Helsinki Testbed overview

1. Helsinki Testbed overview Mesoscale Atmospheric Network Workshop University of Helsinki, 12 February 2007 Heikki Turtiainen

2. History of Helsinki Testbed • 2003: First ideas in Vaisala • "Establish a leading testbed capability close to Vaisala • Find out the business potential of mesoscale and nowcasting systems • Encourage FMI and the University to form a center of excellence in EU • Make sure the testbed will be open, international, high quality • Testing and demonstration of new system concepts becomes possible" Autumn 2003: Idea presented to FMI, planning begins December 2003: U.S. Weather Research Program Workshop on the design and development of multifunctional mesoscale observing networks, Boulder, Colorado. "Testbed ideology" development. Spring 2004: Planning, preparing the Tekes funding application Summer 2004: Preparations for the observation network started November 2004: Tekes accepts the funding application Helsinki Testbed initiative officially launched 1.1.2005

3. USWRP Workshop results: Testbed definition • “A working relationship in quasi-operational framework among forecasters, researchers, private-sector, and government agencies aimed at solving operational and practical regional problems with a strong connection to end-users.”

4. Helsinki Testbed • What is a testbed? • Platform for experimentation for large development projects • Working relationship among measurement specialists, researchers, private-sector, and government agencies, with a strong connection to the end-users. • Testbeds accelerate the translation of R&D findings into practice: more effective operations, services and products, as well as economic and public safety benefits. • Helsinki Testbed • Will help to develop, test and demonstrate instruments and methods for observing and forecasting mesoscale weather phenomena. • Is intended to become a meeting point for international research in the atmospheric sciences. • Is open: new instruments, projects and research groups can join in.

5. täsmäsääpalvelujen kehitys- ja kokeilualusta Helsinki Testbed Research and development platform for precision weather services 9.10.2006 15:30

6. HTB phase I results special instruments satellites FMI surface weather stations road weather stations Researchers’ Interface weather radars Web demos Vaisala MetMan database Central Data Warehouse (CDW) in cooperation with FMI & Vaisala dense weather transmitter network

7. Helsinki Testbed Network From Hanko in west, to Loviisa in east, to Hämeenlinna & Lahti in North

8. Cell phone base station masts utilized as meteorological towers Upper Weather Transmitter h = 40...100 m Middle level Weather Transmitters h = 20-30 m Lower Weather Transmitter h = 2 m GPRS communications unit

9. Wind Profiler with RASS • Vaisala LAP-3000 wind profiler at Helsinki Malmi Airport measures • wind speed & direction up to 3000 m • temperature up to 1000 m

10. Radiosonde soundings • Autosonde soundings from Vaisala to complement those made in Jokioinen Observatory and Tallinn. • During campaigns four daily soundings at synoptic times (00, 06, 12 and 18 UTC). • Automatic data delivery to CDW.

11. Cloud height & aerosol profile • Ceilometers • 5 pcs Vaisala CL31 ceilometers • Vaisala • Helsinki, YTV Vallila air quality station • Nurmijärvi, FMI Röykkä Observatory • Mäntsälä • Porvoo • cloud height +aerosol profile data • communications: ADSL

12. All-weather Precipitation gauges • Weighing rain gauges • 5 pcs VRG101 all-weather precipitation gauges • Lahti • Nummi-Pusula, Loukku • Vihti, Maasoja • Nurmijärvi, Röykkä • Helsinki, Malmi Airport • measure both liquid and solid precipitation • heated rim • Tretyakov-type wind shield • communications: GPRS Lahti 5.12.2005

13. Ecological Weather Stations CO2 • Ecological weather stations • weather transmitter + CO2-sensor + photosynthetically active radiation sensor (PAR) • network of 10 stations WXT PAR RS485 Data collection and telemetry

14. Live Data • Weather radar & temperature • Helsinki Testbed on Google Earth • Weather cameras at outdoor sport resorts • Kytäjä golf course • Saariselkä (Lapland) More info: http://testbed.fmi.fi

15. Significance of Helsinki Testbed for new business development Mesoscale Atmospheric Network Workshop University of Helsinki, 12 February 2007 Heikki Turtiainen

16. U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research: Vision for Global Weather Services in 2025 • By 2025 the data problem for weather prediction will be solved. • Observational errors as we know them today will have been eliminated. • Global weather predictionmodels with 1 km horizontal resolution will have reached the theoretical limits of predictability theory. Richard A. Anthes, 1999 GWS2025-Anthes, 1999

17. GWS2025-Summary U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research:Vision for Global Weather Services in 2025 • Numerical predictions in the 0-2 day time frame will be essentially perfect. • One week forecasts will be as accurate as 2-3 day forecasts are today. • Weather information will be hundreds of times more useful to society than today and at less cost per person. Richard A. Anthes, 1999

18. Trends in Weather Services • Dense, integrated observation networks • Instrument miniatyrization and integration • Sensor networks – M2M wireless communication • New remote sensing instruments • Forecasting performance • Increasing computing power • Mesoscale models - nowcasting Internet • Data distribution • Internet • Mobile terminals Real time weather data will be available any place, any time. Ubiquitous weather services will become reality.

19. Forecasts and Alarms for Severe weather

20. Traffic Weather - Roads

21. Emergency response: fires, chemical releases U.S. average of 3.3 million acres burn per year

22. Air quality / chemical release / homeland security

23. Outdoor events

24. Helsinki Testbed phase II (2007-2009) • Focus in Precision Weather Applications • Automatic generation and delivery of forecasts and warnings • From Forecasting and NowCasting to Ubiquitous Weather Services = UbiCasting

25. Helsinki Testbed now Web demos Database Researchers’ interface ”Customers” Observations

26. Helsinki Testbed development: mesoscale analysis Database Analysis field LAPS Observations

27. Local weather analysis and forecast models

28. Helsinki Testbed development: mesoscale forecast Database Analysis field Forecast Observations

29. Helsinki Testbed development: mesoscale forecast service Application specific data Database Analysis field Forecast Application Customers Observations

30. Precision Weather Services Application specific observations Application specific data Database Analysis field Forecast Application Forecast Application Forecast Application Observations Customers

31. Precision Weather Services Application specific observations Customers Application specific data Database Analysis field Forecast Application interface Forecast Application interface Forecast Application interface Observations Vaisala FMI Service provider Pilot customers

32. Future Precision Weather Services Internet Observation network Customer terminals Additional data Application Server Observations database PRODUCTS Forecasts Forecast Service

33. Potential applications Air quality / dispersion models • Forecasting air quality service for citizens • Air quality / dispersion model service for industry Traffic • Commuting weather service for cities • Mesoscale road wether service Energy • Optimization of energy production based on local forecasts • Utilization of nowcasting in heating and air conditioning of buildings Marine • Precision weather service for harbours • Sailing weather

34. Thank you!