The University of Reading crowdsources digitization of UK rainfall records to citizens stuck at home due to coronavirus COVID-19

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The Average Annual Rainfall of Britain. Image from page 39 of "The British nation a history / by George M. Wrong" (1910)

The Average Annual Rainfall of Britain. Image from page 39 of "The British nation a history / by George M. Wrong" (1910)

The University of Reading, in a project called the “Rainfall Rescue” by Prof. Ed Hawkins, is crowdsourcing help from people stuck at home due to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. The goal is to help transcribe old written records that are missing in the UK digital weather database between the years 1820 and 1950.

The effort is open to the public. Join here to help: https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/edh/rainfall-rescue

The digitized data allow scientists to analyze climatic changes better and to help them differentiate between short-term, medium-term, and long-term fluctuations in weather patterns.

In an effort to bring WMO quality rain and climatic measurement to the masses, BARANI DESIGN Technologies has developed a series of Internet-of-Things (IoT) micro-weather station sensors that are affordable enough for most households. More information can be found at the following links:

How far away do I need to be from people to not catch a virus?

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Slowing the pace of infection is the single most important thing that we all can do to preserve the capacities of our health care systems.

QUESTION: How far away do I need to stay from people without a mask so that I don’t breath in what they exhale?

ANSWER: This video shows the movement of breath from person to person during a conversation between two people. There is a very low chance of infection since unlike with a cough or a sneeze, cells, water droplets and other particles like bacteria and viruses are not normally present in a person’s breath.

QUESTION: How far does a cough or sneeze travel and how easily can in infect me?

ANSWER: These videos show the expulsion of particulates in a person’s cough and sneeze. Each sneeze or cough launches cells, water droplets, and other particles like virus and bacteria quite a distance into the air which can infect another person. Infection is most likely if the particles are inhaled or deposited on mucus membranes and other sensitive places on another person’s body.

  • It is very important for sick and infected people to wear facial masks to protect others from their infection.

  • For healthy people, masks are a good precaution to help limit risk of infection.

QUESTION: How big of a chance does a cough or sneeze have of transmitting a virus or bacteria onto another person?

ANSWER: This video makes a less scientific, yet very practical and understandable approach, to explain how easily coughs and sneezes can transmit diseases to people around us.

We at BARANI DESIGN Technologies are also indirectly very affected by the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), just as are all people, families, and businesses. Slowing the pace of infection is the single most important thing that we all can do so that the capacities of our health care systems are able to cope with the critically sick, not only from COVID-19, but also from other serious illnesses which are taking away our loved ones.

How tough is the toughest weather station?

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When avalanche rescue needs reliable data, only one weather station can send it from under the snow pack with a 12+ km (7.5+ miles) wireless range.

Extreme weather requires tough hardware

In meteorology, the real difference between professional and commercial hardware is not only in measurement accuracy, long-term measurement stability and precision, but also in toughness, robustness and survivability. The fine line between extreme weather and a weather disaster is the damage caused and loss of life. Timely and accurate decisions require accurate and reliable data in the most extreme weather situations. This is what sets apart professional meteorological equipment from the rest and enables the prevention of disasters and loss of life. MeteoHelix IoT Pro weather stations donated to the Slovak Avalanche Service are proving their worth against all existing weather station hardware.

Buried alive under the snow

Buried under wind blown snow pack for over two months at 1727 meters (5669 feet) above sea level, the MeteoHelix kept tirelessly measuring and sending wireless data every 10 minutes to Sigfox gateways installed by SimpleCell and located 12.5 km, 16.5 km, 20 km, and 32,5 km away. The 3+ meter high snow pack here was unexpected in this warmest winter on record.

Over the two months, tons of wind blown snow consolidated and with a crushing force devastated other meteorological equipment. Under this force, the stainless steel mounting bracket holding the MeteoHelix was bent over like a sheet of paper as shown in the accompanying photo. The MeteoHelix survived without damage. After being dug out and over the next two days as temperatures rose above freezing, the snow packed around its sensors from the burial thawed. The MeteoHelix IoT Pro returned to measuring atmospheric temperatures (instead of snow pack temperature) for which it was designed and which it preforms better and more accurately than any other professional meteorological weather station due to its special patented helical solar radiation shield design.

While buried under snow, the MeteoHelix weather station measured snowpack temperature. Around March 13, 2020 (6 days before being dug out) the snowpack temperature became a steady 0°C as the snow started its spring time melt.

While buried under snow, the MeteoHelix weather station measured snowpack temperature. Around March 13, 2020 (6 days before being dug out) the snowpack temperature became a steady 0°C as the snow started its spring time melt.

As soon as the MeteoHelix was dug out, it began measuring solar irradiation and soon after the snow Fell away from its sensors, it began reading the correct air temperatures.

As soon as the MeteoHelix was dug out, it began measuring solar irradiation and soon after the snow Fell away from its sensors, it began reading the correct air temperatures.