Vaisala News 180 - Full Magazine

NEWS 

180/2009 

VAISALA 

Are you prepared for 

safety The road hazards to efficient caused and cost-effective 

by winter wind road shear? maintenance / Page 4 / Page 4 

Vaisala News magazine celebrates 

its 50th Measuring process 

humidity anniversary for optimal / Page 8 

product quality / Page 6 

Vaisala launches the development of a 

Flying new reference into the radiosonde for climate 

storm - Greenland 

change observations / Page 16 

Flow Distortion 

experiment / Page 16

Contents 

3 Reliable partner in turbulent times 

4 Are you prepared for safety hazards 

caused by wind shear? 

6 Measuring process humidity for 

optimal product quality 

8 transformerLIFE Centre researchers 

choose Vaisala sensors 

180/2009 

10 Vaisala participates in the biggest meteorological 

modernization project in the Russian history 

11 Forecasting extreme events of rain 

12 Humidity measurement in cleanrooms 

15 Building automation solutions for the future 

16 Flying into the storm 

18 AMS President 2008: looking back 

20 Road safety taken to a new level in New Zealand 

22 Three decades of superior performance 

24 Brazil contributes to research in the Antarctic 

26 Vaisala’s first Corporate Responsibility 

report published 

27 Briefly noted 

2 180/2009 

Cover photo: Shutterstock / Editor-in-Chief: Marikka Nevamäki 

Publisher: Vaisala Oyj, P.O. Box 26, FI-00421 Helsinki, FINLAND 

Phone (int.): + 358 9 894 91 / Telefax: + 358 9 8949 2227 

Internet: www.vaisala.com / Layout: Sampo Korkeila 

Printed in Finland by: SP-Paino / ISSN 1238-2388 

Vaisala in brief 

Vaisala is a global leader in 

environmental and industrial 

measurement. Building on more 

than 70 years of experience, Vaisala 

contributes to a better quality of 

life by providing a comprehensive 

range of innovative observation 

and measurement products and 

services for meteorology, weather 

critical operations and controlled 

environments. Headquartered in 

Finland, Vaisala employs over 1200 

professionals worldwide and is listed 

on the NASDAQ OMX Helsinki. 

Weather plays a significant role in aviation 

safety. Wind shear is one of the most 

dangerous - and least known - weather 

phenomena in aviation. Page 4 

Polyacrylamide drying at Kemira is a 

complex process, which demands strictly 

regulated humidity and temperature conditions. 

Page 6 

Greenland is a massive obstacle to the 

atmospheric flow and the low level air 

prefers to flow along and around Greenland 

if possible, rather than attempting to flow 

over the ice sheet. Page 16

President’s column 

Reliable partner 

in turbulent times 

The world economy is in turmoil. 

Times of economic prosperity have 

always eventually been followed by 

a downturn - yet when it happens it 

always seems to take everyone by 

surprise. When times are good, too 

often short-term gains are preferred 

over long-term planning, and 

consideration about consequences 

is not high on the agenda. But when 

times are tough, insecurity raises its 

head, and suddenly your ability for 

long-term planning and sustainable 

business practices becomes much 

more transparent. Reliability, continuity 

and experience reign supreme, 

providing peace-of-mind and sustainable 

operations for the long-term. 

Vaisala’s expertise is based on 

exactly this kind of reliability, continuity 

and experience. We have been 

in business for over 70 years, and will 

continue to do so through many ups 

and downs yet to come. Our business 

is built on innovation, solid professional 

know-how and technological 

superiority, combined with a good 

understanding of our customers’ 

requirements. This combination has 

taken us through many hard times 

with determination and persistence. 

Our strong heritage, still present in 

the company culture today, paves 

the way for continuity and healthy 

company values. Our customers 

know that when they buy Vaisala, 

they will have our support also 

tomorrow, and the day after. 

Reliability alone is not enough. 

As times change, businesses need to 

be able grow and capitalize on this 

change. Our innovative approach to 

science and technology has allowed 

us to adapt to new business fields 

and needs. 

It is our customers’ trust that 

has allowed us to grow and prosper. 

Trust is earned through deeds 

and competence, and if lost, it is 

extremely hard to regain. I want to 

express my heartfelt thanks to all of 

you for this trust - it is most valuable 

to us, and we intend to earn it 

through our actions everyday. 

Kjell Forsén 

180/2009 3

Juhani Polvinen / Application Manager / Vaisala / Helsinki, Finland 

Are you prepared for 

safety hazards caused 

by wind shear? 

Weather plays a significant role in aviation safety. Some 30% of all fatal 

accidents are caused by or related to weather (ICAO). Wind shear is one of the 

most dangerous - and least known - weather phenomena in aviation. 

Air traffic controllers usually have 

no means of directly detecting a lowlevel 

wind shear hazard. It may take 

even the most experienced pilots by 

surprise, and put them in a situation 

where the wrong decisions can have 

disastrous effects. 831 fatalities were 

recorded to have been caused by 

wind shear between 1956-1994 (FAA, 

NTSB Records, & Fujita), or 700 

fatalities between 1970-1985 (ICAO). 

More recent statistics are harder to 

find, but the phenomenon has not 

disappeared. Wind shear continues 

to pose a threat to aviation safety all 

around the world. According to the 


US Aviation Safety Network (ASN), 

at least two major accidents were 

caused by wind shear between 1990- 

2000, resulting in over 90 fatalities. 

Also in many recent accidents, wind 

shear has been suspected to be a 

strong contributing factor - such as 

in the case of the TANS Airlines crash 

in Peru (2005), or FedEx cargo plane 

crash in Japan (2009). 

Wind shear is a term referring to 

rapidly changing winds. It is a small 

scale meteorological phenomenon, 

which occurs over a very small 

distance. It is usually connected to 

rapid changes in specific weather 

conditions - for example, sea and 

land breeze, jet streams (fast flowing, 

narrow air currents), weather fronts, 

showers or thunderstorms. It has 

also been noted to commonly occur 

near mountains and coastlines. The 

most dangerous type of wind shear 

is caused by convective weather. It 

is very difficult to forecast due to its 

local nature. 

Wind shear poses the greatest 

danger to aircraft during takeoff and 

landing. Airplane pilots generally 

regard significant wind shear to be a 

horizontal change in airspeed of 30 

knots (15 m/s) for light aircraft, and 

near 45 knots (22 m/s) for airliners 

(FAA). 

Although wind shear as a meteorological 

phenomenon has been 

recognized in aviation from the late 

60s, it is still not fully understood 

today. Many airports suffer the 

effects of wind shear, but airport 

authorities have little information 

about the phenomenon and how to 

address it. 

One of the first great eye-openers 

was the Boeing 727 accident at the 

JFK Airport in 1975, which led to 

systematic studies on wind shear. 

Tetsuya Theodore Fujita pioneered 

the study of wind shear and its 

effects. However, it wasn’t until 1997 

that ICAO formally established a Low- 

Level Wind Shear and Turbulence

Group to promote global awareness 

about the phenomenon. 

Challenge to pilots 

and aircraft safety 

Microbursts and wind shear go 

hand in hand. Microbursts are small 

scale intense downdrafts which, on 

reaching the surface, spread outward 

in all directions from the downdraft 

center. This causes the presence of 

both vertical and horizontal wind 

shears. Microbursts spread radially 

on the ground, causing rapid changes 

in wind direction and speed. They 

are associated with cumulonimbus 

clouds, as well as line squalls (severe 

thunderstorms). A distinction can 

be made between a wet microburst 

which consists of precipitation and 

a dry microburst which consists 

of virga - that is, precipitation that 

evaporates before reaching the 

ground. Dry microbursts present a 

more difficult problem because pilots 

have no visual clue of their occurrence, 

and weather radars cannot see 

them either. 

Wind shear and microbursts are 

among the most dangerous of all 

weather-related threats to flying. The 

unpredictable changes in wind speed 

and direction make it difficult to 

control the aircraft, with headwinds, 

tailwinds and up and down drafts 

all in quick succession. At worst, it 

can cause a sudden and dramatic 

loss in height, and result in a serious 

accident. 

Downdraft 

How to address wind 

shear safety risks? 

When wind shear occurs below 2,000 

ft altitude, it is called low-level wind 

shear. Many airports prone to microburst 

and wind shear are still lacking 

adequate solutions to mitigate this 

threat. 

The first step in addressing safety 

hazards caused by wind shear is 

to investigate the likelihood of the 

occurrence of the phenomenon at 

the airport in question. If a problem 

is recognized, different options for 

solving it need to be investigated in 

order to find the optimal solution. 

Each airport is unique. This work 

is best carried out in cooperation 

with the airport authorities and an 

expert organization with deep understanding 

of the phenomenon. 

Once the existence of low-level 

wind shear has been verified through 

studying the weather conditions at 

the airport, the next step is to specify 

the optimal wind measurement site 

locations and measurement mast 

heights by studying the topology and 

obstructions in the area. After this, 

the required system and interfaces 

can be specified by investigating the 

existing infrastructure. 

A Low-Level Wind Shear Alert 

System (LLWAS) comprises wind 

speed and direction sensors sited 

around the runway, and connected to 

a data collection package at the site. 

Wind shear alerts are presented both 

visually and audibly, and the affected 

While the pilot compensates 

for the headwind by dipping 

the nose, the aircraft enters a 

A headwind slows and 

downdraft. 

lifts the aircraft above 

its normal flight path. A tailwind dangerously 

reduces the aircraft’s 

speed. 

The glide path of a normal landing. 

areas can be easily identified thanks 

to the system. Access to wind shear 

data eases the air traffic controller’s 

burden, increases the pilots’ confidence 

at a particular airport, and 

improves the overall aviation safety. 

All required services should also 

be mapped in close cooperation with 

the airport authorities, in order to 

ensure the optimal performance of 

the system throughout its lifecycle. 

Planning ahead pays dividends in the 

long run, as system maintenance and 

operations become proactive and 

organized, and the need for ad-hoc 

fixes is reduced. Good data availability 

can be maximized through 

various well-planned services, such 

as preventive maintenance, software 

upgrades, and regular solution 

performance verifications. 

All the studies and investigations 

materialize in an implementation 

project plan. Once the low-level wind 

shear system has been installed, it 

is carefully tested to ensure that it 

meets all the requirements. Professional 

user-training as well as periodical 

training updates are an important 

part of the project. Tailored lifecycle 

services, designed before system 

implementation and according to 

the specific requirements, support 

smooth and safe operations. A professionally 

run wind shear project is a 

huge improvement in airport safety. 

