted at a 500kV transmission T line called President Du- Transmission Lines tra - Terezina II, in Maranhão State in Brazil. Mr. Sebastião In Brazil, Companhia Elétrica do Vale do São José Gusmão Cavalcanti, the for- Francisco (CHESF), which provides electricity to eight mer CHESF transmission line designer, who acted as a consult- North-Eastern States, has introduced the use of ant on the project, specified and Vaisala Automatic Weather Stations MAWS101 atop installed a pair of Vaisala Auto- overhead transmission line towers. The anemographs matic Weather Station based on the data from the MAWS101 have been MAWS101 on top of several towers on the site. He comments produced for more than one year and have proven that this was the most trustwor- useful in this application. thy and efficient weather station he has ever worked with, after twenty years of experience with close to a dozen different types adjustment of electrical parame- Some of the test findings systematization of mechanical of instruments for this use. Al- ters to increase power transmis- were presented in October 2003 data acquisition and apply the though not using all the capabil- sion by 25% without any addi- at the national seminar on pro- procedures in the different types ities the system offers, the versa- tional costs. Further intended duction and transmission of of transmission lines, environ- tility of data acquisition modes purposes of wind anemographs electricity (SNPTEE) sponsored ments and hardware in which on this instrument allowed him on transmission lines are to by CIGRÉ in Uberlândia, risk expectations may suggest calculations, that were both pre- monitor the thermal dissipation Brazil. The paper (ref. IT-GLT- the need for historical observa- cise and adequate for many pur- conductors for Ampacity studies, 024) presented examples of tion. The Technical Report also poses such as wind gusts or ae- i.e. to follow up the capacity of monitoring performed in the pi- outlines the updating of moni- olic effects on towers, cables, in- power transport of the line up- oneer expanded bundle 230kV toring technology and instru- sulation distances, pollution gradings. Moreover, the data on and 500kV transmission lines. ments for predictive mainten- spreading, etc. wind gusts is used for monitor- Its main conclusion is to recom- ance of both conventional and The main objective was to as- ing the mechanical loadings of mend the creation of a working new expanded bundle transmis- sess the suitability and perfor- the structures. group in CIGRÉ CE22 for the sion lines. ● mance of the MAWS101 for monitoring overhead power transmission lines which are sub- ject to all types of weather, in- Vaisala wind sensors on a transmission line of The processor unit of the Vaisala Automatic Weather cluding high winds. The wind in- Companhia Hidro Elétrica do São Francisco. Station MAWS101 on a power pylon. formation provided by the MAWS101 was used to monitor the performance of vibration dumpers. The MAWS101 is also being used to increase know- ledge on the swinging and clash- ing risks of cables in huge bun- dles without spacers. Brazil has pioneered the so-called “Expand- ed Bundle – FEX”, cables which are 1.4 meters apart, developed for high transmission lines. This new technology allows for the

165/2004 19 Maria Rita Leccese Managing Director Eurelettronica Icas Srl Rome, Italy

Vaisala Automatic Weather Station MAWS301 Update of the Hydrometeorological Real-Time Network in North-Eastern Italy

ince the mid 1980’s Re- data processing to support stud- with the Vaisala's long-time Ital- gione Emilia Romagna ies of climatic changes on the re- ian representative, Eurelettroni- S has been active gional level ca Icas Srl. in the provision of regional In December 2003, as a re- weather forecasts. The existing Tender requirements sult of the tender award, Vaisala hydro-meteorological real-time and award HydroMet signed a contract with network employs several tech- In the late summer of 2003, ARPA Emilia Romagna marking nologies, ranging from Surface ARPA Emilia Romagna issued a the introduction of the Vaisala Weather Stations to Weather call for tenders for the turn-key Automatic Weather Station Radars and Radiosounding sys- supply of 49 automatic weather MAWS301 to the Italian market. tem. After several organizational stations, to upgrade and expand The MAWS301 features state-of- changes over the years, the dedi- one of the existing surface obser- the art technology for automatic cated organization is today the vation networks. The automatic weather stations in terms of sen- Regional Hydro-Meteorological weather stations were divided in- sor configuration, telecommuni- Service (SIM). SIM operates to two types: 9 urban (config- cation and power supply. within the Regional Agency for ured to measure air temperature Environment Protection (Agen- and humidity, wind speed and Specifications and zia Regionale Protezione Ambi- direction, rain and net solar radi- installation of ente –ARPA). The ARPA SIM ation) and 40 agrometeorologi- the Vaisala Automatic headquarter and the Chief Prof. cal stations (with different con- Weather Station Stefao Tibaldi are located in figurations to measure, depend- MAWS301 Bologna and it is from there that ing upon the setup, air tempera- The installations started in the the networks of automatic ture and humidity, wind speed early spring of 2004 in Piacenza, weather stations, the weather and direction, rain, globan solar Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, radars and the automatic ra- radiation and leaf wetness). All Ferrara, Ravenna, Forlì, Cesena diosounding system are remote- 49 automatic weather stations and Rimini all urban sites, with ly managed. were specified in the tender with beautiful views of the downtown ARPA SIM has defined its enhanced characteristics such as area. This posed several chal- mission as to: full data logging configuration, lenges in terms of installation ● Manage networks of auto- GSM/GPRS data link and solar constraints and tailor-made sys- matic weather stations and col- panel powering. tem layouts were defined for lect data in real time from the In the tender it was stated each site. GTS network that the contract would be The Vaisala Automatic ● Process and distribute awarded to the supplier able to Weather Station MAWS301, as “short notice” weather forecasts, offer the best equipment based delivered to ARPA Emilia Ro- on a high resolution local scale on an evaluation of the price and magna, include the new Vaisala and different time schedules technical specifications. In order Data Logger QML201, a com- ● Distribute, to a diversified to propose the most competitive plete automatic weather station number of users, specialized offer in terms of a technical, lo- designed on one printed board. weather products (i.e. Teleneve gistical and pricing solution, The board contains a 32-bit Mo- and Icecast-Forecaster) Vaisala Hydromet bid the ten- torola CPU for data processing ● Carry out climatological der, as Prime, in co-operation and 10 differential (20 single end-

