An indigenous state-of-the-art Digital Automatic Recording System (DARS) for surface meteorological observatories

Abstract

The existing self recording instruments of India Meteorological Department (IMD) urgently require modernization by considering the demand for its real time interface with the modern now-casting tools like Doppler Weather Radar (DWR), real time weather models etc. Hence IMD has designed and developed a state-of-the-art Digital Automatic Recording System (DARS) for the automatic measurement, storage, display and communication of meteorological parameters like Atmospheric pressure, Wind speed, Wind direction, Air temperature, Relative humidity and Rainfall. The system has its origin from the existing IMD make High Wind Speed Recording (HWSR) System installed at more than 15 coastal observatories in the eastern coast of India, by suitable integration with different types of electronic meteorological sensors available in the global market. Authors have participated at various stages of design, development, installation, and data validation of the system. This paper highlights the design aspects of indigenous system and its data quality with respect to imported AWS and ground truth observations and the proposal for its installation at selected villages in a district to study the spatial variation of Wind and Rainfall during Monsoon period.