If you would like to discuss the 

implications of wind shear for airport 

operations and aviation safety, please 

contact aviationsales@vaisala.com. 

Further information: 

www.vaisala.com/weather/ 

products/avi-llwas 

References: 

Fujita, T.T.; The Downburst, 

microburst and macroburst 

FAA; Advisory Circular Pilot 

Wind Shear Guide 

Guan, Wen-Lin & Yong Kay; 

Review of Aviation Accidents 

Caused by Wind Shear and 

Identification Methods 

Juhani Polvinen; Wind shear: 

predicting the unpredictable 


Marikka Nevamäki / Editor in Chief / Vaisala / Helsinki, Finland 

Measuring process 

humidity for optimal 

product quality 

Polyacrylamide drying 

is a complex process, 

which demands strictly 

regulated humidity 

and temperature 

conditions. 

Kemira Oyj’s paper chemicals 

plant in Vaasa, Finland, produces 

polyacrylamides for customers in 

global and domestic pulp and paper 

industry. Highly water-absorbent, 

polyacrylamides can be used as 

binders and retention aids for fibers, 

and to retain pigments on paper 

fibers. 

The Vaasa plant has developed 

a highly sophisticated process for 

drying polyacrylamide, which is 

first produced at the plant as a gel 

consisting of 50% polyacrylamide 

Kemira 


Kemira specializes in water 

and fiber management 

chemistry. The company’s 

customers are involved in pulp 

and paper making, municipal 

and industrial water treatment, 

and oil and mining. Kemira 

operates in 40 countries and 

has a staff of 10,000. 

and 50% water. After the drying 

process, the end-product resembles 

granulated sugar, and contains only 

7% water. 

“The drying process is very 

demanding, as excess heat ruins 

the product and makes it difficult to 

handle. Therefore the drying has to 

be carried out in phases. The whole 

process takes some eight hours,” 

Technology Manager Jussi Nikkarinen 

explains. 

The plant has four large dryers, 

each of them containing one to two 

tons of the product. The temperature 

in the dryers varies between 40-60 

Celsius. 

Challenges with 

product stability 

“Initially, we were only able to control 

the process temperature, and the 

humidity conditions varied greatly. 

This made it challenging to produce 

a stable, high quality product. In 

1999, we decided to install nine 

Vaisala humidity transmitters in the 

drying process,” Nikkarinen recalls. 

The humidity transmitters incorporate 

patented Vaisala HUMICAP ® 

capacitive thin-film polymer sensors. 

Before getting started with the 

process improvement some ten 

years ago, Nikkarinen and his team 

researched drying processes used 

in industry, in order to find some 

good examples on how to proceed. 

However, as they wanted to measure 

humidity in the dryer air and not in 

the end-product, it was not an easy 

task. 

“We couldn’t find any bestpractices, 

and had to go with our 

gut feeling. We installed the Vaisala 

transmitters ourselves. This was 

a relatively easy task. Cabling was 

more time consuming. The meters 

send all measurement data to a 

central data collection system, which 

enables us to monitor the whole 

drying process. Our chosen humidity 

measurement locations are air inlet 

and outlet channels. We also have 

one Vaisala handheld humidity probe 

for spot-checking and confirming the 

measurements produced by the fixed 

humidity transmitters,” Development 

Technician Reino Paloniemi explains. 

Surprising discovery led 

to corrective action 

Part of the drying air is taken from 

outdoors, and part is redirected 

back from previous processes, 

after removing dust and other 

harmful particles. “Soon after we 

had installed the humidity transmitters, 

we realized that sometimes 

the air going in the dryers was more 

humid than the air coming out of the 

process. This is hardly the desired 

effect of a dryer. In other words, the 

drying process occasionally unintentionally 

turned into a moisturizing 

process,” Nikkarinen smiles. 

Corrective measures were taken 

as a result of this discovery. For 

example, the team installed a process

Jussi Nikkarinen (left) and Reino Paloniemi 

check the process is running smoothly in 

the control room. 

air dryer. “The investment was easier 

to justify once we had the humidity 

data to back-up our argument,” Paloniemi 

points out. 

Clear benefits gained 

through humidity 

measurement 

“Humidity measurement has brought 

clear benefits to our operations,” 

Nikkarinen states. “For example, 

product quality has improved significantly, 

and our production capacity 

has increased. It has also improved 

our energy-efficiency, as now we 

don’t have to heat the product too 

much.” Humidity measurement has 

also increased the team members’ 

understanding of the process, and 

removed most of the guesswork. 

“We’ve been very impressed 

with the stability and reliability of 

the transmitters, which still work as 

new after ten years of use - despite 

all the dust and particles in the air,” 

Paloniemi commends. 

Further improvements 

possible 

Kemira’s polyacrylamide drying 

process could still be further developed, 

and some plans are already in 

place. The plant uses a central data 

collection system for overall process 

monitoring. This could be further 

enhanced with an automated control 

system, which could make the 

required adjustments automatically. 

“We could also introduce air flow 

measurement in the air channels,” 

Nikkarinen adds. 

The team at Vaasa has also 

cooperated with the Finnish 

Meteorological Institute, in order 

to find out the impacts of different 

weather conditions on the drying 

process. “We discovered that warm 

summer days are likely to cause most 

problems with their hot and humid 

conditions.” 

“It is important to remember that 

measurement alone is not enough. 

The information needs to be stored 

and presented in an accessible 

format. We have people working 

around the clock in three shifts. 

When you start your shift, it is very 

useful to be able to check what’s 

been going on in the process during 

the previous shifts,” Nikkarinen 

concludes. 


www.vaisala.com/humidity 

First published in the– European 

Process Engineer magazine, 

www.engineerlive.com 

Reino Paloniemi and Jussi Nikkarinen use 

a Vaisala handheld humidity probe for spotchecking 

and configuring the measurements 

produced by the fixed humidity transmitters. 

HUMICAP® sensor 

Vaisala’s relative humidity 

products incorporate a 

capacitive thin-film polymer 

sensor, Vaisala HUMICAP ® . The 

HUMICAP ® sensor features high 

accuracy, long-term stability 

and negligible hysteresis. It is 

insensitive to dust, particulate 

dirt and most chemicals. 

All HUMICAP ® products 

provide a full measurement 

range of relative humidity, 

0 ... 100 % RH. In addition, 

depending on sensor model, 

the sensor is available with a 

chemical purge option, which 

maintains accuracy in environments 

with high concentrations 

of chemicals, or with a 

sensor preheat option that 

prevents condensation. 

Operating principle 

The thin-film polymer 

either absorbs or releases 

water vapor as the relative 

humidity of the ambient air 

rises or drops. The dielectric 

properties of the polymer 

film depend on the amount of 

water contained in it: as the 

relative humidity changes, the 

dielectric properties of the film 

change, and so the capacitance 

of the sensor changes. The 

electronics of the instrument 

measure the capacitance of the 

sensor and convert it into a 

humidity reading. 


Dr. Valery Davydov / Director / transformerLIFE Centre / Monash University 

and Dr. Oleg Roizman / Principal Consultant / transformerLIFE Centre & IntellPower / Australia 

transformerLIFE 

Centre researchers 

choose Vaisala 

sensors 

The transformerLIFE Centre in Australia is an international leader in 

research into moisture in paper-oil insulation systems. 

The transformerLIFE Centre was 

established in 2005 under a grant of 

the State Government of Victoria, 

Australia, supported by Monash 

University and a consortium of 16 

national and international companies. 

The purpose of the Centre is to 

develop new and enhanced knowledge, 

techniques, products and intellectual 

property for the electricity 

industry, with an emphasis on power 

transformers. It features a special 

test transformer, built by Wilson 

Transformer Company in 2006. 

Research into transformers 

commenced in 1994, when EPRI 

(Electric Power Research Institute, 

USA) launched a project for studying 

moisture and ageing phenomena in 

transformer paper-oil systems at 

Monash University. 

The Centre’s research caters for 

power utilities and other transformer 

users, manufacturers of 

transformers, solid insulation and 

transformer oil, testing and monitoring 

equipment, service providers, 

insurance companies and research 

organizations. Results are also used 

for the development of national and 


international standards, reference 

materials for CIGRE (International 

Council on Large Electric Systems) 

and educational programs for professional 

training. 

These audiences rely on the 

Centre to provide capability and 

knowledge, which directly influences 

their business decisions with regard 

to the behavior of transformers. 

Getting the most out of 

the transformer lifecycle 

A transformer is one of the critical 

elements of a power system, and it is 

important to make timely decisions 

related to maintenance, utilization, 

replacement and optimum operation 

of this asset. 

The biggest challenge for utilities 

operating transformers is to utilize 

the transformer capabilities to the 

maximum extent without compromising 

the insulation integrity, 

overall transformer reliability and 

risk of failure. 

Transformer lifecycle is a key 

parameter when estimating the cost 

of a transformer ownership. This 

cost includes not only the initial 

transformer cost, but also the cost 

to operate and maintain the transformer 

over its life span. 

A transformer life is determined 

by the life of its insulation. 

Utilities increasingly operate their 

transformers up to and beyond the 

nameplate rating and therefore up to 

and beyond their expected life. This 

results in the accelerated aging of 

the transformer insulation, reduction 

of its useful life and, consequently, 

increase of the cost of asset ownership. 

Therefore, accurate prediction 

and intelligent management of the 

transformer life is an important 

economic issue. 

Test transformer fitted 

with over 60 sensors 

The Centre’s test transformer 

serves many purposes – it is used 

as a research rig, physical model, 

test bed and an educational tool. It 

is fitted with more than 60 on-line 

sensors that in addition to the electrical 

parameters such as current, 

voltage, active and reactive power,

harmonics, etc., monitor temperature, 

moisture, oil flow rate, pressure 

and other parameters in various locations 

of the transformer. 

Among these sensors are 16 fibreoptic 

temperature sensors located 

in the windings and five Vaisala 

moisture and temperature transmitters 

located at the top and bottom 

of the tank, in the top and bottom 

cooling pipes and in the conservator 

fitted with an air bag. During a 

decade of extensive use and testing, 

the Centre has found the Vaisala 

sensors reliable, accurate, easy-to-set 

and user-friendly. 