20 165/2004 ed) analog sensor inputs (these can also be used as digital inputs). Moreover, there are three fre- quency sensor interfaces, a maxi- mum of 6 serial ports, a 16 bit A/D converter, 1.7 Megabytes of secure Flash memory for data log- ging, as well as a power supply and charger for the internal back- up battery. The board uses the latest SMD (Surface Mount De- View from Reggio Emilia site. The urban location of the sites required tailor- vice) technology and is coated for made system lay-outs to be carried out for each installation site. improved protection in condi- tions of high humidity. The operation of the ments, performing calculations 10-minute measuring interval, has ables the user to communicate MAWS301 can easily be set-up and sending reports. The cus- an average power consumption of with the server using the FTP and modified using the MAWS tomer is able to freely reconfigure 10 mA. protocol. Lizard set-up program. The the setup files or make complete- A data link is provided with Vaisala has extensive experi- MAWS Lizard is a software pro- ly new ones, by using the Vaisala the iConnector iC101, a small ence in the design, manufacture, gram that instructs the Set-up Software for MAWS. adapter that enables installed de- installation, commissioning and MAWS301 as to what it should The MAWS301 is a low-pow- vices to use the Internet for mes- servicing of complete networks measure, log, calculate, and re- er system and the logger con- saging via wireless modems and of automatic weather stations port. Measured data is stored in sumes less than 10 mA from a 6 V data-enabled phones that oper- and networks, worldwide. the daily log files that can be battery. The system can be pow- ate over AMPS, CDMA, CD- Thanks to this diversified and downloaded to a PC and viewed ered using a solar panel or option- PD, GPRS, GSM, iDEN, and large installation experience using the MAWS Terminal soft- ally using a 110/230 AC power TDMA wireless networks. iCon- Vaisala has been able to develop ware. A basic setup is loaded in supply, if heated or optical sen- nector provides “Instant Inter- the most enhanced technical so- the MAWS program memory al- sors are used. The power con- net™” connectivity by eliminat- lutions in terms of data commu- ready at the factory. This allows sumption of the complete system ing the need for any hardware nication, low power consump- the customer to simply connect depends on the sensors, commu- modification to a host device tion and high sensor integration the sensors, communication nication devices, and other op- when connecting it to an Inter- capability. Research and devel- lines, and power supply to the tions included in the delivery. For net Service Provider (ISP). iCon- opment of the Vaisala Automat- MAWS301 and have the station example, the MAWS301 with a nector supports, for example, ic Weather Stations is continu- start operating, making measure- basic set of 5 sensors, each with a FTP client basic features and en- ously ongoing. ●

165/2004 21 Angela Billings Vaisala Helsinki, Finland

Co-operation to improve water quality measurement

he systems used to meas- tems that will provide more ac- maa Regional Environment nutrients include industrial and ure the quality and quan- curate information on the leach- Centre will maintain the meas- municipal wastewater and fish T tity of the water in Fin- ing of nutrients into surface wa- urement stations and take sam- farming. Non-point sources of land’s inland waterways will be terways. The instruments are al- ples. The three test stations in- nutrients include agriculture and improved through the co-opera- so designed to determine what volved in the project are located forestry and wastewater in rural tion between Vaisala Oyj, the actions will best reduce the nu- in Southern Finland. areas. Over half of the nutrients Finnish Environment Institute trient load in these waterways. Eutrophication is the biggest entering the waterways due to (SYKE) and the Uusimaa Region- The measurement instru- problem in Finnish waterways. human action are from agricul- al Environment Centre. The ob- ments and solutions will also be The nutrients released into them ture. Hydrological conditions af- jective of this co-operation is to applied to hydrological monitor- cause point and non-point pol- fect the leaching and transporta- develop measuring systems that ing and its development. The tar- lution. Typical point sources of tion of these nutrients. ● will provide more accurate infor- get is to create a system by which mation on the leaching of nutri- sensors will provide users with ents into the waterways. It is ex- topical information over a GSM pected that considerable sums of network. The results of the proj- money will be saved with the au- ect will be utilized in both na- tomation of these measurements. tional and international environ- The first stage of the project will mental monitoring and research. last two years. The pilot stations The co-operation between will be located in Uusimaa, an Vaisala, SYKE and the Uusimaa area surrounding Helsinki. Regional Environment Centre Vaisala, SYKE and the Uusi- combines the expertise of the maa Regional Environment environmental administration Centre have signed a co-opera- authorities and the private sec- tion agreement to develop solu- tor. Vaisala will manufacture and tions for improved water protec- develop the measuring systems. tion and water research. The aim SYKE will provide expert assis- is to develop measurement in- tance by analyzing and evaluat- struments and measuring sys- ing the material, while the Uusi-

