The New Meteorological Observation Network in the Netherlands;

Status and Operational Experience

Wiel Wauben and Dennis Hart

Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI)

TECO 2002: HIM-project, reason, concept, automation

TECO 2005: Current status and experience

2

HIM-project

90’s First investigations, preparations

1999 EU tender procedure

Jan 2000 Contract with Almos Systems

2000 Requirements, Specifications and Design

2001/2002 Building, HMI prototyping, testingImplementation of the 2 largest stations by Almos

2002 Implementation other stations by KNMIparallel to old system

21 Nov 2002 Synoptic part operational

28 Jan 2003 Airports operational (data format ATC changed)

3

Dutch Surface Observation Network

21 automated stations (PTUWRQ Visibility, Weather, Cloud research tower Cabauw)

5 civil airports (regional 5RWY Schiphol) 2 Navy airbases ~70 Ministry of Waterworks and Transport met-hydro stations

(inland waters, coastal region, North Sea) Lightning detection system (Safir Vaisala) Precipitation radar (Gematronic) MetClock (Cloud info from METEOSAT)

Many changes to sensor configuration and some stations 9 Royal Netherlands Air Force airbases added 2004/2005

MetNetAutomated Stationsand Airport Systems

KNMI

Navy

Air Force

2005/2006 9 platforms

5

MetNet Data Flow

Cloud cover and amounts for 3 layers

SAFIRalgorithm

Ceiloalgorithm

Lightning discharges

C1,C2,C3,ZVand

MOR

Strikes within 15 and 20km of station

wawaalgorithm

Ta,U,

MOR,Ni,

PW,etc.

wawa, Wa1Wa2

Cloud top temperature and fraction

Precipitation

CIBIL

Report-generation

SYNOP,METAR,

etc.

Sensor

METEOSAT

SAFIR

RADAR

Sensor Report-generation

METAR,etc.

Cloud cover and amountsCeilo

algorithm

C1,C2,C3,ZV

wwalgorithm w'w' RE

Airport

Ta,U,

MOR,Ni,

PW,etc.

AWS

RMITa, U, MOR, WR, WS,P

Sensor

Data

Database

Data

Database

6

Data Usage/Visualisation

• Visualisation/configuration/maintenance/report-entry within

MetNet using Almos client systems.

Maintenance staff and observers/forecasters.

• 10-minute data of entire MetNet provided to internal and

external users.

• Visualised by KNMI applications in time series and

geographically incl. alarms and presented on intranet.

• Local presentation of 12-second airport data for ATC, Fire

brigade, SAR...

Sensor map Schiphol airport

System overview central site

12-second local presentation

10-minute intranet presentation

10-minute AVW tools

12

MetNet Key Numbers

• Airport system Schiphol

60 SIAMs; 66 sub-stations (physically 23xZM, pseudo, other

airports)

12 ‘Runways’; 2 take-off + 2 landing, Reg. QNH & TL

runway dep. sensors; backup sensors; cross/tail winds etc.

12 sec. updates (1300 variables out of 2100)

• Central system De Bilt

21 AWSs; 7+9 airports; 27 DNZ; 20 ZEGE; 26 MSW

total of 350 (sub)stations

2500 1-min variables; 4900 10-min; 9600 total; 7 days

• Configuration changes (distributed centrally) > 100.

13

Availability

Non-availability measurement systems (%)

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50

Airports AWS Radar North Sea SAFIR Satellite

Measurement system

% 1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

14

MetNet Evaluation and Future

Project finished on time with required functionality and stable.Cooperation Almos and KNMI resulted is a good product.

Maintenance had difficult and busy start.MetNet very dynamic: 5th RWY Schiphol, renumbering RWYs, many sensor and some station changes, 9 airbases).

New functionality: FLITS, Auto METAR, Auto Trend, security issues, maintenance tools, OS upgrade.

Upcoming changes: ISDN GRPS, AVW-RNLAF, FTP-XML format platforms, BUFR, bugs/wishes...

Tools for 10-minute data visualisation and experience in usage.