Abstract
Detailed atmospheric monitoring data are notoriously difficult to obtain for some geographic regions, while they are of paramount importance in scientific research, forecasting, emergency response, policy making, etc. We describe a continuously updated dataset, METER.AC, consisting of raw measurements of atmospheric pressure, temperature, relative humidity, particulate matter, and background radiation in about 100 locations in Bulgaria, as well as some derived values such as sea-level atmospheric pressure, dew/frost point, and hourly trends. The measurements are performed by low-power maintenance-free nodes with common hardware and software, which are specifically designed and optimized for this purpose. The time resolution of the measurements is 5 min. The short-term aim is to deploy at least one node per 100 km2, while uniformly covering altitudes between 0 and 3000 m asl with a special emphasis on remote mountainous areas. A full history of all raw measurements (non-aggregated in time and space) is publicly available, starting from September 2018. We describe the basic technical characteristics of our in-house developed equipment, data organization, and communication protocols as well as present some use case examples. The METER.AC network relies on the paradigm of the Internet of Things (IoT), by collecting data from various gauges. A guiding principle in this work is the provision of findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR) data. The dataset is in the public domain, and it provides resources and tools enabling citizen science development in the context of sustainable development.
Highlights
Detailed atmospheric monitoring data are notoriously difficult to obtain for some geographic regions, while they are of paramount importance in scientific research, forecasting, emergency response, policy making, etc
We describe a continuously updated dataset, METER.AC, consisting of raw measurements of atmospheric pressure, temperature, relative humidity, particulate matter, and background radiation in about 100 locations in Bulgaria, as well as some derived values such as sea-level atmospheric pressure, dew/frost point, and hourly trends
The raw measurements include a range of values coming out directly from the sensors which are evenly placed in nearly 100 ground stations, mainly in Bulgaria
Summary
The vast growth of internet coverage and popularity in recent decades, together with the development of new affordable off-the-shelf electronics, single-board computers, and sensors has made it possible for various communities, citizens, and volunteers [1,2,3,4] to engage with measurements and observations—the areas of knowledge that traditionally belong to professional science. New opportunities for more in-depth comparison between multiple monitored places at a higher spatial and temporal resolution have become economically viable Another aspect of involving citizens in science activities is facilitating community services for the public good through collaboration with the relevant authorities, as well as including more people in decision-making processes [5,6] aiming at sustainable development. Our previous atmospheric chemistry studies (studying the atmosphere from 0 to 35 km asl, Terziyski et al [18]) were performed with devices developed in-house, some of which were reused later in the METER.AC network In these activities, we encouraged school students, teachers, and ordinary citizens to participate in stratospheric balloon launching, etc. Some of the volunteers are involved in the design and assembly of particular types of devices, contribute in the software development, participate in data analysis efforts, provide help with site maintenance, communicate with the METER.AC team on various topics of interest, etc
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