22 165/2004 Andy McDonald Regional Manager Vaisala Road Weather Birmingham, UK Norwegian Roads safer with Vaisala's Remote Measurement and Forecasting Technology

The Norwegian Public Road Administration (NPRA) in Stor-Oslo District has the responsibility for procuring and managing contracts from the private sector for the provision of winter ser- vice on the national highway network in and around Oslo. The public policy is that national roads should be kept free from ice and snow at all times. This is a difficult task in Oslo's harsh winter climate, one which requires forward planning. Remote measurement and forecasting technology has a key role to play in determining the correct winter maintenance action.

he importance of accu- products tailored to the require- Service and calibration Every time a new piece of rate, timely data being ments of the NPRA. Each graph- ensure continuous data is received by the data hub T available 24 hours a day ical forecast provides detailed in- and accurate data from a weather station it is auto- is one of the main reasons why formation on the expected tem- matically scrutinised for error the NPRA have chosen to con- perature and road condition for Continuous and accurate data and and any evidence of calibra- tract with Vaisala in the UK for the coming night which can be supply are two of the most im- tion drift. If an error does occur the provision of a complete data directly compared against meas- portant parameters for NPRA. To at any time Vaisala maintenance management service; a service ured data from the weather sta- address these points the data personnel are on constant stand- which involves not only the sup- tion points. To complement the management service incorporates by ready to carry out repairs in a ply of remote road weather sta- point forecasts, forecast thermal a number of safeguards and mon- timely fashion and bring the sta- tions but the responsibility for maps of the complete network itoring functions. Prior to the tion or sensor back online as ensuring the continuous flow of are provided. These indicate start of winter each of the weather quickly as possible. data and forecasts to the NPRA's which sections of road will fall stations are serviced and calibrat- By utilising the Vaisala Bu- chosen winter service contrac- below freezing and at what time, ed by Vaisala and the process re- reau, NPRA in Stor-Oslo are tors around the clock. This ser- giving crucial information in suf- peated during the course of the able to delegate the responsibili- vice is made possible by utilising ficient time to take preventative winter. Once the winter starts the ty of data management and con- internet connectivity. salting action. Bureau is manned 24 hours per centrate on the core responsibil- A number of Vaisala weather day, 7 days per week in order to ity of managing the highway net- stations are located at strategic Online solutions provide a continuous backup and work. The partnership of NPRA, points on the highway network provide real-time ensure a smooth operation. This Vaisala and MI ensures that the around Oslo. These stations pro- weather station data is facilitated by duplicating all driving public around Oslo are vide a continuous source of road and forecasts key points of failure such as In- provided with a level of service weather information including The NPRA have chosen to access ternet Service Providers and data- which both they and the law de- details of the road surface condi- the forecast and weather station base servers. mand. ● tion and temperature as well as data using a combination of web the general state of the atmos- browser and application soft- Vaisala's data management hub- The Bureau stores detailed information phere, for example visibility and ware. The web browser access is about road weather conditions. type of precipitation falling. The called IceWeb and is available to information is automatically any of the NPRA’s nominated transmitted to Vaisala’s data man- contractors or personnel via the agement hub (Bureau) in the UK use of a password and Internet where it is stored and processed access. For key decision makers, a in a relational database. software application called Ice- Working in partnership with View is loaded on to each nomi- the Norwegian National Meteor- nated PC. IceView also makes use ological Institute (MI), a number of the Internet to retrieve weather of 24 hour forecasts are prepared station data and forecasts from each day for the strategic weath- the Vaisala Bureau. In addition, er station points and also trans- IceView allows the user to manip- mitted to Vaisala’s UK Bureau ulate the data and change confi- for further processing and stor- guration information in such a age. Forecasts comprise a range way as to tailor the information of graphical and Norwegian text to specific areas.

