/

/

/

Every sounding launched, received and shared.

Upper-air soundings tell forecasters how the atmosphere is layered, and global models depend on them. A station must launch on schedule, receive the full profile, check it and send it to the world within the hour. Ground equipment, consumables and crews are run as one service.

Industry

Government

Measurements

4

Sources cited

3

1. Government · Upper-air soundings

   Global models start here

   Every global forecast model leans on upper-air soundings: temperature, humidity and wind through the depth of the atmosphere, launched at fixed hours around the world. A missed launch at a remote station leaves a hole the models feel. Stations need receivers, references, consumables and crews that keep the schedule.

2. What is measured

   A profile on every ascent

   The radiosonde measures temperature, humidity and pressure as it rises and reports its satellite position, from which upper winds are derived. A ground receiver follows it to burst, and a reference station beside the launch area checks its surface values before release.

   Instruments

   Radiosonde ground receiver · Surface reference station · Antenna

3. The base node

   Checked and encoded at the station

   The station node takes the profile from the receiver, compares surface values with the reference, applies the checks, encodes the standard report and keeps the full-resolution profile for climate and research users. It also counts sondes, balloons and gas so stock never stops a launch.

4. Radio and links

   Sent within the hour

   Stations near towns send each profile over public cellular as soon as the ascent ends. Remote and island stations send by satellite so their soundings never miss a model cycle. Reports reach the national system and global centres through the WMO Information System.

   Links

   Public cellular · Satellite

5. How it works

   From a balloon to a global model

   At the scheduled hour the observer checks the surface reference and launches. The receiver follows the sonde to burst, the node checks and encodes the profile, and the report is in the exchange before the model cut-off. Global centres assimilate it in their next forecast cycle.

6. From order to operation · Order

   Scope the schedule and the stations

   The scope reads the station list, the launch schedule the service commits to, consumables use, gas supply and the reports that missed model cycles. Nexus Observatory Inc. returns the ground equipment, the reporting design, a consumables and gas plan, training and a price per station and per year.

   Plan a deployment

7. From order to operation · Survey

   Survey the launch site

   Crews visit each station: launch area clear of obstructions and power lines, the receiver antenna’s view of the sky, gas storage and its separation from buildings, the surface reference exposure and the backhaul. Findings and photographs go into the station record.

8. From order to operation · Permits

   Gas, airspace and safety

   Gas storage and handling follow the national safety rules, launches are notified to the air navigation service as required, and radio use for the sonde frequencies is licensed. Every approval and safety procedure is kept with the station record. Approvals are tracked site by site, so nothing waits unseen.

9. From order to operation · Build

   Build and test the ground station

   Receivers, antennas, reference sensors and nodes are assembled, tested together with sondes on the bench and enrolled with their identities. The encoding and exchange chain is tested end to end with the national system before anything ships. Test results travel with the kit to the site.

   Open the Station Builder

10. From order to operation · Install

    Install receiver and reference

    Crews mount the receiver antenna with a clear view of the sky, install the surface reference station beside the launch area, fit the shelter and power, and connect the backhaul. Every part is photographed and the station record is updated.

11. From order to operation · Commission

    Commission with dual launches

    Each node proves its identity. Trial launches check reception through the whole ascent, surface reference agreement and the time from burst to exchange. The station enters service when its soundings pass the checks and arrive on time. Results are signed and kept with the site record.

12. From order to operation · Operate

    Launch on schedule

    The service sees every station’s launches, missed soundings, consumables in stock and report times. Forecasters receive profiles within the hour, global centres receive them through the exchange, and stock alerts reorder sondes and balloons before a launch is missed. Reports for owners and funders come from the same record.

13. From order to operation · Maintain

    Keep the receivers running

    Receivers, antennas and reference sensors are checked on visits, references are calibrated on the agreed plan, software updates roll out in rings, and observers are trained and refreshed. Every change and missed launch is kept with the station record. Spares and procedures travel with the crews.

    Book field services

14. Data products

    For forecasters and model centres

    Forecasters and global model centres receive temperature, humidity and wind profiles; service managers receive missed-launch and timeliness reports; climate and research users receive full-resolution profiles; station managers and procurement receive consumables and gas stock, each tied to its station and launch time.

    See the data products

15. Evidence

    Every sounding accounted for

    Soundings follow the WMO instrument guide, stations meet the upper-air commitments of the global observing system and reports move through the WMO Information System. Every launch, missed sounding and report time is kept, so the service can show its record to users and funders.

    Drawn against

    WMO-No. 8 · WMO-No. 1160 · WMO-No. 1060

16. What you get

    National observing network programmes

    Build-operate-transfer of national observing infrastructure as digital public infrastructure, with transfer of skills and records. Delivered as build-operate-transfer and professional services, for governments, development lenders financing them. Scale: National. Service levels are written as numbers you can measure on your own dashboard.

    Talk to sales

17. Next step

    Plan upper-air soundings with us

    Tell us the site, the measurements and the rules it answers to. We reply with a survey proposal, a design and a scope for upper-air soundings. An engineer replies with a survey proposal and a scope, and the plan grows from one site to the network you need, at your pace.

    Plan a deploymentOpen the Station BuilderOpen the Studio

01The place and its hazards

Where it runs, and what can go wrong.

Operating contextNational services launch radiosondes at fixed hours from upper-air stations, often remote, and the soundings feed every global forecast model. Countries commit to upper-air observations in the global observing network, and stations need reliable ground receivers, surface references, safe gas handling and trained crews to keep the schedule.

Hazards

• Missed launches when consumables or gas run short
• Ground receivers failing at remote stations
• Surface reference values that disagree with the sonde
• Lighter-than-air gas that must be handled safely
• Soundings that arrive too late for model cycles

02What must be measured

What, where, how often, and under which rules.