Samples of paper and oil are 

taken from the transformer regularly 

for various laboratory tests and 

ageing studies. Five round glass 

windows in the walls and lid of the 

tank allow observation and videorecording 

of water vapor bubbles 

during overload studies. 

The test transformer can 

replicate normal loading and 

overloading conditions for thermal 

modeling. It enables the studying 

and improvement of the thermal 

capability and cooling efficiency of 

transformers, as well as replicating 

and improving factory tests, and 

establishing equilibrium temperature 

and moisture conditions in its 

paper-oil system – the conditions in 

which accurate measurements can 

be taken for validation of algorithms 

being developed. It also allows the 

moisture content of insulation to be 

changed for further moisture studies 

and modeling. The transformer is 

effectively used for teaching and 

training demonstrations of the 

thermodynamic behavior of a power 

transformer. 

On-line moisture 

measurement, 

best practices 

The number and location of the 

moisture sensors in a transformer 

are one of the most important questions 

a user should consider. It is too 

common to install a sensor wherever 

a convenient port is. Often, the loca- 

Dr. Valery Davydov and Dr. Oleg Roizman in front of the transformerLIFE Centre’s test transformer. 

tions like the bottom oil drain valve 

or the conservator oil filling pipe are 

not suitable for placing the sensor 

because of poor or no oil circulation. 

The selection of a good location 

depends on individual transformer 

design, size and the type of cooling 

system. As a rule of thumb, a 

moisture probe should be installed 

in the oil circulation path at a high 

temperature location. The radiator 

headers, both top and bottom, are 

among the transformerLIFE Centre 

researchers’ favorite spots. These 

locations are also useful for evaluation 

of the cooling efficiency and 

effectiveness of on-line dryout. 

Choosing a robust, reliable and 

high-quality transmitter ensures 

accurate measurement results and 

well-informed operations. 


www.vaisala.com/instruments/ 

products/moistureinoil 

Dr. Oleg Roizman is a Principal Consultant with IntellPower, Australia. He 

provides consulting services to electric utilities, universities and manufactures 

of electrical equipment in the field of electric equipment diagnostics 

and monitoring. He is a consultant to the transformerLIFE Centre. 

Dr. Valery Davydov is a Principal Research Fellow with Monash University, 

Australia. He is the Director of the Centre for Power Transformer Monitoring, 

Diagnostics and Life Management (the transformerLIFE Centre). 


“This is the biggest 

single surface 

weather equipment 

agreement ever 

made.” 

Marikka Nevamäki / Editor in chief / Vaisala / Helsinki, Finland 

Vaisala participates in the biggest 

meteorological modernization 

project in the Russian history 

Russia renews its 

surface weather 

observation 

capabilities - Vaisala 

technology is used for 

accurate weather data 

One of the biggest surface weather 

observation network modernization 

projects in the world is currently 

underway in the Russian Federation. 

The project includes over 1800 

observation sites around Russia. 

Vaisala is the main weather observation 

technology provider in the largescale 

project. 

Vaisala provides the Russian 

Federal Service for Hydrometeo- 


A map indicating the scale 

of the Russian Federation 

National Hydromet Modernization 

Project (weather stations 

marked with yellow tags). 

The Russian Federal Service for Hydrometeorology 

and Environmental Monitoring 

(Roshydromet) visited Vaisala in March 

2009 to discuss mutual cooperation. 

rology and Environmental Monitoring 

(Roshydromet) with state-of-the-art 

surface weather monitoring technology. 

The goals are to gain realtime 

data, increase automation, and 

improve the quality of weather information 

across the largest country in 

the world. 

Vaisala is partnering with a local 

Russian integrator, Lanit, in the 

delivery project. The equipment 

will be used throughout the entire 

Russian Federation in accordance 

with the Russian Federation National 

Hydromet Modernization Project. 

The project is supported by the 

World Bank. 

Local production 

facilities in Novosibirsk 

Local production facilities have been 

set up in the Novosibirsk region 

with Vaisala’s assistance. Finnish 

engineers are actively involved in the 

process. Weather station assembly, 

calibration and delivery will be 

carried out from the Novosibirsk 

facility. The first stations have 

already been assembled locally. 

The entire modernization project, 

coordinated by Lanit, will amount 

to tens of millions of euros. Vaisala’s 

share of the contract is some 4.7 

million euros. The project scale is 

unprecedented in the Russian history 

of meteorology. 

“This is a major opening for 

Vaisala in the region, and the biggest 

single surface weather equipment 

agreement ever made. I’m extremely 

happy that our long-term hard work 

in the region has been rewarded like 

this,” says Martti Husu, Executive 

Vice President from Vaisala Meteorology.

Marikka Nevamäki / Editor in Chief / Vaisala / Helsinki, Finland 

Forecasting 

extreme events 

of rain 

Mr. Vicente Perez and Mr. Santiago 

Salson from MeteoGalicia, as well 

as Mr. Joaquin Baumela and Mr. 

Francisco Torrente from Quatripole 

visited Vaisala in November 

2008. The purpose of the visit was 

to carry out Factory Acceptance 

Tests (FAT) for the Vaisala Weather 

Radar WRM200. The radar will be 

installed in Galicia, northwestern 

Spain, in summer 2009. Meteo- 

Galicia is responsible for the local 

weather forecasts and warnings in 

the Galicia region, and Qatripole is 

the local engineering partner for the 

installation project. MeteoGalicia 

depends on the regional government 

of Galicia, Xunta de Galicia. All 

their information, also regarding the 

new radar products, is available at 

www.meteogalicia.es. 

The purpose of the FAT tests is 

to verify the system performance 

against given specifications and 

to ensure that all parts of the 

system and its documentation exist 

according to the purchase order. 

Hundreds of Vaisala customers from 

around the world visit the company 

every year to participate in different 

FAT tests. It is a great opportunity 

for both parties to get to know each 

other a little better, and to ensure 

mutual understanding of the required 

system qualities. 

The radar is a part of a weather 

observation solution, which Vaisala 

is providing to the region of Galicia. 

In addition to the dual-polarization 

weather radar, the solution consists 

of a lightning detection network 

of four sensors and a sounding 

system, as well as a five-year service 

contract. 

Fewer rainy days - 

more intensive rain 

The Galicia region’s coastal areas in 

the west and north are open to the 

Atlantic Ocean and its challenging 

weather conditions. Severe storms 

and thunder are common and cause 

damages each year. 

“Research on the effects of 

climate change has been carried 

out in Galicia. It found evidence that 

there are more extreme events of rain 

in the area than in the past. There 

may be fewer rainy days, but when it 

rains it is more intensive. There are 

clear risks relating to this; villages 

and small towns close to rivers or 

the sea may suffer damaging floods,” 

says Mr. Vicente Perez from Meteo- 

Galicia. 

“The new Vaisala radar 

will benefit us in many 

ways. It will improve our 

capacity for civil protection 

as we will be able 

to issue more accurate 

warnings. The data 

gained will compliment 

measurement 

data from other instruments, 

and we will be 

From left to right: Joaquin 

Baumela, Quatripole and 

Santiago Salson Casado and 

Vicente Perez Muñuzuri from 

MeteoGalicia at the Vaisala 

Factory Acceptance Tests for the 

Weather Radar WRM200. Vaisala’s 

Timo Lyly on the keyboard. 

The Spanish region of 

Galicia is vulnerable 

to extreme weather 

events due to its 

location by the Atlantic 

Ocean. 

able to assimilate the information 

into our numerical models. The radar 

will also be used for more longterm 

climatological research. Our 

university researchers are already 

enthusiastically waiting for the radar 

data,” Mr. Perez smiles. “Cyclone 

Klaus, which hit the North of Spain 

and France in January 2009, is just 

one example of a situation where 

we could’ve benefited from the new 

capabilities offered by this kind of 

radar.” 

The new and improved weather 

observation network can also be 

used for providing new kinds of 

services to local interest groups 

affected by weather, such as fishermen, 

shellfish fishermen, clam 

pickers, electrical power companies 

and recreational agencies. Regional 

weather forecasts on TV are also 

expected to improve. 


Daisuke Fujisawa / Regional Market Manager / Vaisala / Tokyo, Japan 

Humidity 

measurement 

in cleanrooms 

Choosing the right 

type of measurement 

instrumentation is 

important in order 

to reach the best 

humidity measurement 

results. Calibration 

should also be carried 

out regularly, and to 

traceable standards. 

Products manufactured in cleanrooms 

cover a wide range, including 

pharmaceuticals and semiconductors. 

Humidity, temperature, 

particles and pressure are often 

controlled, as these parameters 

can have serious effects on product 

quality and production efficiency. 

Relative humidity 

Relative humidity (%RH) describes 

the amount of water vapor that exists 

in a gaseous mixture of air and water. 

It is a ratio of the amount of water 

vapor present compared to how 

much could be present at a given 

temperature. Issues at production 


sites, such as expansion and contraction, 

and hardening and softening 

of material, change in viscosity of 

liquid, growth of microbes, increase 

in static electricity, and corrosion 

and rust, are largely affected by 

humidity. 

Dewpoint 

Dewpoint (Td) is a temperature at 

which dew, or condensation, forms 

on cooling a gas. Dewpoint is a 

parameter suitable for expressing 

very small water content in a gas like 

air. In the micromachining of semiconductors 

the conditions are very 

dry as water molecules are regarded 

as contaminants. In this condition 

relative humidity is practically stagnated 

at 0 %RH but dewpoint scale 

is still sensitive for water content 

changes in the measured gas. 

Different applications, 

different needs 

A pharmaceutical manufacturing 

plant often has a large number 

of cleanrooms. The control and 

recording of temperature and 

humidity is strictly designated by 

GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice). 

The most important feature required 

from humidity sensors is small deviation. 

It is important to be able to 

perform precise calibration to check 

that the sensor does not drift over 

the long-term. 

In food processing plants, it is 

necessary to keep the manufacturing 

site at or below certain humidity. For 

example, 40% or below seems to be 

a commonly used value. This helps 

in restricting the growth of germs 

and bacteria that can cause food 

poisoning. 

In semiconductor and electronics 

product plants, the generation of 

products changes more and more 

rapidly. As a result, the control 

of humidity and dewpoint in the 

manufacturing process has become 

stricter. In the manufacturing minienvironments, 

very high level control 

with an accuracy of +/-1%RH is often 

required. 

