NetOp enables NOAA to conduct remote weather research

NetOp Remote Control enabled the SRRB branch of the NOAA to conduct remote cloud cover observations.

The Surface Radiation Research Branch (SRRB) of the NOAA conducts research in many aspects of solar radiation at the earth's surface. One area of research the SRRB specializes in is cloud coverage. The amount of cloud coverage in a given area will determine the amount of sun light that is able to reach the earth’s surface. Until recently, the only means of analyzing cloud coverage was by actually walking outside to record the amount of coverage in the sky. With NetOp Remote Control and some additional weather data collection technology, researchers are now able to remotely observe the amount of cloud coverage in numerous locations at once.

Using high-tech instruments, resembling something from a Star Trek episode, meteorologists at SRRB in Boulder, Colorado are able to collect information about cloud cover. “It’s a total sky imager or TSI. The instrument uses a digital camera focused on an upward facing convex mirror to capture full he mispherical images of the daytime sky. Using this instrument we are able to measure and record cloud coverage”, Gary Hodges of the SRRB branch of the NOAA explains. With it, researchers at SRRB are able to log daytime cloud coverage in the vicinity of the instrument on a continuous basis.

Researchers have been monitoring cloud coverage for decades in an attempt to better understand the Earth’s environment. Today, Hodges and his colleagues at SRRB are using the data for a number of studies pertaining to climate observations and weather forecasting. “It’s a piece of the puzzle when predicting weather as a whole. Cloud coverage has a huge influence on weather at the surface of the Earth because it can block the amount of sunlight that gets through to the surface”, Hodges explains.

With the TSI, Hodges is able to keep a minute-by- minute log of cloud conditions without having to walk outdoors. “We were among the first to use the technology. A colleague of mine, Charles Long, actually developed the total sky imager while at SRRB in the late 90’s. We’ve been using it ever since”, Hodges says. At his site, the TSI is connected to a computer that stores all recorded images to its hard drive for later retrieval. However, this throws a new complication into the mix: insuring that the computer is functioning properly so that no data is lost. By utilizing remote access software, Hodges is able to connect to his remote machines, and view their desktop to monitor the status of the computer. Remote access software enables users to connect, from a local computer, to a remote computer to view and control its keyboard and mouse just as if they are seated at that machine. This technology is utilized and was originally designed for the enterprise helpdesk environment; allowing IT departments and system administrators to save valuable time and money wasted by traveling from one computer to the next. With remote access software, a system administrator can resolve all end users’ software related issues from the comfort of their own desk.

Problem: The need for a means of remotely troubleshooting Linux machines out in the field and to retrieve data from those machines.

When deciding which program was best for his application, Hodges had specific requirements. “I now use Linux machines to collect data from our TSIs out in the field. I was looking for an application that supported Linux. NetOp Remote Control provided me with the platform support I needed. With NetOp, I can view the desktop of the Linux machines to make sure that everything is being logged appropriately from the TSIs”, Hodges explains.

“At our site near Las Vegas they still have human observers making cloud coverage observations once an hour,” says Hodges. In a current project Hodges is working on, he is comparing data collected with the TSI with visual observations of cloud cover made by the local weather observers. TSIs present a possible option for assessing cloud observations at other weather observing locations where human observations are not performed. Hodges elaborates, “To have instrumentation that can do this is really advantageous. It facilitates research. With humans doing anything, there’s always the possibility for human introduced error. Different people will have different biases or differences in opinion. One person may interpret things differently from another. Instrumentation can help by providing a tool that will consistently report information.”

NetOp Remote Control enables Hodges to remotely asses the TSIs he operates; enabling him to keep an eye on the sky from the convenience of his own computer. However, should Hodges leave the lab, NetOp provides him a portable solution for monitoring his TSI machines. NetOp supports Windows CE, giving PDA users the portable freedom to monitor and control remote machines from their PDA or Pocket PC. So, whether out to lunch or on vacation, Hodges can connect to his field machines, from his PDA, to ensure that data is being logged appropriately.

Thanks to NetOp, Hodges is able to save time and money by eliminating travel to the lab’s many remote field machines that are located miles apart from one another. Additionally, due to the remote operation capabilities of NetOp, Hodges can monitor cloud coverage over a larger area than he normally could when conducting manual observations.

For more information about NOAA, please visit www.noaa.gov