LOW COST TECHNOLOGIES FOR AWARENESS AND EARLY WARNING IN CONDITIONS OF SEVERE WEATHER

Abstract

Current and upcoming weather forecasts play a very important role in our society, from big companies to each simple individual that wants to be prepared and adapt to any changes. Many entities use data provided by each country’s National Weather Service in order to combat any negative impact the conditions may have on their daily activities. Unfortunately, the service does not provide a very accurate set of parameters, instead it gives an average forecast for a given area of interest. Here is where personal weather stations come to the rescue. Not only they are cheap and easy to set up, but they also provide the user with the exact data he wants. Depending on each individual’s needs, the weather station can be adjusted and equipped with a wide range of sensors, ranging from wind speed and UV radiation to air quality sensor. Using an Arduino development board (or equivalent) that is available on a large scale, the integration of the sensors can be done without many challenges and, if the user does want to implement this feature, the acquired data can be uploaded and used on the internet. Being supported by a very large community, Arduino boards can implement these features without implying a big money or time penalty. One of the most important aspects a weather station brings, apart from the possibility to build it at a very low price, is that the user can have access to any weather data that defines his area of interest, thus increasing the accuracy and the resolution of the forecast and allows early warning in case of extreme weather phenomena.