Humidity control is also important 

at liquid crystal display plants 

and paint plants. In this case, the 

durability and accuracy of the 

humidity sensor is very important. 

These plants generate various gases, 

which can affect sensor elements. 

Humidity and dewpoint 

sensor technologies 

Humidity sensors, which measure 

water content in the air, are 

broadly divided into two types. 

One measures humidity and the 

other dewpoint. In an atmosphere 

where the humidity level is at least 

10%RH, humidity measurement is 

often used, while in low humidity, 

dewpoint measurement is preferred. 

In some cases it is convenient to use

dewpoint measurement even in high 

humidity conditions. 

Humidity and dewpoint 

sensors include: 

1. Psychrometer 

2. Mechanical hygrometer 

3. Lithium chloride dewpoint indicator 

4. Resistance type hygrometer 

5. Capacitance type hygrometer 

(dew indicator) 

6. Mirror dewpoint indicator 

Sensors 1-6 can measure general 

humidity levels. Sensors 5 and 6 

are also used for low dewpoint 

measurement. The principle of each 

technology is described briefly in the 

following. 

1. A psychrometer is a simple form of 

a hygrometer, which consists of two 

thermometers. One has a dry bulb 

and the other a bulb that is kept wet 

to measure wet-bulb temperature. 

The wet bulb cools by evaporation of 

the water. The amount of evaporation, 

as well as cooling of the thermometer, 

depends on the humidity of 

the atmosphere. This data, together 

with humidity tables or calculations, 

is used to determine the vapor 

pressure of water in the surrounding 

air, and relative humidity. This is a 

method often used in laboratories 

and humidity and temperature test 

chambers. 

2. A mechanical hygrometer 

measures and records humidity using 

an instrument that expands and 

contracts with humidity changes, 

such as human hair. This type of 

measurement has been used for 

a long time. The accuracy of the 

method is not very good. 

3. A lithium chloride dewpoint 

indicator is a measurement principle 

based on the hygroscopic characteristic 

(ability of a substance to attract 

water molecules) of lithium chloride. 

The sensor consists of a reel covered 

with an absorbent fabric and a bifilar 

winding (two insulated wires, with 

currents traveling through them in 

opposite directions) of inert elec- 

trodes. The reel is coated with lithium 

chloride. An alternating current is 

passed through the winding and the 

lithium chloride solution, causing 

resistive heating. As the reel heats, 

water evaporates from the lithium 

chloride solution at a rate which is 

controlled by the vapor pressure of 

water in the surrounding air. When 

the reel begins to dry, the resistance 

of the lithium chloride solution 

increases, and less current flows 

through the winding. This allows the 

reel to cool. This heating and cooling 

of the reel reaches an equilibrium 

point where it neither takes on nor 

gives off water, and the equilibrium 

temperature is directly proportional 

to the dewpoint of the surrounding air. 

4. A resistance type hygrometer 

utilizes the principle that electrical 

resistance varies in a material that 

absorbs moisture. Special sensors 

are used to measure the resistance 

to a current passing between wires. 

This type of sensor is suitable for 

mass production and seems to be 

most used for home appliances and 

consumer products. However, it may 

not measure accurately in very low 

or very high humidity environments. 

5. A capacitance type hygrometer 

measures humidity by detecting 

the change in capacitance of a thin 

polymer film. This type of sensor can 

easily achieve sufficient accuracy, 

and is mostly used in industry. 

The patented HUMICAP ® humidity 

sensors manufactured by Vaisala use 

this technology. 

6. A mirror dewpoint indicator 

utilizes the occurrence of dew at 

dewpoint temperature when air 

containing water vapor is cooled. A 

mirror is cooled until it reaches the 

dewpoint of the gas in question. As 

dew condensation forms, it changes 

the light reflected from the mirror. 

When the mirror surface reaches an 

equilibrium state whereby evaporation 

and condensation are occurring 

at the same rate, the temperature of 

the mirror is equal to the dewpoint 

temperature of the tested gas. 

This type of sensor is often used in 

research institutes. 

Vaisala’s own cleanroom produces sensors 

for radiosondes as well as different humidity, 

barometric pressure and carbon dioxide 

measurement products. 

Sensors mostly used in cleanrooms 

include the resistance type 

hygrometer, capacitance type 

hygrometer (dew indicator) and 

mirror dewpoint indicator. When 

selecting a suitable instrument, it is 

important not only to pay attention 

to the price and product specifications, 

but also to consider the 

measurement accuracy, manufacturer’s 

application knowledge and 

services available. All these factors 

contribute to the actual user-experience 

and operational success. 

Regular traceable 

calibration is important 

One should always make sure that 

the data produced by the measurement 

equipment is reliable and 

accurate. Periodic calibration is 

absolutely essential. Typical calibration 

intervals can be viewed in 

table 1. 

Table 2. presents an example 

of a traceability chain for installed 

humidity and temperature units. 

From a global perspective, all 


measurements are based on the 

globally agreed International 

System of Units (SI). This ensures 

that we use the same quantities, 

and that measurements performed 

with various types of equipment in 

various locations are comparable. 

National laboratories are responsible 

for maintaining and developing 

traceability and for providing the 

highest accuracy calibrations. The 

calibration services of the National 

Measurement Standard Laboratories 

may be limited to calibration of the 

highest grade primary standards. 

Commercial calibration services 

provide calibration services for 

lower level standards and measurement 

equipment. These may be 

manufacturer services providing 

calibration services for their own 

products, or laboratories providing 

calibration services for any measurement 

equipment. Non-accredited 

calibration services are the majority 

service providers, including most of 

the measurement equipment manufacturers’ 

calibration services and a 

considerable amount of commercial 

calibration services. Without accreditation 

the competence of these 

services is not proven. Before use, 

the competence should be confirmed 

by auditing the service. 

Each calibration service provider 

must maintain an effective traceability 

chain. At the very least, the 

primary standard must be calibrated 

at an outside laboratory and 

then used for calibrations. Some 

commercial calibration services do 

not include uncertainty estimations 

in their calibration certificates if not 

ordered separately. Some calibration 

services are not able to calculate 

uncertainty at all. One should always 

consider the competence of these 

services. 

Sometimes it is practical to 

maintain an in-house calibration 

system. This may be the case if the 

measurement equipment is difficult 

to transfer (calibration on-site) or 

when the amount of calibrated equipment 

is high. To set up an in-house 

calibration system, a suitable 


Table 1. Typical calibration intervals for measurement equipment. 

Measurement equipment 

Mechanical pressure meters 

Precision barometers 

Barometers 

Liquid-in-glass thermometers 

Resistive temperature sensors and thermoelements/thermometers 

Dewpoint meters 

Humidity meters 

Active electrical meters 

Passive electrical meters 

Lenght measurement equipment 

Lenght measurement equipment with electrical 

display 

suitable calibration interval 

International 

level 

National Measurement 

Standards Laboratory 

In-house Laboratory 

Customer 

organization should be founded. The 

organization may contain just one 

person or a whole department with 

management and calibration staff. 

Laboratory calibration is 

preferred to field calibration. In a 

laboratory, the effects caused by the 

environment can be minimized, and 

the number of factors influencing the 

calibration are reduced significantly. 

Field calibration is a quick and 

easy way of checking measurement 

equipment without having to remove 

it from the process or process area. 

Field calibration requires a working 

standard as a reference. This working 

standard can be hand-held or some 

other equipment used for calibrating 

the instrument installed in the 

process. Working standards are calibrated 

at a higher level laboratory. 

Vaisala has accredited calibration 

services for Vaisala pressure, 

SI–Units 

Pressure 

National Standard 

Primary Standard Primary Standard 

Primary Humidity generator 

Month 

6 9 12 24 36 60 

Table 2. Example of a traceability chain for installed humidity and temperature measurement units. 

SI–Units 

Temperature 

National Standard 

Working Standard Working Standard 

Calibration for humidity and temperature instruments 

temperature, dewpoint and humidity 

instruments. Services are available 

through regional service centers, and 

available for both already installed 

units and together with the delivery 

of new units. 

You can order your own Vaisala 

Calibration Book free of charge at 

www.vaisala.com/calibrationbook . 

The book contains useful information 

on everything you need to know 

about calibration. 


www.vaisala.com/humidity 

www.vaisala.com/dewpoint 

References: 

Arun S. Mujumdar; Handbook of 

Industrial Drying (2006) 

Vaisala Calibration Book (2007)

Ulla Mattila / Regional Market Manager / Vaisala / Helsinki, Finland 

Building automation 

solutions for the future 

HVAC - heating, ventilation and air conditioning - account for 70 – 80% of a 

building’s operating costs. 

A modern and efficient HVAC system is 

a significant investment, but one that 

pays back in the long run. High energy 

prices are driving building owners 

to seek automation and cut costs. 

Demands for better indoor air quality 

are increasing through legislation. 

Well-designed building automation 

solutions also advance sustainable 

development, as the quality of life is 

improved through better indoor air, 

and environmental load is minimized 

through automation when systems are 

used only on demand. 

Vaisala is committed to serving 

its customers within the building 

automation sector even better in 

the future. We are increasing our 

resources to cater for the ever-more 

demanding requirements of building 

automation systems. Whether you 

are an OEM, integrator, contractor, 

or responsible for facility HVAC 

management, our aim is to fulfill your 

specific business needs. Vaisala is 

known worldwide for the reliability 

of our humidity and carbon dioxide 

measurement, among many other 

parameters, as well as our professional 

services and product support. 

We provide measurement tools 

for a range of purposes, such as 

energy optimization and Indoor Air 

Quality (IAQ). Expertise in the entire 

Vaisala’s installerfriendly 

products are 

designed to make 

your job easier and 

more straightforward. 

HVAC&R (heating, ventilation, air 

conditioning & refrigeration) area 

gives us the opportunity to provide 

products for diverse applications. 

Vaisala products are stable and 

perform well even under conditions 

involving dust and particulate 

dirt. With minimal calibration and 

adjustment, your measurements will 

remain in specification and operate 

for the duration of your system. 

Vaisala’s installer-friendly products 

are designed to make your job easier 

and more straightforward. No special 

tools or skills are needed - just “plug 

and play”. 

