The PWS100 Present Weather & Visibility sensor from Campbell Scientific continues to set a new standard for present weather monitoring.Building on our commitment to provide customers with cutting-edge solutions and value for money we are pleased to announce the latest addition to our software line-up, the Present Weather Viewer.Designed to complement the PWS100 the Present Weather Viewer provides a simple yet comprehensive interface showcasing many of the capabilities of the PWS100 whilst providing easy configuration of key sensor features.
Multi-Language Support Shipping with English, French and German language support as standard, the present weather viewer is instantly usable for a wide international audience.In addition both RS-232 and TCP/IP1 connection options, allow the flexibility to view information from the PWS100 on your desktop, regardless of where in the world the sensor is located. The present weather viewer listens in to the automated message output of the PWS100, decoding the information received and displaying it via a number of graphs and information displays. Based on a rolling window of time starting from the latest received data and looking back up to one day, the graphs form a comprehensive view of observed present weather.
Present Weather Graphs Once connected you are presented with the ‘Overview’, from here you can see at a glance all of the information being received and processed from the PWS100.For greater detail select any of the graphs to see them in isolation.
The size / velocity graph shows the number of particles of each diameter and speed detected in the last measurement period.In addition you can see a view of this data accumulated over a period of time.
Intensity and accumulation of precipitation are both available from the PWS100, each one graphed individually to give you a thorough view.
With the PWS100 able to detect drop sizes between 0.1 and 30mm refer to the drop size distribution graph to get a view of all the particles detected in the last measurement period grouped by size.Alternatively you can switch over to an accumulated view to see them totalled over time.
The power of the PWS100 becomes increasingly evident when you see the particle type classifications on offer.Select the particle type snapshot to see all particles sub divided into drizzle, freezing drizzle, rain, freezing rain, snow grains, snow flakes, ice pellets, hail or graupel during the last measurement period.Switching to the particle type time line allows you to view particle types historically, a powerful way to see the breakdown of present weather.
Selecting the visibility graph gives you an instant view of the visibility observed by the PWS100, with the capability to detect visibility from 0 to 20000m it’s a powerful additional feature.
The final graph shows the output from the optional CS215.When fitted to the PWS100 air temperature and relative humidity are added to the choice of available readings, giving an even broader data set.
Two information displays are also provided, the first shows the latest information received in an easy to read tabular layout.The second provides a simple overview of the current sensor status, if you see green lights everything is operating as it should be amber or red and your attention is instantly alerted to investigate the problem.
Configuring the Software
Configuration of the PWS100 is made as simple as point and click by the sensor control panel. From here you can configure all the essential settings in the PWS100, whether setting the date and time, enabling security options or modifying the content of the automated messages. Finally a built-in terminal emulator gives you command line control of the PWS100, whether you need access to the raw data or simply prefer to use the command line options of the sensor, all this without leaving the viewer. So whether you are looking to augment an existing installation, carry out research grade measurements or branch out into a growing and exciting area, the combination of the PWS100 with the Present Weather Viewer offers a tantalising package which we are sure makes it the ideal choice for everyone serious about present weather monitoring. 1Connection via TCP/IP requires suitable IP connectivity and the addition of a TCP/IP serial server such as the NL100, note that currently the NL100 allows a single bi-directional connection when acting as a TCP/IP serial server.