Each measurement names where it is taken, how often, and the public standard or regulation behind it. Numbers in the sources column open the cited source below.

03The observation stack

From one base unit to a network.

The same blocks at every scale: instruments and a base node, a site with its radio, a fleet run as one, and a network federated on the open protocol.

1. 01

   Base unit

   A ground station: the receiver and its antenna, a surface reference station and a node that checks and encodes each profile.

   Build a station →
2. 02

   Site

   An upper-air station: the ground station, launch area, gas storage and a backhaul that is never shared with nothing else in a storm.

   Plan a site →
3. 03

   Fleet

   The national upper-air fleet run with one schedule, one consumables plan and one console.

   Managed offers →
4. 04

   Network

   Soundings are exchanged with every WMO member through the WMO Information System in standard formats.

   The open protocol →

• 01Radiosonde ground station
• 02Automatic weather station (WMO class)
• 03Sensor and instrument gateway
• 04Edge node (Wedge)
• 05Cellular modem/router
• 06LEO flat-panel terminal
• 07Solar array
• 08Shelter

Radio and links

Public cellular

Stations near towns send profiles over cellular within minutes of the end of the ascent.

Radio and links

Satellite

Remote and island stations send profiles by satellite so reports never miss a model cycle.

Edge computeThe node receives the profile from the ground receiver, compares the surface values with the reference station, applies the checks, encodes the report and keeps the full-resolution profile for the climate record.

PowerMains where available with batteries to finish an ascent through an outage; remote stations run on solar and batteries with a generator for gas production equipment where used.

04How it works

From the instrument to the product.

One observation’s path, tier by tier, with the interface on every link and a bill of materials below; then how the one node grows to a site, a fleet and federated networks.

05From order to operation

Every step, from the first call to a running site.

The same crew and the same record carry the work from scope to maintenance.

1. 01 Order

   Scope the schedule and the stations

   The scope reads the station list, the launch schedule the service commits to, consumables use, gas supply and the reports that missed model cycles. Nexus Observatory Inc. returns the ground equipment, the reporting design, a consumables and gas plan, training and a price per station and per year. 2

2. 02 Survey

   Survey the launch site

   Crews visit each station: launch area clear of obstructions and power lines, the receiver antenna’s view of the sky, gas storage and its separation from buildings, the surface reference exposure and the backhaul. Findings and photographs go into the station record. 1

3. 03 Permits

   Gas, airspace and safety

   Gas storage and handling follow the national safety rules, launches are notified to the air navigation service as required, and radio use for the sonde frequencies is licensed. Every approval and safety procedure is kept with the station record. Approvals are tracked site by site, so nothing waits unseen.

4. 04 Build

   Build and test the ground station

   Receivers, antennas, reference sensors and nodes are assembled, tested together with sondes on the bench and enrolled with their identities. The encoding and exchange chain is tested end to end with the national system before anything ships. Test results travel with the kit to the site.

5. 05 Install

   Install receiver and reference

   Crews mount the receiver antenna with a clear view of the sky, install the surface reference station beside the launch area, fit the shelter and power, and connect the backhaul. Every part is photographed and the station record is updated.

6. 06 Commission

   Commission with dual launches

   Each node proves its identity. Trial launches check reception through the whole ascent, surface reference agreement and the time from burst to exchange. The station enters service when its soundings pass the checks and arrive on time. Results are signed and kept with the site record. 3

7. 07 Operate

   Launch on schedule

   The service sees every station’s launches, missed soundings, consumables in stock and report times. Forecasters receive profiles within the hour, global centres receive them through the exchange, and stock alerts reorder sondes and balloons before a launch is missed. Reports for owners and funders come from the same record. 2

8. 08 Maintain

   Keep the receivers running

   Receivers, antennas and reference sensors are checked on visits, references are calibrated on the agreed plan, software updates roll out in rings, and observers are trained and refreshed. Every change and missed launch is kept with the station record. Spares and procedures travel with the crews.

06Data products and integration

What it delivers, to whom, and into which systems.

Data products

• Temperature, humidity and wind profilesForecasters and global model centres
• Missed-launch and timeliness reportsService management
• Full-resolution profilesClimate and research users
• Consumables and gas stockStation managers and procurement

Integration

• National forecasting systemProfiles arrive in the service’s own systems in the formats it uses.
• WMO Information SystemSoundings are published through the national node for global exchange.
• ProcurementStock levels raise orders for sondes, balloons and gas before they run short.

Exchanged through WMO WIS 2.0, WMO BUFR, OGC SensorThings API.

07Questions buyers ask

Before you scope it.

Do you supply sondes?

Consumables are planned and ordered with the service; sonde types follow its own procurement.

Can it run with one observer?

Yes. Receiving, checking and sending are automatic once the sonde is launched.

How fast is the report?

The report is encoded and sent as soon as the ascent ends.

Is the gas handling safe?

Storage and filling follow the national safety rules, and crews are trained.

08Resources

The sources behind this page.

Public standards, regulations and guidance, cited where they apply. Each applies only where its jurisdiction or scope does.

1. 1WMO-No. 8: Guide to Instruments and Methods of ObservationWorld Meteorological Organization
2. 2WMO-No. 1160: Manual on the WMO Integrated Global Observing SystemWorld Meteorological Organization
3. 3WMO-No. 1060: Manual on the WMO Information SystemWorld Meteorological Organization

09Related

Use cases and solutions.

10Government: specialized fields

Other fields of this industry.

Bring us the site.

Plan a deployment, configure a station, model it in the Studio or talk to sales. The form names who receives your details.