Tell us your building automation 

needs and we’ll find the solutions 

that support your business! 

info@vaisala.com 


www.vaisala.com/instruments/ 

applications/hvac 

Vaisala Building 

Automation 

Our solutions can be used across 

a range of mainstream environments: 

• Commercial offices 

• Retail spaces 

• Government buildings 

• Educational facilities 

• Sports facilities 

• Event complexes 

• Hotels and conference centers 

• Airports and metro stations 

We also offer solutions for 

more demanding environments, 

including: 

• Cleanrooms and laboratories 

• Data centers and server facilities 

• Healthcare facilities 

• Parking garages 

• Cold storage and warehouses 

• Occupied industrial facilities 


Flying 30 m above the raging sea is a special feeling. Watching the white 

capped waves so close and seeing the white streak where the wind rips the 

waves. Feeling the turbulence shake the aircraft and the stomach starting to 

complain. 

The reason for being there was to 

make atmospheric measurements 

in the extreme situations that often 

occur by the coast of Greenland. 

During three weeks in February and 

March 2007 I participated in a field 

campaign, a part of the Greenland 

Flow Distortion experiment (GFDex), 

a UK-led international project which 

took place at the start of the International 

Polar Year. 

Greenland, the largest island on 

Earth, is also a massive mountain. 

The ice sheet stands over 2 km and 

extends for thousands of kilometres. 

This means that Greenland is a 

massive obstacle to the atmospheric 

flow and the low level air prefers to 

flow along and around Greenland if 

possible, rather than attempting to 

flow over the ice sheet. This results 

in flow distortion by Greenland with, 

for example, intense low level jets by 

the steep coast, lee cyclones forming 

on the leeward side of the mountain 

and cyclones moving northeastward 

The flight tracks of 

each of the GFDex 

flights. Map image: 

Google. 

Guðrún Nína Petersen / School of Environmental Sciences / University of East Anglia / Norwich, UK 

Flying into the storm 

– Greenland Flow Distortion experiment 


over the North Atlantic lingering a bit 

longer in the Iceland region than elsewhere. 

Greenland can also impact the 

airflow higher up in the atmosphere, 

affecting the weather downstream as 

far as Europe and Africa a few days 

later. 

Strong winds 

under scrutiny 

The strong winds around Greenland 

are thought to be important for the

climate system. The area that we 

were looking at during the GFDex, the 

Irminger Sea between Greenland and 

Iceland and the Greenland Sea north 

of Iceland, is thought to be a key part 

of the thermohaline circulation; the 

large scale overturning ocean circulation 

that is partly responsible for the 

temperate climate of Europe. This 

circulation is driven by temperature 

and salinity making it almost 

entirely horizontal. The vertical 

overturning happens only in a few 

places, restricted by a cyclonic gyre 

and cold, strong winds sucking heat 

and moisture out of the ocean. When 

these conditions are fulfilled, openocean 

convection can happen and 

dense water sinks down to the ocean 

bed. Such open-ocean convection 

has been found in the Labrador Sea, 

between Greenland and Canada, and 

in the Greenland Sea. Recently, the 

Irminger Sea has also been recognised 

as a region where these conditions 

may be met, with the strong low level 

wind jets formed due to the impact of 

Greenland on the atmospheric flow 

playing an important role. 

Among the aims of the GFDex 

field campaign was to measure the 

atmosphere in these strong winds as 

well as sample the air-sea fluxes that 

are important for the climate system. 

Intensive field campaign 

preparations 

Going on a field campaign like this 

one is not done without preparations. 

For example I was a part of 

a group going to Iceland, where we 

had our field base during the flying 

campaign, 6 months prior to the 

campaign. Among the tasks was to 

find a suitable hotel with a conference 

room we could take over during 

the field campaign. We spoke to 

the civic aviation administration, 

introducing our plans to them and 

discussing possible problems and 

solutions. At the airport we met up 

with the ground handling service 

companies and inspected aircraft 

hangars we might possible use 

during the field campaign. 

During the following months 

the planning intensified. The UK 

Met Office, the European Centre for 

Medium-Range Weather Forecasts 

and the Icelandic Met Office tailored 

weather charts for us, we planned 

the day-to-day schedule and tried 

to prepare ourselves as well as 

possible. We also discussed which 

instruments we needed onboard the 

aircraft. As we were flying in an area 

with few airports - and a lot of open 

water - we needed the aircraft to be 

as light as possible so we had as long 

flight range as possible. 

Long days on and 

off the ground 

The group met in Iceland on 19 

February 2007. It consisted of the 

aircraft crew and atmospheric scientists 

from the UK, Iceland, Norway, 

Canada and the US. Each day the 

weather forecasts for the next few 

days were studied and discussed. 

New forecasts arrived every 6 hours 

but those most important for the 

planning were available early in 

the morning. If it was decided to fly 

the day after the flight mission was 

planned in details with the help of 

one of the pilots, the objectives, 

the flight track and what kind of 

observations were needed. The days 

on the ground were long and filled 

with weather discussions and flight 

planning, but the days when we were 

flying were even longer. 

We usually took off at 10:30LT 

with one flight taking off as early as 

08:00LT. This may sound like a late 

start but the preparations for each 

flight took about 3.5 hours. This 

meant that at 7 o’clock the engineers 

started preparing the aircraft. At 

a similar time the scientists flying 

that day had a final look at the latest 

forecasts and satellite pictures and 

prepared for a pre-flight brief. The 

flights lasted for 4-6 hours and every 

flight mission ended with a debrief in 

the conference room around five in 

the afternoon. There would then be an 

update from the ground crew about 

the decisions made regarding the next 

day and the eventual preparations. 

The discussions and planning could 

then last into the evening. 

Good atmospheric 

data gained 

During the three weeks in Iceland we 

flew twelve times sampling a mixture 

of high impact weather events, an 

easterly tip jet at the southern tip of 

Greenland, barrier flow parallel to 

the coast of Greenland, lee cyclones 

and a polar low north of Iceland. 

When mapping out the low level jet 

we usually flew at 18-20 thousand 

feet height (5-6 km). The atmosphere 

at the flight level was measured by 

the instrumented aircraft, e.g. wind 

speed and direction, temperature, 

humidity and ozone concentration. 

At regular intervals dropsondes were 

launched. A dropsonde is the falling 

equivalent of a radiosonde making 

a vertical profile of the atmosphere. 

However, instead of being attached 

to a balloon it has a parachute and 

is dropped from an aircraft. The 

measurements are transmitted back 

to the aircraft for onward satellite 

transmission into the Global 

Telecommunication System (GTS). 

Measuring the impact of these strong 

winds on the ocean below meant 

flying at about 100 feet (~30 m) above 

the ocean to make measurements 

of fluxes of momentum, heat and 

moisture from the ocean to the atmosphere. 

At such low levels in strong 

winds you were in for a bumpy ride! 

The field campaign was 

successful and we left Iceland with 

loads of atmospheric data. Since 

then we have been working hard 

analysing the data and looking at the 

cases in details. The field campaign 

was hard work, early mornings, late 

evening and long days but it was also 

a fantastic experience working in a 

group with the main goal of every day 

making the best possible measurements 

of the extreme weather. 



products/soundingequipment 


AMS Presidents (left to right): 

Franco Einaudi (2006), Rick 

Anthes (2007) and 

Walt Dabberdt (2008) at work 

on a Habitat for Humanity house 

building project in New Orleans. 

Walter F. Dabberdt, Ph.D. / Chief Science Officer / Vaisala / Boulder, CO, USA 

AMS President 2008: 

looking back 

A brief personal retrospective on the American Meteorological Society’s year 

2008, including some of the many highlights. 

The American Meteorological Society 

(AMS) began 2008 in New Orleans 

with the 88th Annual Meeting where 

we witnessed firsthand the sobering 

experience of a city still devastated 

by the ravages of Hurricane Katrina 

in August 2005. Apart from attending 

technical sessions on hurricane 

observations, forecasting and mitigation, 

some of us had the privilege of 


working with Habitat for Humanity to 

help provide new housing to the residents 

of the city’s Upper Fifth Ward. 

It was a signal occasion we will never 

forget. The year ended exploring a 

very different set of issues: those 

resulting from convergence of 

changing population demographics, 

the growth of the world’s cities, and 

global warming as we convened in 

the Desert Southwest for the 89th 

Annual Meeting in Phoenix. As 

AMS President, I presided over an 

intervening 12 months that were 

filled with a great many accomplishments—and 

challenges. 

Thanks to the generosity of many 

individual, corporate (including 

Vaisala) and institutional members, 

AMS was able to award last year

“I would like to encourage all who work in some professional 

capacity in the field of meteorology, oceanography, climate, 

hydrology or the related sciences to become a member of this 

unique organization” 

alone 59 graduate and undergraduate 

fellowships and scholarships totaling 

more than $500,000. This is a great 

investment in our science, the 

Society, and our future. Presenting 

their awards and talking with many 

of these bright, energetic and 

enthusiastic students was a personal 

highlight of the Phoenix meeting. 

One of the principal tasks of the 

Scientific and Technical Activities 

Commission (STAC) is to organize 

the many specialty conferences that 

attracted more than 6000 participants 

last year. The STAC is now 

comprised of 31 Boards and Committees 

with more than 300 members. 

It’s traditional for the AMS President 

to attend many of these conferences, 

which gave me the opportunity to 

go to meetings outside of my own 

specialty areas and to interact with 

many experts in such topical areas as 

mountain meteorology, agricultural 

and forest meteorology, weather 

modification, broadcast meteorology, 

turbulence, and tropical meteorology. 

Under the leadership of the Publications 

Commission, AMS publishes 

10 scholarly journals and the AMS 

Bulletin. In 2008, AMS published an 

all-time record 29,348 pages, and we 

announced a new scholarly journal, 

Weather, Climate, and Society, that 

will publish its first issue late in 2009. 

The past year has seen record 

numbers of applications — and certifications 

— for broadcast meteorologists 

and consulting meteorologists; 

these certifications serve to raise 

the competency bar for practitioners 

in both of these important areas. 

Currently, there are 297 Certified 

Broadcast Meteorologists (CBM) 

and 314 active Certified Consulting 

Meteorologists. The AMS TV Seal 

program was discontinued at the end 

of 2008 in favor of the CBM program, 

and there remain 652 active TV Seal 

Holders with more than 200 Seal and 

CBM applications still in review. 

