Citizen Weather Observer Program

Do you have a well-placed personal weather station at your home or business?  Would you like to share your data with the world?  You can if you send your data to the Citizen Weather Observing Program (CWOP)!

CWOP is a volunteer-based network that allows owners of personal weather stations to share their station’s live data with the National Weather Service, emergency managers, wild land fire fighters, and Universities worldwide.  There are several options to getting your data online – inexpensive (even free) software programs, and extremely reliable, energy-efficient ‘internet devices.’  If you have a well-sited home weather station, and a broadband internet connection, you’re just a few steps away from contributing your data to CWOP.

You will need to gather some information about your station location first. You’ll need to know your station’s Latitude and Longitude, and the base elevation at the site (the ground elevation, not to be confused with the height of the sensor array).

Get a CWOP Station ID by filling out the form at:

http://www.findu.com/citizenweather/cw_form.html

The CWOP website is a little “old-fashioned” and unpolished, and it contains far more information than the average user needs. Don’t worry about the parts of the form mentioning “Packet Checking” and “MADIS tech support.”

PLEASE! Use a valid email address. You will rarely be contacted, and will receive no SPAM.

Configure your Internet Device or uploading Software. Here’s where you will enter your CWOP Station ID (the ‘DW number’) as well as your station’s Latitude and Longitude. (Don’t forget the “-” sign on the Longitude!) The process will vary depending on the software or device you’re using.

Check for weather data!  Go to the following web address, using your CWOP Station ID at the end: http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/wx.cgi?call=YOUR_CWOP_ID_HERE

            For example, if your Station ID was DW8512, you would enter: http://www.findu.com/cgi-bin/wx.cgi?call=DW8512

Depending on your upload frequency (5 min is preferred), you should see data start to appear in 5-15 minutes.  Within a week or so, we will see you data on our displays as well!!