MeteoHelix® ready for Industry 4.0

Agricultural weather station with a wind sensor, rain gauge and helical radiation shield

What is industry 4.0 and how does meteorological data fit into its picture?

In general, the fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0 for short) is widely accepted as the rise of connectivity following the computerization of manufacturing. For example, the term "Precision Agriculture" is one subset of the 3rd and 4th industrial revolutions, where the 3rd industrial revolution is all about computerization and widespread sensor adoption and the fourth is the rise of connectivity and its benefits. We are still in the middle of both of these industrial revolutions. The benefits of Industry 3.0 are clearly visible with sensors in everything from our cars to our household appliances, while the benefits of connectivity will become more and more noticeable in the years to come.

The rise of home weather stations

In meteorology one can see the widespread adoption of home weather stations as the result of Industry 3.0, while the rise of meteorological data sharing networks like Weather Underground as the beginnings of Industry 4.0.  The rise of precision agriculture is also the result of sensor adoption and started with the widespread use of weather stations in farming. It continues with the rise of software platforms that offer not only present weather data sharing and data processing, but are also able to combine this data with crop health and soil analyses to paint a more complete picture of current crop status and crop development.  This complete picture helps decision makers (agronomists in precision farming) make significantly more informed decisions and helps prevent wasteful use of water, fertilizer and chemical agents used to treat plant diseases and pest outbreaks.

Impact on professional meteorology

In professional meteorology the changes from the 3rd and 4th industrial revolution come slower. Scientists and meteorologists need to be sure that each new technology provides high-quality data and long-term data stability as climatic changes happen on a scale of a few thousands of a degree per year. Additionally, every new sensor technology needs to be thoroughly tested and compared to existing measurement instruments and techniques so as to ensure data continuity and consistency. In other words, professional applications of weather sensors cannot permit sensor differences to create false changes in long-term climatic measurement, where a change is temperature sensor technology would result in a step change in global temperature readings. One such new technology currently being evaluated by professionals around the world is the helical radiation shield for air temperature sensors which promises to significantly increase accuracy and reduce measurement uncertainty of any temperature sensor in outdoor applications. The impact of this helical solar shield technology found in the MeteoHelix® micro-weather stations from BARANI DESIGN Technologies may mean that tens of thousands of home weather stations throughout the world may in the near future be able to provide high-quality professional weather data used to improve local weather forecasts.

What to look for in a HVAC outdoor air temperature sensor

Outdoor air temperature sensors (OAT) should possess the following qualities:

• Robustness - radiation shield mount should ideally be made of corrosion resistant metal for strength and longevity and white in color to prevent overheating of the OAT sensor on sunny days.

• Easy mounting - sensor and radiation shield mount should permit easy pole mounting and wall mounting. The mount should position the OAT sensor at least 8 inches (20 cm) from the mounting surface or wall.

• High-quality radiation shield - quite a bit of money can be saved on temperature sensor cost by spending a little extra on a very good radiation shield. A high-quality radiation shield is especially important on hot sunny days since it determines the air temperature a sensor will measure.

The trade-off between high-cost or a high-quality OAT sensor lies in the understanding that a temperature sensor will measure temperature only of air inside the radiation shield. In low-quality shields, even the most accurate and expensive sensors will measure unrealistically high air temperatures due to influences of wall heat radiating onto the shield or due to heating from direct or reflected sunlight. 

Overall system savings can be maximized by using a helical solar shield as written about in Meteorological Industry News and HVAC & Refrigeration Insider®.

Can new technologies make urban weather stations accurate?

While accurate meteorological measurement in an urban environment was until now practically impossible, a new technology promises change that. 

MeteoHelix® is a new type of weather station based on a patented helical solar shield design which forms a continuous helix. The manufacturer, BARANI DESIGN Technologies, claims to have achieved the never before possible combination of unobstructed airflow to the internal sensors while simultaneously providing 360-degree protection from reflected light and radiating heat from nearby walls.

Independently verified, the helical shape delivers the most accurate air temperature measurement available without fan assisted airflow in a solar shield. In testing involving strong light reflections from the ground, it proved to be more accurate than many fan-aspirated radiation shields.