One of the most important and 

demanding responsibilities of AMS’ 

senior leadership is to oversee the 

creation of policy and information 

statements that provide the official 

AMS position on a wide range of 

important and sometimes controversial 

topics. This past year was no 

exception as we published four new 

or updated statements dealing with 

national weather and climate priorities, 

water resources, probability 

forecasts, and space weather. Work 

on new statements on climate geoengineering, 

radio frequency issues, 

and the importance of infrastructure 

were all initiated in 2008 and will be 

released in 2009 for public review 

and comment prior to final release 

later in the year. 

At the 2008 New Orleans Annual 

Meeting, I proposed a new initiative 

intended to increase interactions 

among the world’s more than sixty 

meteorological societies. This past 

January in Phoenix, representatives 

from 18 societies from North and 

South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, 

and Oceania and the World Meteorological 

Organization participated 

in a planning meeting to debate the 

merits of going forward. There it was 

unanimously agreed to establish 

an International Forum of Meteorological 

Societies, or IFMS. This is the 

first time that an organization of this 

type and scope has been established 

within the global meteorological 

community. AMS can be proud to 

have spearheaded its formation. A 

steering committee is in the process 

of establishing terms of reference 

and preparing for the first global 

meeting of the IFMS in January 2010 

that will take place in conjunction 

with the 90th AMS Annual Meeting 

in Atlanta. The fundamental goal 

of the IFMS is very basic; to foster 

and encourage communication and 

exchange of knowledge, ideas and 

resources among the world’s meteorological 

societies. A few examples 

of topics of common concern to IFMS 

members include: global climate 

change, impacts of severe natural 

weather hazards, the rapid evolution 

of society publications, trends in 

society membership, and domestic 

and international outreach. 

In closing, I would like to extend 

my heartfelt thanks to the AMS 

members and staff who have made 

2008 an incomparable year for 

me in many ways. It was a unique 

opportunity to interact with so 

many dedicated professionals and 

to make so many new and wonderful 

acquaintances, all of whom share the 

common goal of strengthening the 

Society and the professions it serves. 

I look forward to continuing those 

interactions in the years ahead. 

Equally important and enjoyable 

was the universal support of Vaisala 

that allowed me to take on these 

added responsibilities. The next 

two years will not be quite devoid 

of AMS responsibilities as I continue 

in the role of Past President where I 

continue to serve on the AMS Council 

and its Executive Committee. All in 

all, it’s been a great experience that I 

will forever cherish. I would also like 

to encourage all who work in some 

professional capacity in the field of 

meteorology, oceanography, climate, 

hydrology or the related sciences 

to become a member of this unique 

(and international) organization by 

exploring www.ametsoc.org . 


Sharon Stephenson / Wellington, New Zealand 

Road safety taken 

to a new level in 

New Zealand 

The New Zealand MetService’s new, innovative real-time weather reporting 

model is helping travelers on the Central Plateau to drive safely, even in the 

most demanding weather conditions. 

Developed by MetService, the Road 

Weather Station Network features 12 

weather stations using Vaisala road 

and meteorological sensors that 

provide up-to-date weather and road 

information for the central North 

Island. The solution won the road 

engineering category of the annual 

New Zealand Road Safety Innovation 

and Achievement Awards in 2008. 

According to Peter Fisher, 

MetService Senior Market Manager, 

the Network is aimed at making the 

region’s roads safer for all users. 

“In 2007, we were contracted by the 


NZ Transport Agency to devise a 

system that would provide their road 

contractors with real-time road and 

weather observations, as well as sitespecific 

forecasts, at 12 key locations 

around the Central Plateau, where 

severe weather and icing conditions 

have traditionally caused problems.” 

First of its kind in 

New Zealand 

Following Vaisala’s thermal mapping 

of the State Highway network, as 

arranged by the NZ Transport 

Agency, Vaisala designated climatic 

domains representing regions of 

similar climatology. Twelve road 

weather stations, each reporting 

key road and weather information 

every minute, were designed, based 

on World Meteorological Organization 

standards, and installed at 

key locations within each central 

North Island climatic domain from 

September 2007 to July 2008. 

“The Network, which is the first 

of its kind in New Zealand, provides 

contractors with real-time road 

weather information as well as

forecasts up to 65 hours in advance. 

Therefore, contractors will know 

the best times to carry out road 

maintenance work and road de-icing 

in winter,” Mr. Fisher explains. 

Being able to plan around the 

weather also helps to minimize 

road disruptions and increases road 

safety. “The Road Weather Network 

aims to save time, resources and, 

ultimately, people’s lives.” 

The wireless road weather 

stations provide real-time air and 

road information from each location. 

The MetService then makes use of 

these observations to add value to 

the hourly wind speed and direction, 

air temperature, dew point, relative 

humidity, rainfall, pressure, solar 

radiation and cloud cover forecasts 

at each location. Sensors embedded 

in the road at these 12 points simultaneously 

convey information about 

the road conditions. 

“Access to this information 

allows the roads to be kept open 

for longer and enables the traveling 

public to have confidence that the 

roads are safer to travel and are 

being maintained in a safe and efficient 

manner,” Mr. Fisher says. 

No more guesswork 

Prior to the Network’s introduction, 

road contractors had no official 

weather monitoring or forecast 

service in place, other than the 

MetService’s generic forecast and a 

single weather station at the Desert 

Road summit. Therefore, contractors 

had to rely on a combination of 

intuition, basic weather knowledge 

and some non-networked observation 

points to be able to carry out 

their work. 

“In preparing for an ice event, 

road contractors would sometimes 

apply expensive CMA (Calcium 

Magnesium Acetate) to roads which 

helps to keep them clear of ice 

for up to five days. But if it rained 

shortly afterwards, the CMA would 

be washed away. Alternative ice 

management procedures would then 

have to be considered, meaning 

Weather sensors located in South Waiouru. 

further traffic delays for drivers.” 

Being able to access current information 

has changed all that. 

“By providing real-time road and 

weather observations from each of 

the 12 locations, the Road Weather 

Station Network gives contractors 

more control over ensuring 

safe driving conditions during icy 

periods.” Contractors also benefit 

as they used to have to travel long 

distances, often early in the morning, 

to determine the meteorological 

conditions at a site. “Now they 

can just log into their MetService 

MetConnect weather information 

website from their home, truck or 

office and view the real-time and 

forecast road weather conditions, 

which saves time and money.” 

Proud to be saving lives 

Not surprisingly, Mr. Fisher is proud 

of the Road Weather Network and 

the award it has won. “This initiative 

is the first of its kind in New Zealand 

and we’ve developed it specifically 

for our environment and conditions. 

Feedback from users continues to be 

exceptionally positive.” 

While it’s still too early to say if 

the Network has reduced the number 

The wireless road 

weather stations 

provide real-time 

air and road information 

from each 

location. 

of weather-related vehicle accidents 

in areas where the automated 

weather stations are operating, Mr. 

Fisher says they are confident the 

system has the potential to save 

lives. MetService is also keen to 

widen the scope of the ice prediction 

system from site-specific reporting 

and forecasting to network-wide 

ice prediction, and to expand the 

Network to other parts of the 

country, such as Central Otago and 

Inland Canterbury. 



applications/traffic 



Marikka Nevamäki / Editor in chief / Vaisala / Helsinki, Finland 

Vaisala Radiosonde RS80 

Three decades 

of superior 

performance 

Year 2009 marks the end of an era at Vaisala, as 

the manufacturing of its great global success, the 

Vaisala Radiosonde RS80, was discontinued in 

December 2008. The RS80 gives way to the new 

generation Vaisala Radiosonde RS92.

The need for a new radiosonde 

generation was recognized at the end 

of the 70s, as the RS21 radiosonde 

was unable to make a breakthrough 

in some major market areas, such as 

in the USA and UK. The development 

project’s goal was to dramatically 

improve the observation performance 

of the Vaisala radiosonde, 

introduce automation, and eliminate 

the easily breakable mechanical 

parts. Another driver was the need to 

create a product that would be easier 

to manufacture in large quantities. 

Great risk for product 

development 

“It was a huge risk for product 

development, as we were eager to 

incorporate a great amount of brand 

new technology all in one go. These 

included, for example, the new 

HUMICAP ® humidity sensor, and an 

electronic switch. We also developed 

a new kind of unwinder to ease the 

launch of the radiosonde, and a new 

battery in-house,” says Veijo Antikainen, 

former Product Development 

Manager at Vaisala. 

All the interviewed Vaisala 

sounding stalwarts agree that that 

the RS80 was a significant technolog- 

“We wanted to offer 

superior performance 

and usability for the 

customers” 

ical leap forward for Vaisala. Its high 

quality, repeatability, automation and 

efficiency all contributed towards a 

revolutionary product. 

Vaisala’s then Managing Director 

Yrjö Toivola often jokingly said that 

a radiosonde should be so small in 

size that he could fit it in his breast 

pocket. He finally got what he wanted 

when the team presented him with 

a shirt that had an extraordinarily 

large, tailor-made breast pocket! 

International prestige 

and recognition 

“We wanted to offer superior 

performance and usability for the 

customers,” says Jan Hörhammer, 

Director of Customer Relations. The 

risk paid off. The Vaisala Radiosonde 

RS80 provided such advantages that 

it won over even the most hesitant 

buyers. 

The RS80 gained prestige through 

international radiosonde comparison 

tests. The WMO found the instrument 

so good that it chose it as the 

reference sonde for comparisons. 

“One of the first successes was in 

UK at Bracknell in mid 80s. I’ll never 

forget when Alan Hooper from the UK 

Met Office told me ‘now you have a 

radiosonde’,” Antikainen recalls. 

Customers played a significant 

role in the development of the 

RS80. For example, the US National 

Weather Service (NWS) influenced 

the way the product was tested 

and verified, therefore also influencing 

the manufacturing process. 

Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) 

further contributed to the quality 

control with their stringent factory 

acceptance tests, and the Japanese 

had strict transmitter stability 

requirements. The Finnish Meteorological 

Institute, UK Met Office and 

the Meteorological Services Division 

of Singapore were also important 

partners in the early stages. 

Moving on 

Every product comes to the end 

of its life span at some stage. After 

serving well for nearly three decades, 

the RS80 has now retired. It gives 

way to the Vaisala Radiosonde RS92, 

first launched in 2003, which takes 

up where the RS80 left off - offering 

many new and improved features as 

well as cost-efficiency to Vaisala’s 

customers. 


Gilson L. Feitosa / Hobeco Ltda / Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 

Brazil contributes 

to research in 

the Antarctic 

Brazil is committed to the research and 

preservation of the Antarctic and its unique 

climatic characteristics. Vaisala equipment is 

used for reliable in-situ data. 

