UrbaNet Mesonet

[Note that the UrbaNet files are in the "NOAA-only" distribution category.]

Overview

"UrbaNet" is a surface research network involving NOAA's Air Resources Laboratory (ARL) and the private sector, which is designed to explore the use of using integrated commercial and government meteorological data in forecasting within the complex topology of the urban environment. MADIS has been established as the mechanism to ingest, integrate, quality control and distribute the UrbaNet mesonet observations in support of homeland security, emergency management, dispersion modeling, and general forecasting applications. Currently, the private sector is represented by AWS/WeatherBug, which has been providing data for several years in the form of the "AWS" mesonet, which has been available in the mesonet netCDF files available from MADIS, and in CSV files for NWS WFO's.

Phase 1 of the UrbaNet project will be focused on the National Capital Region and ten additional metropolitan areas, and will involve establishing up to 1000 NOAA-certified weather stations (there are already about 700 stations operating). Funds will be used to install new weather stations and upgrade existing stations that are already a part of the AWS/WeatherBug network. Subsequent work will address other cities and urban areas to be identified on the basis of homeland security threat, scientific need, and data availability. It is anticipated that the project will be three years in length. If funded, future phases would include developing detailed plans for transitioning UrbaNet to national operations.

As part of MADIS' support for the UrbaNet effort, the UrbaNet stations have been split off from the mesonet files and put into a new "urbanet" netCDF dataset containing data from this network, and new UrbaNet CSV files for NWS WFOs. Several new observation types designed for dispersion modelling and similar applications have also been added. See below for the complete list of observation types that are available.

Those users interested in data from the following metropolitan areas, will want to get the new UrbaNet files:

• National Capitol Region
  • Washington, D.C,
  • Northern Virginia
  • Annapolis, MD
  • Baltimore, MD
• Atlanta, GA
• Los Angeles, CA
• Boston, MA
• New York, NY
• Chicago, IL
• Dallas, TX
• Houston, TX
• Philadelphia, PA
• Las Vegas, NV
• North Gulf Coast
  • Baton Rouge, LA
  • New Orleans, LA
  • Mobile, AL
  • Pensacola, FL

Note that not all of the AWS stations in these areas are converting to UrbaNet.

Maps

For station locations of the entire UrbaNet network as of 24 Oct 2006 click here.

For station locations of the UrbaNet network in the National Capitol Region as of 24 Oct 2006 click here.

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