Meteomatics AG is a private Swiss

weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloud cover, cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmo ...

technology company headquartered in St. Gallen. Meteomatics was founded by German mathematician Dr. Martin Fengler in 2012. Meteomatics manufactures weather drones that fly up to 6 km to collect data from the mid and low levels of the atmosphere. The company also provides meteorological consulting services and forecast and historical weather data through an API. In 2022, Meteomatics launched EURO1k, a

weather model Numerical weather prediction (NWP) uses mathematical models of the atmosphere and oceans to predict the weather based on current weather conditions. Though first attempted in the 1920s, it was not until the advent of computer simulation in the ...

that covers Europe with a resolution of 1 km.

Technology

Meteodrones

Meteomatics started developing Meteodrones, which are

weather drone A weather drone, or weather-sensing uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV), is a remotely piloted aircraft weighing less than 25 kg and carrying sensors that collect thermodynamic and kinematic data from the mid and lower atmosphere (e.g. up to 6&nb ...

s, in 2013. Meteodrones are small flying weather stations capable of gathering pressure, temperature, humidity, wind direction, and wind speed in the lower 6 km of the atmosphere. Whilst remotely sensed data from

satellites A satellite or an artificial satellite is an object, typically a spacecraft, placed into orbit around a celestial body. They have a variety of uses, including communication relay, weather forecasting, navigation ( GPS), broadcasting, scientif ...

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

and ceilometers are available for this altitude range,

in situ is a Latin phrase meaning 'in place' or 'on site', derived from ' ('in') and ' ( ablative of ''situs'', ). The term typically refers to the examination or occurrence of a process within its original context, without relocation. The term is use ...

observations are considered the most reliable by meteorologists. Operational challenges associated with aircraft missions (which are expensive and hence sporadic) and

radiosonde A radiosonde is a battery-powered telemetry instrument carried into the atmosphere usually by a weather balloon that measures various atmospheric parameters and transmits them by radio to a ground receiver. Modern radiosondes measure or calculat ...

s (which cannot be controlled during flight) leave an in situ observational gap to be filled. Meteodrone-swiss-museum-transport

Meteodrones measure vertical profiles at a single location, collecting temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, and wind data. Heated rotor systems prevent propeller icing, which allows equipped drones to fly through fog, clouds, and rain. The drone flights can be carried out manually or autonomously from a container equipped with recharging capabilities. Campaigns in association with the Federal Office for Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss) have demonstrated the feasibility of assimilating drone measurement data into a regional weather model. In 2015, the Swiss Federal Office of Civil Aviation granted Meteomatics permission to fly Meteodrones within clouds and fog, to operate beyond visual line of sight, and to fly up to 6 km above ground level. The Meteodrone is the first weather drone used operationally in the United States. They have been used by the

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA ) is an American scientific and regulatory agency charged with Weather forecasting, forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, Hydrography, charting the seas, ...

to support the early detection of tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in the United States. They are also used to increase flight time of uncrewed aircraft systems by

Grand Forks Air Force Base Grand Forks Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in northeastern North Dakota, located north of Emerado, North Dakota, Emerado and west of Grand Forks, North Dakota, Grand Forks. The host unit is the 319th Air Base ...

. In October 2022, the

Swiss Museum of Transport The Swiss Museum of Transport or ''Verkehrshaus der Schweiz'' (literally "Transportation House of Switzerland") in Lucerne opened in July 1959 and exhibits all forms of transport including trains, automobiles, ships and aircraft as well as communi ...

in Lucerne added the SUI-9999 Meteodrone to its permanent Aviation exhibition.

Weather API

Meteomatics provides global forecast and historical weather data through a RESTful API and a WMS/WFS-compatible interface. The Swiss broadcasting company SRF and the German weather forecasting website www.wetter.de use Meteomatics' weather data to inform its weather forecasts.

European Weather Model–EURO1k

In October 2022, Meteomatics presented its European weather model, EURO1k, at the Meteorological Technology World Expo. EURO1k covers the European continent with a resolution of 1 km.{{Cite web , last=Enz , first=Kaspar , title=Für Aufbau des genausten Wettermodells: St.Galler Meteomatics erhält 13,5 Millionen , url=https://www.tagblatt.ch/wirtschaft/ostschweiz/wetterdaten-stgaller-meteomatics-bekommt-135-millionen-fuer-aufbau-des-genausten-wettermodells-fuer-europa-dabei-helfen-wetterdrohnen-ld.2312304 , access-date=2022-12-07 , website=St. Galler Tagblatt , date=14 July 2022 , language=de

References

Meteorological companies Privately held companies of Switzerland