Vaisala’s representative office in 

Brazil, HOBECO Ltda, supplied a 

portable Vaisala Automatic Weather 

Station (MAWS) to the Antarctic 

Meteorological teams of the Directory 

of Hydrography and Navigation 

of the Brazilian Navy (DHN) at the 

“Estação Antártica Comandante 

Ferraz (EACF)”, which is the Brazilian 

Antarctic Base. 

The station was installed in 

summer 2005, and has operated 

continuously and satisfactorily under 

the most adverse meteorological 

conditions. As a way to evaluate the 

performance of the system, HOBECO 


interviewed Lieutenant-Commander 

Emma Giada Matschinske, head of 

the Meteorological Forecast Division 

of the Brazilian Marine Meteorological 

Service, operated by DHN. 

Why does Brazil have 

an Antarctic Station? 

The Antarctic region and the 

surrounding Southern Ocean is the 

least known region in the world. 

It has its own distinct climatic 

characteristics, which make working 

outdoors difficult for human beings. 

Many contemporary processes of 

global relevance can be witnessed 

there, such as ozone depletion, atmospheric 

pollution, climate change, 

sea level rise and melting ice shelves 

and glaciers. 

The highly successful International 

Geophysical Year of 1957-58 

gave rise to the formulation of the 

Antarctic Treaty in 1959, and its 

ratification in 1961. The Treaty 

has promoted cooperation among 

nations and stimulated unrestricted 

scientific research and data 

exchange. 

As one of the countries to ratify 

the Antarctic Treaty, Brazil assumed

international commitments which 

imply the duty to carry out scientific 

research and to preserve the 

Antarctic environment. 

What is the role of 

the Brazilian Navy in 

the Brazilian Antarctic 

operations? 

Brazilian activities in the Antarctic 

region are coordinated by the 

Brazilian Antarctic Program 

(PROANTAR). The main efforts of 

Brazilian scientists focus on the 

Comandante Ferraz, EACF Antarctic 

station. 

Both the administration of EACF 

and the logistic support for materials 

and staff are provided by the 

Brazilian Navy. PROANTAR also relies 

on support flights, carried out by a 

Brazilian Air Force aircraft, and on 

PETROBRAS, Petróleo Brasileiro S/A, 

which is responsible for all fuel used. 

Where in the 

Antarctic continent 

is EACF based? 

EACF is located at 62º08 S 058º40W 

in Admiralty Bay, King George 

Island, some 130 km from the 

Antarctic Peninsula. The Station 

has been named after Commander 

Luis Antonio de Carvalho Ferraz, 

a late Navy Hydrographer, one of 

the Brazilian Antarctic exploration 

pioneers. 

When did EACF 

operations start? 

EACF commenced operations in 

1984, and has continued with no 

operational interruptions so far. Its 

tasks include supporting research 

programs, which are developed to 

study the impacts of global environmental 

changes in Antarctica and 

its consequences for the Americas. 

Brazilian researchers also contribute 

at three other sites located at 

Elephant, Nelson ad King George 

Islands, and on board the oceanographic 

support ship Ary Rongel. 

Vaisala Automatic Weather Stations survive even in the most demanding weather conditions. 

What is DHN’s role 

in Antarctic weather 

forecasts? 

Weather forecasting is paramount 

for the safety of activities in the 

Antarctic. DHN transmits daily 

bulletins and special meteorological 

forecasts, as well as numerical 

weather products for EACF. The Ary 

Rongel ship has also benefited from 

atmospheric and wave forecasts. 

Why did DHN need an 

Automatic Weather 

Station at the EACF? 

The station is used to evaluate 

weather forecasts generated by 

the Brazilian Navy. It also allows 

meteorologists to observe the main 

characteristics of the meteorological 

polar summer systems in-situ. The 

Brazilian Navy has already sent six 

Meteorological Officers to EACF in 

different periods during the latest 

Southern summers. With the data 

provided by Vaisala systems, DHN 

Meteorological Officers can evaluate 

the necessity to increase the resolution 

of its numerical models, and 

work towards the implementation 

of data assimilation and state-of-the- 

art numerical weather prediction, 

currently under development at DHN. 

What are your 

experiences with 

the Vaisala weather 

stations? 

The Vaisala systems are easy to 

set up and configure, and measure 

wind speed and direction, pressure, 

temperature, relative humidity and 

precipitation - guaranteeing the 

necessary data for the evaluation 

and calibration of the numerical 

weather models generated by DHN. 

Comparison between the forecasts 

made in-situ with the ones 

elaborated remotely revealed that 

the presence of meteorological teams 

from DHN at EACF allowed a better 

understanding of local conditions, 

which led to an improvement of 

about 15% in forecast accuracy. 


www.mar.mil.br/dhn/chm/meteo 


products/weatherstations 


Tomi Rintanen / Corporate Responsibility Specialist / Vaisala / Helsinki, Finland 

Vaisala’s first 

Corporate 

Responsibility 

report published 

Well-established 

and respected 

companies are able to 

demonstrate to their 

stakeholders that they 

stand for sustainable 

development and 

practices that steer the 

future into a positive 

direction. Vaisala is no 


exception. 

We have committed ourselves to 

publicly demonstrating our responsibilities 

as a company. We report the 

economic, social and environmental 

impacts of our work and follow up 

on our progress. Environmental 

responsibility has always been close 

to our hearts due to our role in 

environmental measurement. Now 

we want to show our stakeholders 

that we conduct all our business in 

an equally responsible way. 

Vaisala’s first Corporate Responsibility 

report contains information 

about the environmental impacts 

of our operations and products, 

and discusses Vaisala’s role as an 

employer and as a part of the communities 

we work in. Moreover, it explains 

the ethical guidelines of our work, as 

well as our values and philanthropic 

activities. Our reporting is based on 

the Global Reporting Initiative’s (GRI) 

guidelines, which is the most widely 

used reporting standard today. 

Responsible business conduct 

Vaisala seeks to develop its 

business and operations continuously. 

In the same spirit, our Corporate 

Responsibility activities and 

efforts can and will be further developed. 

For instance, we need to make 

some of our reporting processes 

more coherent globally. We hope to 

deliver an even better report next 

year. Feedback from readers is most 

welcome. 

Vaisala became a UN Global 

Compact signatory in October 2008. 

We are proud to support the ten 

principles of Global Compact and 

will promote these values to our 

stakeholders. Our CR-report includes 

a section that explains how we have 

integrated the Global Compact principles 

into our organization. 

The report is available for 

download at 

www.vaisala.com/corporate/ 

corporateresponsibility 

In our view, responsible businesses go beyond what is required by law to 

make a positive impact on society and the environment. This is achieved 

by considering the full scope of economic, social and environmental 

impacts, and is realized through responsible management, sustainable 

operations and products as well as engagement with stakeholders, 

including employees, customers, suppliers, investors, and communities.

Briefly noted Briefly noted Briefly noted Briefly noted 

Professor Dr Vilho Väisälä Awards 

granted in two research fields 

The Professor Dr Vilho Väisälä Award 

recognizes outstanding research 

papers involving meteorological 

observation methods and instruments. 

Two awards are granted biannually 

in connection with the WMO 

TECO/METEOREX conference and 

carry a cash prize of USD 10,000. 

The 60th session of the World 

Meteorological Organization’s Executive 

Council (June 2008) conferred 

the Professor Dr Vilho Väisälä 

Award for an Outstanding Research 

Paper on Instruments and Methods 

of Observation to O. Bousquet, P. 

Tabary and J. Parent-du-Châtelet 

(all from France) for their paper 

entitled “On the value of operation- 

ally synthesized multiple-Doppler 

wind fields” published in Geophysical 

Research Letters, Vol. 34, 2007. 

The Professor Dr Vilho Väisälä 

Award for the Development and 

Implementation of Instruments and 

Observations was conferred to L. 

Lanza (Italy), M. Leroy (France), C. 

Alexandropoulos (France), L. Stagi 

(Italy) and W. Wauben (the Netherlands) 

for their paper entitled 

“WMO laboratory intercomparison of 

rainfall intensity gauges” published 

as IOM Report No. 84, WMO/TD No. 

1304, 2006. 

The TECO/Meteorex conference 

was organized in St. Petersburg, 

Russia on 27th-29th November 2008. 

Vaisala attends 89th AMS Annual Meeting 

The Vaisala team was very active 

during the 89th American Meteorological 

Society events held in 

Phoenix, Arizona, 11- 15 January 

2009. Vaisala unveiled its North 

American Giant Leap student internship 

program during the Career Fair, 

and sponsored the WeatherFest, 

which was open to the general 

public. 

During the conference, Vaisala 

also published a global announcement, 

stating that the company is 

investing in the development of 

an operational reference radiosonde. 

Special guest speaker Dr. 

John W. Zillman of Melbourne, 

Australia, Chair of the Global Climate 

Observing System (GCOS) Steering 

Committee and former President of 

the World Meteorological Organization, 

discussed the GCOS project at 

the event. 

Vaisala unveiled its brand new 

exhibition booth, which showcased 

the new branding and images. 

Our annual cocktail reception was 

another success, with over 241 

attendees. Vaisala was also a proud 

co-sponsor of the International 

Dinner that followed the reception. 

As the outgoing AMS President, 

Vaisala’s Dr. Walter Dabberdt hosted 

the 89th AMS Awards Banquet. 

Honors were granted to, among 

others, Vaisala’s Ronald L. 

Holle (AMS Fellow) and a 

special award to the Vaisala 

Sigmet team for their longterm 

contribution to 

the field of weather 

radar signal 

processing. 

Vaisala also 

sponsored the 4th 

Conference on the 

Meteorological 

Applications of 

Lightning Data, 

and chaired 

many of the 

sessions. 

Ronald L. Holle (left) receiving 

his AMS Fellowship from 

Dr. Walter Dabberdt. 


Vaisala acquires Aviation Systems 

Maintenance Inc. 

In line with its strategy, Vaisala seeks 

to grow as a service provider. The 

company’s US subsidiary Vaisala Inc. 

acquired Aviation Systems Maintenance, 

Inc (ASMI), a Kansas, US 

based airport service company with 

over USD 2.6 million net sales in 2008. 

The acquisition closed on January 

1st, 2009, and the value of the deal 

was USD 3.2 million. 

