Columbia Weather Systems

Portland-area artist Ethan Rose has created a permanent art installation that interprets the weather with music. “Elements” is located in the lobby of a new Microsoft building in Redmond, WA. Using an Orion weather station to capture the data, the Weather MicroServer offers an XML data file over an Ethernet connection. Weather measurements interpreted by software trigger musical sounds that play through around one hundred speakers mounted into the lobby's ceiling. “This representative gesture sonically engages the lobby space as a threshold between built and natural environments, inviting building users to experience a musical connection between inside and out.” Click links below or more information: Ethan Rose "Elements" info with video and photos Orion Weather Station

Just in time for winter preparations, a Snow Level Sensor has been added to the sensor options for the Weather MicroServer . This feature has been added by customer request and can be used with any model weather station that includes the Weather MicroServer. The sensor is installed with an Orion Weather Station at a ski resort and with a Pulsar 600 Weather Station at a regional water district. The sensor transmits an ultrasonic pulsed sound wave through the air to meet a reflective object, such as snow. When the sound wave makes contact with the target it bounces back toward the sensor. The sensor records the time required for the sound wave to travel to the target and return. Using the speed of sound, the sensor calculates the distance to the object.