IEDRO, with the help and expertise of SummIT Business Technologies, has created a web application that will make recording and digitizing records more efficient than manual methods. Weather Wizards uses web based graphical tools to enable paid participants or volunteer communities to rapidly digitize climate charts. Users view a computer image of a chart and then sweep the cursor over the ink trace on the chart registering the parameter value at whatever time interval is needed. One chart, with practice, can be “digitized” in about a minute, 30 times faster than a manual effort.With the Weather Wizards program, IEDRO will work with the National Meteorological and Hydrologic Services throughout the world. IEDRO requests that the Services provide sample charts. If, for example, five countries have the same type of chart, IEDRO could prioritize its development as a digitized format. Working together, we can ultimately get billions of detailed archived weather observations digitized and made available to the world for the benefit of all humanity. Before they fade away, and are lost forever.ClickHERE for more details!
Weather Wizards by IEDRO & Summit Business Technologies | Saving data, saving lives.
PROJECT SPOTLIGHT:
This International Data Rescue (I-DARE) Portal provides a single point of entry for information on the status of past and present worldwide data rescue projects, on best methods and technologies involved in data rescue, and on metadata for data that need to be rescued.IEDRO’s Director, Rick Crouthamel, Education Manager, Dona Cuppett, and Public Outreach Manager, Jennifer Goulden, worked on the marketing, website and development of the I-DARE Portal.The idea of the I-DARE Portal is to provide one portal for collating information on DARE activities worldwide. The portal aims to stimulate new DARE activities and promote discoverability of, and convergence between, existing DARE activities. In particular, the I-DARE Portal aims to:• give at a glance a global overview of (to be) rescued data, including terrestrial, marine, surface, upper air, and hydrological data;
• enhance visibility of existing DARE activities;
• stimulate the sharing of relevant information, experience, and software;
• provide information on, and stimulate the use of, (newly-rescued) climate data;
• stimulate the start of new DARE activities on identifying, imaging and digitizing historical data and associated metadata;
• help focus new DARE activities to regions where DARE is most urgently needed to address gaps in the historical record;
• help to converge the contents of new and existing DARE-related websites;
• reduce unnecessary duplication of DARE activities;
• stimulate, and provide a focus for, donations to support DARE;
• stimulate help by volunteers (‘citizen science’); and
• facilitate the filling of gaps, and extension to time-series, of climate variables, especially the GCOS Essential Climate Variables, which are given initial priority in the Portal.
CURRENT, UPCOMING & POTENTIAL PROJECTS
ONGOING PROJECTS
WEATHER WIZARDS: A cost effective tool for digitizing large amounts of historic weather data much faster than manual methods, created by Summit Business Technologies.
BOLIVIA: Between July 2012 and September 2013, IEDRO personnel began receiving surface data images from Bolivia. To date, IEDRO has received synoptic observations and Summary of Day observations for 22 surface stations – 16,544 pages/records in total, the equivalent of at least 10 years of data.
WEST AFRICA: Climate Data Rescue and Digitization Facility at ACMAD: Ongoing. The facility continues to scan about 8,000 microfiche frames per month.
TANZANIA: 500 upper air pilot balloon (PIBAL) observations.
EL SALVADOR: 330,000 strip charts that have been scanned, but need digitization
MALAWI: Several hundred thousand pages of surface weather observations. This project is ongoing. Upper air data is rescued; surface data needs rescuing.
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