Live weather for the University, thanks to the Hamburg Weather Mast

1 April 2015, by Franziska Neigenfind

Photo:

Live Weather from the Hamburg Weather Mast in Billwerder

Just in time for the start of the new semester on April 1st, the Meteorological Institute will begin providing the campus with live data from the Hamburg Weather Mast, located in the city’s Billwerder district – which means that now, information screens located in academic buildings will display the weather for the University, from the University.

Working closely together with the Meteorological Institute, Universität Hamburg’s Media Competence Centre  (MCC) developed an application that presents complex meteorological readings in the form of intuitive graphics; the look and feel are reminiscent of weather apps for smartphones. In addition to the latest information on the temperature, precipitation and wind, the new “campus screens” will display information on upcoming events, opening hours and news from the respective departments and institutes where they are installed.

“We explained to the graphics experts which scientific aspects they needed to keep in mind, and vice versa, they showed us what the most important considerations are for the graphics,” recalls meteorologist Prof. Felix Ament. “We had a good time experimenting together.”

The facility at the transmitting mast of the broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) in Billwerder has been measuring temperature, humidity and wind speed, updated every 60 seconds, since 1995. The Meteorological Institute, part of the Center for Earth System Research and Sustainability (CEN), uses this data to investigate processes at work in the lower atmosphere.

The Institute’s members are also active on social networks: They use Twitter for live updates on highlights like the partial solar eclipse in late March. And the Facebook page “Wetternetz Uni Hamburg” presents especially interesting readings from the Weather Mast, from rain radar equipment (Universität Hamburg, Max Planck Institute for Meteorology) and from the CliSAP project HUSCO’s urban climate recording stations. “Weather is something everyone is interested in. And Twitter and Facebook can help us bring the work we do closer to the people of Hamburg,” explains Ament.


Further information:

www.facebook.com/wetternetzuhh (no Facebook account required)

www.twitter.com/wettermast