165/2004 23 Timo Honkanen Development Manager Vaisala Aviation Weather Helsinki, Finland

International Civil Aviation Or- ganization (ICAO) compliant AWOS to airports of all sizes. Backward compatibility is mandatory and therefore the ex- isting Vaisala MIDAS IV confi- guration can be utilized in sys- tem upgrades. Also, the look and feel of the user interface remains the same to avoid any confusion for the users. One of the main new fea- tures is the possibility to use hot- standby functionality without any special hardware. This LAN- based duplication allows Vaisala MIDAS IV servers to be installed anywhere in the network, not necessarily in the same rack. The LAN can be extended all the way to the sensor sites, making the system easily expandable. If remote connections are necessary, a new dial-up service can be used to send data to the Work on the expansion of the Dubai International Airport has begun and will be completed in 2006. One new desired remote locations. Further, terminal and two concourses will be built which will almost triple the passenger capacity of the airport. a dial-up or secure Internet con- nection can be used for remote diagnostics or maintenance. Vaisala Upgrades The latest version of the Vaisala MIDAS IV includes an ICAO compliant runway friction Dubai International Airport application called SNOWTAM. SNOWTAM automatically sends data to weather reports on the In the beginning of 2004, Vaisala Aviation Weather delivered the new friction values of the runway sur- Vaisala MIDAS IV Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) soft- face. Of course the weather con- ware to Dubai International Airport (DIA). It was a very demanding ditions in Dubai do not require upgrade project at one of the most prestigious airports in the world. the use of SNOWTAMs. Vaisala MIDAS IV Dubai International nually. However, by 2010, 60 customary at Dubai International Automated Weather Airport – best in million passengers are expected Airport. Readers of the magazine Observing System the Middle East to pass through the airport every Business Traveler Germany have upgrade Dubai International Airport was year. With consideration of voted Dubai International Airport Dubai International Airport first established in 1959 when the these figures, the Department of the “Best in the Middle East and installed the Vaisala MIDAS IV late Ruler of Dubai, HH Sheikh Civil Aviation began a second Africa” in a recent survey and Automated Water Observing Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, phase of expansion with a total Condé Nast Traveler Magazine System in 1999. The primary ordered its construction. Today, investment of 4.1 billion USD awarded the airport “Best Interna- task of the system at DIA is to DIA is one of the fastest growing in the first quarter of 2002. The tional Airport Worldwide” in provide real-time weather data airports in the world. Further- expansion is scheduled to be 2003. With this background, it was to end users, and to generate more, it is recognized as the avi- completed by 2006 and will in- evident that a faultless world-class weather messages such as ation hub and busiest airport in clude the construction of a third AWOS upgrade solution was the METAR, TAF and SYNOP for the Middle East. In 2003, a total terminal, two concourses and a only acceptable option at Dubai. the Aeronautical Fixed Telecom- of 18 million passengers passed new cargo terminal. Upon the munications Network (AFTN). through the airport, a 13% completion of the second phase Software upgrade Vaisala MIDAS IV is a critical growth in comparison to 2002. the Dubai International Airport provides tool for MET office personnel as Dubai International Airport will have the capacity to handle new functionalities well as air traffic controllers. In at present has the capacity to 70 million passengers per year. The latest Vaisala MIDAS IV addition, Midas IV provides da- handle 22 million passengers an- High standards of service are version 2.0 continues to provide ta for the Automatic Terminal

24 165/2004 Information System (ATIS). pleted on-site by Antti and Han- From a technical point of nu in just two weeks! view, the Dubai system is a large- The first day on-site, Antti scale system, running in a cluster and Hannu met with the local of two central data units for AWOS team - Dave Thomas, maximum reliability. End users MET Office Manager, Graham can operate a number of Vaisala Orr, Electrical Engineer and MIDAS IV workstations at vari- Sony Antony, Maintenance En- ous locations around the airport. gineer. The group adjusted the In 2003 Dubai International implementation plan and sched- Airport decided to upgrade the ule for the new software and existing Vaisala MIDAS IV soft- hardware installations. Consid- ware to meet the latest ICAO ering the overall system com- specifications. Also, METAR, plexity and the number of flights SYNOP and CLIMAT enhance- landing and taking off from the ments were needed together airport, it was clear that the team with some customization. Natu- was faced with a real challenge, rally, the airport was required to as there was no allowance for sys- stay operational during the up- tem downtime. Dave Thomas, grade. Vaisala Software Engineer, FRMetS CMet, Manager, Dubai Antti Tölli started preparation Meteorological Office, Depart- for this demanding project as ment of Civil Aviation stated the Project Manager in late that “having worked with the 2003. Due to many new software MIDAS IV system for almost 5 requirements, Senior Software years we had very clear ideas of Engineer Hannu Heikkinen was how we wanted to customize the Sheikh Rashid Terminal. also part of the project team system to fit our exact require- right from the start. ments. This posed some testing problems for Antti and Hannu, was the best time to switch over new graphical tool and database A challenging as a result they worked some to the new system. Once this was for various data mining needs installation requiring long days but they always came done the old computers and (the automatic extraction of hid- careful planning and up with a solution in the end.” workstations were disconnected, den information from databases) co-operation A test system with the new the new ones connected and the will be installed to the current The actual delivery of the system hardware and software was set data started to flow in immedi- system. Dave Thomas, FRMetS took place in February 2004. up next to the existing system in ately. During the hours follow- CMet, Manager, Dubai Meteor- Thanks to careful preparation the equipment room. Special ing installation, the operation of ological Office, Department of and co-operation with DIA per- arrangements were made so that all critical functions of the sys- Civil Aviation commented that sonnel, the upgrade was com- both the old and new systems tem were verified, including the “the new system has many im- were able to run parallel without ATIS and AFTN interfaces. provements and some cus- any interference to the normal tomizations that have simplified operations. After some fine-tun- Promising future our operational procedures. We ing of the new configuration, the The project was a success. The will continue to work with the system was ready for the Site Ac- new system is up and running MIDAS IV team and look for- ceptance Tests (SAT). Thorough and the customer is satisfied. ward to future developments.” test procedures were carried out New technical features intro- The future for the Vaisala by the local AWOS team and af- duced proved to be useful and MIDAS IV Automated Weather ter three days of intensive site ac- robust, such as the LAN based Observing System seems very ceptance testing, approval was duplication. Support for LAN- promising. The upgrade of the given to the new system. based sensor communication is Dubai International Airport is The most critical moment of already implemented in the once again further proof that the upgrade was taking the new Vaisala MIDAS IV. Whenever Vaisala MIDAS IV continues to system into operational use. DIA decides to convert serial be the most advanced and versa- Careful preparations were made line connections into full use of tile automated weather observa- to ensure a smooth switch to the TCP/IP and fiber optics, Vaisala tion system available. Many new new system. The new computers MIDAS IV will be ready to sup- ideas and innovative solutions Senior Software Engineer Hannu and displays were moved into port the conversion. are being developed and put into Heikkinen and Project Manager their positions and made ready The co-operation between practice by the Vaisala MIDAS IV Antti Tölli were responsible for the installation of the upgrade of the to be plugged in. As afternoons Vaisala Aviation Weather and system architects which will be Vaisala MIDAS IV system at are the quietest time at the DIA continues and over the available to our customers in the Dubai International Airport. Dubai International Airport, it course of the next few months, a near future. ●

