Automatic Weather Station Data Tool

The primary users of the Automatic Weather Station Data Tool (ADT) are National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), particularly operational meteorologists, climate data managers, ICT specialists, and observation network technicians responsible for managing weather station data.

Design and development

The Automatic Weather Station Data Tool (ADT) is an operational software system developed under the ENACTS initiative to help National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) efficiently manage data from Automatic Weather Stations (AWS). Many NMHSs operate AWS networks composed of equipment from multiple manufacturers, each using different communication protocols, storage systems, and data formats. This often creates major challenges for operational data management, quality control, and data accessibility. ADT was specifically designed to address these challenges by providing a unified and flexible platform that automates the acquisition, organization, processing, and dissemination of AWS observations. The tool supports improved data availability and reliability for weather forecasting, climate monitoring, early warning systems, and climate services.

ADT was designed and developed with a strong focus on operational practicality, flexibility, and sustainability within NMHS environments. The system is capable of interfacing with a wide range of AWS systems and telemetry methods, including FTP servers, APIs, GSM/GPRS communication, cloud-based platforms, and local data repositories. Its modular architecture allows customization to national needs and evolving station networks. The development approach emphasizes automation and interoperability, reducing the need for manual intervention while ensuring compatibility with downstream climate and forecasting applications. ADT is also being enhanced to support emerging international data-sharing frameworks such as WMO Information System 2.0 (WIS2) box, enabling NMHSs to share observations more efficiently at national, regional, and global levels

How it works

Operationally, ADT works by continuously retrieving observations from connected AWS platforms and converting the incoming data into standardized formats

• Connects to multiple AWS platforms and communication systems to automatically retrieve weather observations.
• Converts incoming data from different station formats into standardized structures.
• Performs automated quality control to detect missing, inconsistent, or suspicious observations.
• Stores processed observations in centralized operational databases.
• Enables easy access to real-time and historical AWS data for forecasting and climate analysis.
• Supports export and sharing of data in multiple formats for operational and climate service applications.
• Integrates with other ENACTS tools and supports emerging WMO WIS2 data-sharing systems.

Copyright and intellectual property

The tool is an open-source scientific software package, meaning it is freely available for use in research, operational climate services, and capacity-building. While ADT was initially developed at IRI, its ongoing development and maintenance are now led by scientists at Stockholm Environment Institute, reflecting a transition in responsibility while maintaining its open-access nature.

Quality assurance

ADT is developed and improved through continuous collaboration between SEI scientists and National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) that use the tool operationally. Its methods for data processing, including quality control, interpolation, bias correction, and data merging, are based on established statistical and geospatial techniques commonly used in peer-reviewed climate science. The tool is regularly updated based on user feedback and advances in climate data science to improve accuracy, usability, and performance in real-world applications.

How to cite the tool

Faniriantsoa, R., & Dinku, T. (2022). ADT: The automatic weather station data tool. Frontiers in Climate.

Faniriantsoa R and Dinku T (2022) ADT: The automatic weather station data tool. Front. Clim. 4:933543. doi: 10.3389/fclim.2022.933543

The Automatic Weather Station Data Tool (ADT) was initially developed and funded through a combination of development and climate services initiatives supporting the International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI). Key partners and funders include:

• United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – funded initial development through a climate services for agriculture project focused on strengthening weather and climate services in Rwanda
• Accelerating Impacts of CGIAR Climate Research for Africa (AICCRA) – supported continued development, training, and deployment of the tool across six African national meteorological services
• Climate Risk and Early Warning Systems (CREWS) Initiative, supported by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) – contributed to strengthening implementation and capacity-building around the tool in Malawi

In addition to funding partners, ADT has been implemented in close collaboration with:

• National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (e.g. Kenya, Ethiopia, Zambia and others)
• Regional climate institutions and training partners

ADT is being expanded to support direct data entry from conventional (manual) stations through web-based forms, in addition to its existing support for AWS data. We are also extending ADT to accommodate additional datasets, including upper-air observations, to better support integrated data management at NMHSs as well as integration with WMO WIS2 box.