July 24, 2015 | By Simon
Although many people tend to take well-connected weather forecasting networks for granted, in many parts of the world - where the weather can have a drastic effect on daily tasks including earning a living - there are no weather forecasting devices or services. When considering the impact that this can have on underdeveloped countries, it becomes apparent why having localized weather forecasting systems could be invaluable in a community that relies on specific and predictable weather for food and survival.
While smaller weather forecasting systems exist, they are very expensive to both purchase and maintain and aren’t always economical for small rural communities in developing countries.
Thanks to the work from technologists Kelly Sponberg and Martin Steinson however, these communities may be able to have their own sustaining weather stations thanks to 3D printing.
Sponberg and Steinson, who develop new tools for the meteorology community through the Joint Office of Science Support (JOSS), a program of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), have actually been focusing on this problem for years. While they had previously used consumer weather stations - which were purchased at a cost of roughly $1000 apiece - the units were unreliable due to the lack of customization and the inability to repair or replace parts when they broke.
Aiming to solve their frustrations with existing manufactured weather stations once and for all, Sponberg and Steinson turned their attention to building an easy-to-build weather station that was affordable, made to order, and easy to fix.
"It's the right time for something like this," Sponberg said. "There's an explosion of cheaper and cheaper sensors, cheaper and cheaper computing systems, and cheaper and cheaper manufacturing technologies, like 3D printers. All we had to do is bring it all together."
With the goal of being able to print all of the pieces for an open source weather station - which could be adjusted based on the specific needs of a geographical area - the resulting Micro-Manufacturing and Assembly (MMA) project consists of a 3D printed housing which protects a number of off-the-shelf sensors that are all powered by a Raspberry Pi. In total, all of the parts and materials for each weather station come to just $200 while still retaining all of the necessary functions of forecasting stations that cost thousands of dollars. Additionally, the ability to easily replicate the pieces means that rural communities can replace or repair the units as needed.
"This is an open source project," Sponberg said. "You can design the station and build it yourself, and, after a few years, if you decide you want the anemometer to work better or in a different way, for example, you have the tools to just print that yourself."
As for being able to hold up in a number of harsh weather conditions, the pair tested their weather station design during the past year in Colorado - where it certainly got its fair share of sunshine, rain, snow, wind and ice.
Currently, Sponberg and Steinson are refining their prototype and preparing the design for deployment in a number of communities - however, they’re quick to note that the only way for the MMA to work is if the community behind it supports it, too. Since the pair have worked in Zambia in the past, they have chosen the location for their first pilot community.
"The community needs to value the weather observations and the weather station," Sponberg added. "The observation network will only survive if there's a human network behind it."
Posted in 3D Printing Applications
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