165/2004 25 Angela Billings Vaisala Helsinki Finland

n May, 2004 Vaisala's new clean room was taken into Vaisala Invests I operation. The facility is one of the most modern in Finland and one of the few clean rooms 6.5 million Euros in in private ownership. The new space is 500 m2 and 1/6 of the space is in accordance with the ISO 5 standard while the re- New Clean Room maining 5/6 are in accordance with the ISO 6 standards. The total investment cost of the fa- Vaisala's new clean room was taken into operation and cility was 6.5 million Euros. production of Vaisala's sensors was re-started in May Most of the equipment from the 2004. The new facility is state-of-the-art and one of the previous clean room will be moved into the new facility and few clean rooms in private ownership in Finland. production will begin immedi- ately. Vaisala's sensors are manu- factured in the clean room, a nearly particle-free environment with no more than 1,000 parti- cles larger than 0.5 microns in any given cubic foot of air. More than 20 years of clean room experience Vaisala is one of the few private companies in Finland to own and operate a clean room. The The yellow light in previous facility was taken into one section of the operation in 1981, and built to clean room protects the photosensitive manufacture integrated circuits layer of wafers from for radiosondes. In the 1990's excess of UV-light. production was concentrated to In this section the manufacturing of sensors for patterns are formed Vaisala Radiosondes as well as on wafers by UV- the HUMICAP® and BARO- exposuring the ® photosensitive resist CAP . The need for additional through a mask. space and a modernization of the

After every production step, the sensor-wafers are carefully checked e.g. by a In wet etching the wafers are dipped in chemical baths to achieve metal microscope inside the clean room before further processing. removal from desired parts of the wafer.

26 165/2004 What is a clean room?

clean room is an area where air quality, tem- A perature and humdity is carefully regulated to ensure that senisitive equipment is protected from any possible contamination. The air in the room is continuously filtered using HEPA filters to remove any dust particles or other impurities which could damage any highly sensitive materials being pro- duced or worked with. In the ISO 5 standard pat of the room the air is circulated/changed 400 times per hour and in the ISO 6 100 times/hour. All staff working in a clean room must wear spe- cial protective clothing called "bunny suits" to ensure that no fibers, hair or skin are added to the room's at- mosphere. The International Standards Organization (ISO) has set standards for the number of particles allowed per cubic foot of air. The Vaisala Clean Room is in ac- cordance with the ISO 5 and ISO 6 standards which means that in any cubic foot of air there are no more than 100 (ISO 5) or 1,000 (ISO 6) particles larger than 0.5 microns. ●

The row of wet benches are used to wet etching, resisit removal and cleaning of wafers. exisiting room lead to the deci- sures the high quality of Vaisala's midity and pressure products. sion to invest in the new facility. sensors. Annually, approximately The investment in the new The clean room is used to 900,000 sensors are produced in clean room will ensure that manufacture sensors for internal the clean room. The majority of Vaisala's customers will continue use as well as for product develop- these sensors are used in Vaisala to receive high-technology prod- ment and research. The ability to Radiosondes, but a portion of ucts providing relaible and accu- manufacture sensors internally en- them are also used in Vaisala's hu- rate measurements. ●

The wafers are placed inside an oven and heated to 300 degrees Celcius in The number of particles in the air are monitored regularly in order to ensure order to harden the thin polymer layer. that they are kept within the proper range.

