Latest generation anemometer demonstrates high performance under extreme conditions
Continue readingLatest generation anemometer demonstrates high performance under extreme conditions
WindSonic provides data to help predict dust storms
Dust storms have an enormous impact both locally but also travel across continents. Many originate from the empty quarter desert stretching across the Arabian peninsula, the world’s largest sand desert.
Continue readingMeteorological Technology Expo Paris 2022
The Gill team have had a great time at Meteorological Technology World Expo, meeting up with our distributors and partners. Great to meet Observator Group, ALLIANCE Technologies (Météorologie), Wittich & Visser bv, Lombard & Marozzini, DTN, Richard Paul Russell Ltd and many other long standing friends and colleagues.
Gill Team: Chris Hazelby, Phillip Wright, John Crilly, Joe Macdonald, Jane Sennett & Michelle Errington MCIM
Inside Hurricane Fiona with WindMaster
One of Saildrone’s unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) is collecting critical ocean data from within Hurricane Fiona (Category 4 storm) – see the incredible footage below. This is part of NOAA’s research to understand hurricane development. Gill WindMaster, 3-axis anemometers, are used on Saildrones for 3 dimensional wind speed and direction measurement.
Read the full story here: https://www.saildrone.com/news/heres-what-it-looks-like-inside-hurricane-fiona
Smartsound AutoNaut, scientific research vessel, equipped with sophisticated array of sensors
Most advanced unmanned, wave-powered research vessel operating in UK waters (AutoNaut) contains an array of sensors making scientific measurements both above and below the water line.
Led by Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), Smart Sound Plymouth is Britain’s premier proving area for designing, testing and developing cutting edge products and services for the marine sector, and is ideally suited for building and supporting the next generation of advanced marine technologies. This is achieved through multiple autonomous platforms deployed in an area of sea off the coast of Devon, covering a diverse environment.
Scientists developing new marine technologies are able to test prototypes on innovative platforms such as the unmanned wave-powered scientific research vessel the PML Pioneer, a 5m AutoNaut maintained and run by Plymouth Marine Laboratory. The vessel is equipped with the most sophisticated array of sensors ever deployed on an AutoNaut, which measure a wide variety of parameters in the air and water around the vessel. These include a Gill MaxiMet GMX500 integrated weather station (circled) for providing meteorological parameters to scientists using the craft.
Dr James Fishwick, Head of SmartSound Plymouth and Head of Operations and Technology, Western Channel Observatory at Plymouth Marine Laboratory said “Gill units are chosen for this application because they offer a rugged, proven design from a well-established manufacturer of high quality meteorological instruments. In addition, they offer a compact and low power solution required for use on autonomous vehicles with limited space and power availability”.
University of Plymouth, University of Exeter, Plymouth City Council, The Marine Biological Association
Gill R3 chosen for real-time motion correction
Scientists at Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) – a world leader in the field of marine research – are at the next stage of their ground-breaking efforts to understand and unravel the complexities of measuring wind on a moving platform, using Gill Instruments R3 3-axis anemometers.
Even on a tranquil day when the wind is still, floating platforms move due to waves generated by weather systems many miles away. Platform motions contaminate wind observations and create the appearance of wind. This is a phenomena that has confounded wind observations for decades.
The Air-Sea Exchange team at PML has unique, world-leading expertise in correcting for the motion contamination of wind sensors, and has teamed up with Gill Instruments to work on a configuration to attempt to correct wind speeds in near-real time.
PML will shortly be launching a prototype system on their new state-of-the-art monitoring buoy – part of Smart Sound Plymouth – which includes Gill’s 3-axis (3D) R3 ultrasonic anemometer. The buoy will be deployed at PML’s long-term monitoring station in the English Channel (the Western Channel Observatory) and will collect preliminary data to optimise the motion correction.
We’ll keep you posted as their research evolves.
This project is linked with recent funding awards aimed at developing autonomous observing capabilities, specifically the Advances in Air-Sea Exchange using Autonomy (ASEauto) project.
PML’s state-of-the-art monitoring buoy (wind system circled)
