The City of Colorado Springs’ Office of Innovation and Colorado Springs Utilities (Springs Utilities) are collaborating on the weather sensor pilot project. Five snow depth and surface temperature sensors will be installed in various locations throughout the City (see map), including a full sensor suite in the Colorado Springs Utilities test farm, which will consist of a snow depth and surface temperature sensor, a digital temperature and relative humidity sensor, and a wind monitor.
Goals
Colorado Springs is a large land area with several microclimates where temperatures and precipitation levels can vary greatly across the city. The goal of the project is to use weather data to potentially better align City resources and provide information about weather and road conditions in various areas. The Office of Innovation will analyze the weather data to determine the overall value to the community, how the data may contribute to reduced operation and maintenance costs long term, and how the City can keep residents, school districts, military installations, and local businesses informed of weather and road conditions.
The cost of the weather stations pilot, including the sensors, installation, and consulting fees is $108,000, funded by the Office of Innovation. Following the nine to twelve month pilot, the City will assess results, scalability, and associated costs to integrate weather sensor technology across the City.
About The Smart Weather Sensors
The Campbell Scientific smart weather sensors will receive and transfer weather related data to a secure, cloud based third-party portal. The weather sensors used in this pilot project will allow the City to:
- Quickly and reliably detect the quantity of snowfall and snowmelt
- Determine the surface temperature of the road surface
- Measure wind speed
- Measure humidity and temperature elements
The Office of Innovation will provide data from the pilot project upon request.