165/2004 27 Angela Billings Vaisala Helsinki, Finland Secretary General of the World Mete o

Mr. Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of the World Meteorological meteorology, including weather Organization (WMO) visited Finland on one of his first official visits and climate, operational hydrolo- to a member state since taking up the post as Secretary-General in gy and related geophysical sci- ences. The WMO is the UN's au- January. Mr. Jarraud views Finland as an appropriate first visit since thoritative voice on the status of it is an important partner and active member of the WMO, very the world's atmosphere including active in the industrial sector and a partner in supporting developing how it interacts with the oceans countries. His visit was arranged by the Finnish Meteorological and affects the climate. Vaisala is an important Institute and included a visit to Vaisala where Mr. Pekka Ketonen, provider of equipment used to President and CEO of Vaisala gave a presentation of Vaisala and collect the necessary measure- a tour of the production facilities and the new clean room. ment data of a wide variety of weather parameters used by many of the national weather services around the world. Natural disaster prevention, an important development area Weather has become increasing- ly important on the internation- al agenda in recent years with much focus being placed on cli- mate change and natural disas- ters. Mr. Jarraud believes that we are living in an exotic time where nature impacts all areas of human activity. He says "the prevention of natural disasters is important for developed coun- tries and even more important for developing countries who are generally more vulnerable to these phenomenon. Approxi- mately 80% of disasters are met- eorological or hydrological." He believes that disaster prevention will be a top priority for the fu- ture as the countries shift to- wards disaster preparedness Pekka Ketonen, President and CEO of Vaisala shows Mr. Jarraud, Secretary General of the WMO how rather than disaster relief. the Vaisala Radiosondes are produced. Mr. Jarraud believes that cli- mate change will become an in- creasingly important area for the WMO to focus more on in the future. The WMO is playing an aisala News had the op- Vaisala will have in the future. important role by co-ordinating portunity to speak to The WMO falls under the high-standard observational net- V Mr. Jarraud and hear his umbrella of the United Nations works and ensuring that data views on the future challenges (UN) with a membership of 187 and products are shared freely facing his organization, weather member states and territories. It on a global level. These networks in general and the the role pri- was established in 1950 and is the are showing a change in the vate organizations such as specialized agency of the UN for earth's climate which will have

28 165/2004 e orological Organization visits Vaisala

impacts on many facets of hu- tions will have an important role man life. to play in finding ways to lower the cost of equipment. Challenges facing the WMO in the future The role of Mr. Jarraud believes that an im- private organizations in portant and major challenge fac- the WMO ing the WMO is the co-opera- All member countries have rep- tion between the WMO and na- resentatives from their national tional weather services, NGO's, meteorological services in the local authorities and private or- WMO, however, private organi- ganizations. He feels that there zations are becoming increasing- is a need for a new approach to ly involved today. Mr. Jarraud cooperation and a need to devel- states that Vaisala is one of the op an aggressive policy to com- more involved private organiza- municate weather-related issues. tions today. He continues to say There will be a need to ensure that the provision of services by that the gap between the devel- private organizations is evolving oped and developing countries and developing and that there is decreased and increasingly will be a need for the WMO in there will be a need to develop the future to find mechanisms to good models to involve private interact with the private sector organizations in the WMO's ac- even more on the local, nation- tivities. al, international and WMO lev- el. The instrument organization Differences between that Vaisala is co-operating in member states may be used as a model for other Another area, which will pose a areas as well. There is a need to challenge to the WMO in the try and possibly use different future, is the gap between the models to co-operate with the developed countries and the de- private sector on. veloping countries. Decreasing Jan Hörhammer of Vaisala shows Mr. Jarraud a sensor which has been this gap has been a priority for Co-operation produced in Vaisala's clean room. the WMO for many years now with Vaisala and Mr. Jarraud believes that The Vilho Väisälä prize was estab- new technology can bridge this lished in 1985 and is administered gap. The less developed coun- by the WMO to encourage and tries will need access to prod- stimulate interest and support in ucts, information on the use of important research areas which products and training and edu- support the WMO's programs in cation in order to catch up to the the field of meteorological and more developed countries. Cur- climatic observation methods rently the major obstacle in and instruments. Mr. Jarraud sees many countries is the cost of da- the award as a very visible and ta as it is difficult to maintain prestigious prize. Vaisala and the the quality of data at a low cost. WMO are currently looking into Mr. Jarraud states that many ways to further develop the award countries have a hard time to and new directions are being ex- meet the monetary needs need- plored. Mr. Jarraud stated that ed to obtain quality data. This the cooperation between the can be a question of a need for WMO and Vaisala has been very better-trained personnel to a valuable to the WMO and that need for financial resources. He he looks forward to continuing believes that private organiza- this in the future. ● Mr. Ketonen explains how the Vaisala Radiosondes are calibrated.

