NWS Coop Modernization Program
For more than a century, the United States government has utilized the
cooperative efforts
of public-spirited citizens all across the nation to
help perform an invaluable service by
participating in a network of
volunteer weather observers. This Cooperative Observer
Network is the
nation's largest and oldest weather network established in 1890 to make
meteorological observations and establish and record climate conditions in the
United
States, primarily for agricultural purposes. The network is
increasingly used by the National
Weather Service (NWS) to support
meteorological and hydrological forecasts and warnings
and to verify
forecasts.
A significant undertaking is being implemented by the NWS to create an
automated network,
manned by the same Coop participants that would
significantly modernize the Coop
capability to essentially provide real-time
reporting. The intent is to not only monitor
traditional Coop parameters
(temperature and precipitation), but other parameters as well
that would be
of use for the public good. In anticipation of this unique real-time capability,
the NWS Coop Modernization Program is now part of the new NOAA's
Environmental
Real-time Observation Network (NERON).
Vaisala HydroMet™ Automatic Weather Stations are currently being used in the
NWS
New England Pilot Coop Modernization Program, which is the testbed for
the national
network. The NWS Coop Modernization Program will eventually
provide high quality
data on a grid of approximately 20 x 20 miles across
the country.