ASMI’s core expertise is founded 

over 25 years of customer relationships 

relating to the installation and maintenance 

of instrumentation at airports. 

The acquisition significantly 

strengthens Vaisala’s position as 

a maintenance provider in the US 

airport weather market, complementing 

the current Vaisala contracts 

and adding expertise in the maintenance 

services for other instruments 

commonly used at airports. 

Revolutionary new innovation brings significant 

improvements to lightning detection accuracy 

Vaisala has developed a revolutionary 

solution which will significantly 

improve lightning detection 

worldwide. Through the use of a 

Vaisala-patented location algorithm, 

the Total Lightning Processor 

improves the lightning detection 

location accuracy by a factor of two 

- improving the precision range from 

500 meters to 250 meters or less. 

This improvement benefits many 

businesses and operations vulner- 



able to lightning - including aviation, 

power utilities, forestry, insurance, 

meteorology, chemical processing 

plants, oil and gas, and more. 

Additionally, the new product 

introduces a user-friendly webbased 

interface with performance 

tools, which can save up to 80% of 

the customer’s time in analyzing 

lightning detection sensor raw data 

files and overall network performance. 

The first solution of its kind 

in the world, it also includes multiple 

network performance maps and 

provides dynamic detection efficiency 

and location accuracy maps. 

These give critical details of network 

status at any given time. 

Vaisala owns and operates the 

US National Lightning Detection 

Network ® . Customers worldwide rely 

on Vaisala’s expertise in lightning 

data and information systems.


President of Finland visits Vaisala 

The President of the Republic of 

Finland, Tarja Halonen, along with 

her spouse, Doctor Pentti Arajärvi, 

and the Governor of the Province of 

Southern Finland, Anneli Taina visited 

the Vaisala headquarters in March. 

The visit commenced with a 

brief Vaisala overview, followed by a 

presentation about Vaisala’s business 

in Africa. President Halonen had 

recently returned from a trip to West- 

Africa, which made the topic current 

to her party. 

The group also paid a visit to the 

Vaisala weather radar laboratory 

and cleanroom, where the President 

had a chance to learn more about 

Vaisala’s weather radar develop- 

From left to right: Vaisala’s CEO Kjell Forsén, President Tarja Halonen and Doctor Pentti Arajärvi. 

ment project as well as the in-house 

high-tech sensor production. The 

President and her spouse showed 

interest in Vaisala’s know-how by 

interviewing our employees about 

their work roles and tasks as well 

as about their general wellbeing at 

Vaisala. 


Idaho Transportation Department 

honors Vaisala RWIS partnership 

A team comprised of Idaho Transportation 

Department (ITD) Maintenance 

and Operations and Vaisala has been 

awarded the 2009 Idaho Transportation 

Department Excellence in 

Transportation Award, for their 

partnership on the Road Weather 

Information Stations (RWIS) Build 

Out program. 

“We are proud to receive this 

prestigious award, which truly represents 

the end product of our valuable 

partnering arrangement,” said Paul 

Bridge, Roads Offering Manager for 

Vaisala. “Vaisala has deployed 49 

new RWIS sites and has renovated an 

existing 27 sites in partnership with 

the ITD. The program included the 

first statewide use of non-intrusive 

pavement sensors, which was the 

most advanced technology at the 

time of installation. The deployment 

decision required a high level 

of trust and commitment from both 

parties, but this is now paying high 

dividends, both in public safety and 

maintenance efficiency. The critical 

road weather information that ITD 

receives in real time via IceNet, the 

RWIS website site monitor, allows 

their maintenance staff to make the 

most efficient use of their resources.” 

Vaisala.com receives a facelift 

www.vaisala.com got a new look on 

March 3rd as the new Vaisala visual 

image was launched online. The 

English language website was first 

to undergo this change, and all local 

websites are planned to follow by the 

end of June. 



Excellences in Transportation 

Awards are sponsored bi-annually by 

the Idaho Transportation Department 

to recognize outstanding 

initiatives in developing, planning, 

and implementing transportation 

projects throughout Idaho. The ITD 

Maintenance & Operations award 

is presented to the collaborators 

of a project that exemplified using 

innovative equipment, processes and 

procedures; promoted partnerships 

and collaborations, and improved 

transportation safety and performance.


Contact 

the Vaisala News team 

Marikka Nevamäki 

Editor-in-Chief 

For subscriptions, cancellations, 

feedback and changes of address, 

please contact the Vaisala News team 

by sending an email to 

vaisala.news@vaisala.com 


Europe 

Vaisala Oyj 

P.O. Box 26, FI-00421 Helsinki 

FINLAND 

Telephone: +358 9 894 91 

Telefax: +358 9 8949 2227 


Malmö Office 

Drottninggatan 1 D 

S - 212 11 Malmö 

SWEDEN 

Telephone: +46 40 298 991, 

in Sweden: 0200 848 848 

Telefax.: +46 40 298 992, 

in Sweden: 0200 849 849 


Stockholm office 

Kanalvägen 10 C, 5tr 

S-194 61 Upplands Väsby 

SWEDEN 

Telephone: +46-8-7509420, 

national: 0200-848 848 

Telefax: +46-8-7509211, 

national: 0200-849 849 

Vaisala GmbH 

Hamburg Office 

Schnackenburgallee 41 

D-22525 Hamburg 

GERMANY 

Telephone: +49 40 839 030 

Telefax: +49 40 839 03 110 


Bonn Office 

Adenauerallee 15 

D-53111 Bonn 

GERMANY 

Telephone: +49 228 24 9710 

Telefax: +49 228 249 7111 


Stuttgart Office 

Bahnhofstr. 3 

73066 Uhingen 

GERMANY 

Telephone: +49 7161 654 9440 

Telefax: +49 7161 654 9450 

Vaisala Ltd 

Birmingham Operations 

Vaisala House 

349 Bristol Road 

Birmingham B5 7SW 

UNITED KINGDOM 

Telephone: +44 121 683 1200 

Telefax: +44 121 683 1299 

Vaisala Ltd 

Newmarket Office 

Unit 9, Swan Lane 

Exning 

Newmarket 

Suffolk CB8 7FN 

UNITED KINGDOM 

Telephone: +44 1638 576 200 

Telefax: +44 1638 576 240 

Vaisala SAS 

Paris Office 

2, rue Stéphenson 

F-78181 Saint-Quentin-en- 

Yvelines 

FRANCE 

Telephone: +33 1 3057 2728 

Telefax: +33 1 3096 0858 

Vaisala SAS 

Marseille Office 

2, rue de Beausset 

13001 Marseille 

FRANCE 

Telephone:+33 4 8866 1751 

Telefax:+33 1 3096 0858 

North America 

Vaisala Inc. 

Boston Office 

10-D Gill Street 

Woburn, MA 01801 

USA 

Telephone: +1 781 933 4500 

Telefax: +1 781 933 8029 


Columbus Office 

1372 Oxley Road 

Columbus, Ohio 43212 

USA 


Boulder Operations 

194 South Taylor Avenue 

Louisville, CO 80027 

USA 

Telephone: +1 303 499 1701 

Telefax: +1 303 499 1767 


San Jose Office 

6980 Santa Teresa Blvd 

Suite 203 

San Jose, CA 95119-1393 

USA 

Telephone: +1 408 578 3670 

Telefax: +1 408 578 3672 


Tucson Operations 

2705 East Medina Road 

Tucson, Arizona 85706, 

USA 

Telephone: +1 520 806 7300 

Telefax: +1 520 741 2848 

U.S. Toll Free 1 800 283 4557 


Houston Office 

1120 Nasa Road 1 Suite 220-E 

Houston, TX 77058 

USA 

Telephone: +1 281 335 9955 

Telefax: +1 281-335-9956 


Minneapolis Office 

6300 34th Avenue South 

Minneapolis, MN 55450 

USA 

Telephone: +1 612 727 1084 

Telefax: +1 612 727 3895 


Westford Office 

7A Lyberty Way 

Westford MA 01886 

USA 

Telephone: +1 978 692 9234 

Telefax: +1 978 692 9575 

Vaisala Inc. Regional 

Office Canada 

37 De Tarascon 

Blainville 

QC J7B 6B7 

CANADA 

Telephone: +1 450 430 0880 

Telefax: +1 450 430 6410 

Asia and Pacific 

Vaisala KK 

Tokyo Office 

42 Kagurazaka 6-Chome 

Shinjuku-Ku 

Tokyo 162-0825 

JAPAN 

Telephone: +81 3 3266 9611 

Telefax: +81 3 3266 9610 

Vaisala Pty Ltd 

Melbourne Office 

3 Guest Street 

Hawthorn, VIC 3122 

AUSTRALIA 

Telephone: +61 3 9815 6700 

Telefax: +61 3 9815 6799 

Vaisala China Ltd. 

Beijing Office 

Floor 2, EAS Building 

No. 21, Xiao Yun Road 

Dongsanhuan Beilu 

Chaoyang District 

Beijing 100027 

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA 

Telephone: +86 10 8526 1199 

Telefax: +86 10 8526 1155 

Vaisala Shenzhen 

Building 1 

17B China Phoenix Building 

Shennan Avenue 

Futian District 

Shenzhen C-518026 


Telephone: + 86 755 8279 2442 

Telefax: + 86 755 8279 2404 

Vaisala Shanghai 

contact address 

6F 780 Cailun Lu 

Pudong New Area 

201203 Shanghai 


Telephone: + 86 21 5132 0656 

Telefax: + 86 21 5132 0657 

Vaisala Regional Office 

Malaysia 

Level 9, West Block 

Wisma Selangor Dredging 

142-C Jalan Ampang 

50450 Kuala Lumpur 

MALAYSIA 

Telephone: +60 3 2163 3363 

Telefax: +60 3 2164 3363 

Vaisala India 

Regus Business Center 

Room No. 418, Level 4 

Rectangle 1 

Commercial Complex D4, 

Saket 

New Delhi 110017 

INDIA 

Telephone: +91 11 4051 4056 

Telefax: +91 11 4051 4052 

Middle East 

Vaisala UAE 

contact address 

P.O.Box : 9197 

Khalifa Al Naboodah Building 

1st Floor 

Sheikh Zayed Road 

Dubai 

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES 

Telephone +971 4 321 9112 

Telefax +971 4 321 9113 

C210058EN 2009-05

Vaisala News 180 - Full Magazine

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