165/2004 29 Angela Billings Vaisala Helsinki Finland

In Vaisala

Thirty years of Vaisala to sponsor September 26-30th in Nice, tion to private weather informa- Excellence in the 18th France. Vaisala will participate tion providers and end-user in the meeting and will organ- groups. Humidity International ize a customer workshop during A consensus has emerged Measurement Lightning Detection the week to present Vaisala's within the observational, mod- Conference new products such as the Thun- eling and forecasting communi- hirty years ago Vaisala pre- derstorm Information System ties that carefully designed, in- T sented a completely new he International Lightning and the Vaisala Soundings divi- tegrated mesoscale systems will way of measuring humidity. T Detection conference will sion's equipment for upper air improve short-term forecasts in Vaisala HUMICAP®‚ Sensor, the be held in Helsinki the 7th to the weather observations. Addition- the future. To realize the full world's first thin-film capacitive 9th of June 2004. The confer- al information about Vaisala's benefits of enhanced forecast humidty sensor was brought on- ence theme will be “New Under- workshop can be found on modeling there is a need to im- to the market. Three decades standing of the Relationships www.vaisala.com/News & Events prove the high-resolution obser- later Vaisala has become the and Impacts of Lightning: Im- and more information on the vations of all meteorological world market leader in the proving Real-world Applications EMS annual meeting can be variables, in addition to im- measurement of relative humid- with Advances in Detection Re- found at http://www.coperni- provements in data assimilation, ity and kept its place as a pio- search and Data Integration.” cus.org/ems/2004 model physics, parameteriza- neer in the development in The ILDC, a biannual confer- tions, and end-user-specific ana- state-of the art humidty instru- ence, provides a unique and im- Mesoscale workshop lyzes and forecast products. ments. More information can be portant forum for presentations held in Boulder found on www.vaisala.com and discussion related to educa- Improved mesoscale tion, research, and applications aisala co-organized a work- systems yield improved Annual Results for development in lightning detec- V shop entitled Design and short term forecasts 2003 Released tion technologies. ILDC presen- Development of Multi-function- Improved mesoscale systems are ters and attendees share a com- al Mesoscale Observing Net- able to deliver forecasts of the aisala's net sales for 2003 mon passion for understanding works in Support of Integrated physical and chemical state of V totaled EUR 189.2 million lightning and how it affects the Forecasting Systems in Decem- the atmosphere including pre- and the operating profit of the world we live in. Professionals in ber. The goal of the workshop cipitation, ground state and Group was EUR 25.9 million. the fields of aerospace, atmos- was to develop recommenda- run-off. These systems provide Growth in demand stopped in pheric research, aviation, data tions and identify areas for con- accurate, timely and user-rele- early 2002 and has been unsta- center management, emergency tinued research and develop- vant forecasts useful for im- ble across all business areas. De- response management, electri- ment of improved mesoscale ob- proved short-term forecasts of spite this situation the compa- cal engineering, electric power, serving systems. These develop- severe weather, flash flooding ny's operating profit grew by explosive and ordnance man- ments will be based on the for the use of water manage- 14.7% compared with 2002. The agement, forestry, golf and needs of users, modelers (includ- ment, energy production and improved result, depsite lower recreation, lightning research, ing those engaged in data as- management, agriculture, air net sales, can be attributed to meteorology, mining, telecom- similation), and forecasters. The quality, homeland security and measures to improve profitabili- munications and weather media focus was placed on identifying public health to name a few. ty. These measures will have full are invited. the challenges, needs and op- effect in 2004. Vaisala is listed portunities involved in the de- Next steps on the Helsinki Stock Exchange European velopment of improved, eco- The workshop was organized in (HEX). For more information or Meteorological nomically viable, integrated at- joint cooperation between to read the Annual Report for mospheric mesoscale observing, Vaisala, the University of Okla- 2003 please visit www.vaisala. Annual Meeting modeling and information-deli- homa and the NOAA Forecast com/annualreport he 4th Annual Meeting of very systems. The potential users Systems Laboratory. The formal T the European Meteorolog- of these systems include federal, report summarizing the findings ical Society (EMS) will be held state and local agencies in addi- and recommendations from the

30 165/2004 workshop will be available at the end of April and will be re- ported in the next weather ob- servation issue of Vaisala News. Additional information on the workshop can be found at http://www.mmm.ucar.edu/ uswrp/upcoming_meetings/ announcement2.html

Vaisala Aviation Weather participates in ATC Maastricht 2004

aisala's Aviation Weather Sales Managers Kim Kaijasilta and Ingo Schesonka present Vaisala Aviation V participated in ATC Maas- Weather to customers at the Vaisala stand. tricht February 10-12, 2004. Maastricht is the annual meet- ing place for the leading ATC “Specifying visibility and cloud Klaus Heyn of Vaisala presents the new (Air Traffic Control) and ATM instruments”. The presentation Vaisala Transmissometer. (Air Traffic Management) indus- covered current technologies try global suppliers. for cloud and visibility measure- Vaisala Aviation Weather ment as well as international displayed solutions for aviation standards for measurement per- weather observations and intro- formance. Particular focus was duced several new products in- placed on the key performance cluding the new tranmissometer areas that are currently not ade- for runway visual range assess- quately covered by common ment, the new ceilometer for standards as well as suggestions cloud height measurements and for improving the methods of vertical visibility measurements. specifying cloud and visibility in- Vaisala arranged an Avia- struments were suggested. tion Weather Seminar in con- The three day show attract- junction with the exhibition. An ed more than 2,800 visitors from overview of the present and fu- approximately 80 countries. ture developments in the Most of the participants are Vaisala Aviation Weather unit from civil aviation authorities, was presented and a group of governmental departments, air experts discussed the latest navigation providers, airports products in the industry cover- and airport authorities and it is ing a wide array of items span- a unique opportunity for the ning from sensors to service con- major supplier of air traffic con- tracts. trol equipment, training and Mr. Pekka Utela from Vaisala communications to meet their presented a paper entitled customers. ●

