Jun 4, 2016 | By Alec

Weather experts from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) have just successfully installed the first generation of low-cost 3D printed weather stations in the southern African nation of Zambia. All five stations have been built with the express purpose of providing local farmers with critical weather data, giving them the opportunity to greatly expand their agricultural productivity by optimizing planting and harvest times and avoiding storms and floods as much as possible.

This fantastic NCAR initiative, which is part of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), has actually been under development for some time. It was initiated by technologists Kelly Sponberg and Martin Steinson from the Joint Office of Science Support (JOSS) at UCAR, and has been on their agenda for years. While many farms in the developed world have access to state-of-the-art weather forecasting technology and are able to time their work around the weather (or avoid it altogether in greenhouses), rural farmers in Africa are still at the mercy of the elements. Sudden storms and floods can destroy complete harvests, making localized forecasting systems invaluable.

The only problem has been bringing that technology to those regions. Small weather forecasting systems are often too expensive, very costly to maintain and often impossible to customize or repair. This is exactly why the NCAR team turned to 3D printing: to develop custom stations that can be modified, are cheap to build and easy to replace if they wear out. As NCAR scientist Paul Kucera, one of the project’s leaders, argued, this is a major breakthrough for farmers in the developing world. “It’s a major opportunity to provide weather information that farmers have never had before,” he argued. “This can literally make the difference when it comes to being able to feed their families.”

This is perfectly reflected by life in Zambia. Like many African nations, it does not have many weather stations in operation. In fact, the density of these stations is eight times lower than recommended by the World Meteorological Organization. Each new station can cost anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000, depending on the location, and that doesn’t include maintenance costs.

But a 3D printed alternative can be built for just $300. Aside from the custom plastic parts, it is made with little more than off-the-shelf sensors and electronics. Most importantly, host countries can simply 3D print replacement components for next to nothing. “If you want a different kind of wind direction gauge or anemometer, or you just need to replace a broken part, you can just print it out yourself, Steinson explained. “Our role is to make this as accessible as possible. This is entirely conceived as an open-source project.”

The first tests with these 3D printed weather stations were carried out last year, and those lessons have now been used to install five stations in Zambia. They are already transmitting data on temperature, rainfall, winds, and other weather parameters, providing local farms with the knowledge necessary to decide when to plant, fertilize and harvest crops. U.S. AID hydrometeorologist Sezin Tokar even went as far as calling this a life-saving 3D printing innovation. “Not only can they provide countries with the ability to more accurately monitor for weather-related disasters, the data they produce can also help reduce the economic impact of disasters,” Tokar said.

Three of these five stations were installed next to radio stations in collaboration with the Zambian Meteorological Department, and their data will be broadcast to local communities. Another is placed next to a rural hospital, and the last is located next to the HQ of the Meteorological Department. Later this year, that department will take the reins of this project, with the goal of building a network of 100 3D printed weather stations across the country. To do so, they will also be equipped with 3D printers and accessories.

These five stations currently in operation will be accessible for local meteorologists, as well as by NCAR over wireless networks. A system for one- to three-day regional forecasts for Zambia is currently on the agenda, which should help farmers and other residents prepare for impending floods or storms. “The objective of the project is to transfer the technology so this will be run by Zambia,” Kucera said.

But the 3D printed weather stations are already in demand elsewhere as well, and the NCAR team is looking to set up similar initiatives in other African nations and the Caribbean. “We’re hearing a lot of interest in using this technology in other countries,” Kucera said. “It’s really quite a return on investment.” Over time, this will also affect international forecasts, as more and more data about local weather situations is being gathered. The project is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance and the U.S. National Weather Service.

 

 

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