165/2004 31 Europe Vaisala Inc. Columbus Office Vaisala Oyj 7450 Industrial Parkway P.O. Box 26, FI-00421 Helsinki Plain City, Ohio 43064-9005 FINLAND USA Telephone: +358 9 894 91 Telephone: +1 614 873 6880 Telefax: +358 9 8949 2227 Telefax: +1 614 873 6890

Vaisala Oyj Vaisala Inc. Malmö Office Boulder Operations Drottninggatan 1 D 194 South Taylor Avenue S - 212 11 Malmö Louisville, CO 80027 SWEDEN USA Telephone: +46 40 298 991, Telephone: +1 303 499 1701 in Sweden: 0200 848 848 Fax: +1 303 499 1767 Telefax.: +46 40 298 992, in Sweden: 0200 849 849 Vaisala Inc. Sunnyvale Office Vaisala GmbH 260 Santa Ana Court Hamburg Office Sunnyvale, CA 94085-4512 Schnackenburgallee 41 USA D-22525 Hamburg Telephone: +1 408 734 9640 GERMANY Telefax: +1 408 734 0655 Telephone: +49 40 839 030 Telefax: +49 40 839 03 110 Vaisala Inc. Tucson Operations Vaisala GmbH 2705 East Medina Road Bonn Office Tucson, Arizona 85706, USA Adenauerallee 46 a Telephone: +1 520 806 7300 D-53113 Bonn Telefax: +1 520 741 2848 GERMANY U.S. Toll Free 1 800 283 4557 Telephone: +49 228 912 5110 Telefax: +49 228 912 5111 Vaisala Inc. Houston Office Vaisala GmbH 1120 Nasa Road 1 Suite 220-E Bremerhaven Office Houston, TX 77058 Buchtstrasse 45 Telephone: +1 281 335 9955 27570 Bremerhaven Telefax: +1 281-335-9956 GERMANY Telephone: +49 471 170 1655 Vaisala Inc. Regional Office Canada Telefax: +49 471 170 1755 P.O. Box 2241, Station “B” London Vaisala GmbH Ontario N6A 4E3 Stuttgart Office CANADA Pestalozzi Str. 8 Telephone: +1 519 679 9563 D-70563 Stuttgart Telefax: +1 519 679 9992 GERMANY Telephone: +49 711 734 057 Telefax: +49 711 735 6340 Asia and Pacific

Vaisala Ltd Vaisala KK Birmingham Operations Tokyo Office Vaisala House 42 Kagurazaka 6-Chome 349 Bristol Road Shinjuku-Ku Birmingham B5 7SW Tokyo 162-0825 UNITED KINGDOM JAPAN Telephone: +44 121 683 1200 Telephone: +81 3 3266 9611 Telefax: +44 121 683 1299 Telefax: +81 3 3266 9610

Vaisala Ltd Vaisala KK Newmarket Office Osaka Office Unit 9, Swan Lane Thick Land Building 1203 Exning 2-3-5 Nanba Chuo-ku, Osaka 542-0076, Newmarket Japan Suffolk CB8 7FN Telephone: +81 6 62123954 UNITED KINGDOM Telefax: +81 6 62123955 Telephone: +44 1638 576 200 Telefax: +44 1638 576 240 Vaisala Pty Ltd Melbourne Office Vaisala SA 3 Guest Street Paris Office Hawthorn, VIC 3122 2, rue Stéphenson (escalier 2bis) AUSTRALIA F-78181 Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Telephone: +61 3 9818 4200 Cedex Telefax: +61 3 9818 4522 FRANCE Telephone: +33 1 3057 2728 Vaisala Beijing Representative Office Telefax: +33 1 3096 0858 CITIC Building 19 Jianguomenwai Dajie Vaisala SA Chaoyang District Aix-en-Provence Office Beijing 100004 7, Europarc Ste-Victoire People’s Republic of China F-13590 Meyreuil Telephone: +86 10 8526 1199 FRANCE Telefax: +86 10 8526 1155 Telephone: +33 4 4212 6464 Telefax: +33 4 4212 6474 Vaisala Beijing Representative Office in Shanghai c/o Kaukomarkkinat North America Room 402A West Tower, Sun Plaza 88 Xian Xia Road Vaisala Inc. Shanghai, P.R. China 200336 Boston Office Telephone: +86 21 62700642/41 10-D Gill Street Telefax:+86 21 62700640 Woburn, MA 01801 USA Vaisala Regional Office Malaysia Telephone: +1 781 933 4500 Level 36, Menara Citibank N 2004-05 Telefax: +1 781 933 8029 165 Jalan Ampang 50450 Kuala Lumpur MALAYSIA Telephone: +60 3 2169 7776

Telefax: +60 3 2169 7775 C210029E