Opportunistic precipitation sensing network

Despite advances in remote sensing, precipitation observations remain one of the weakest links in the description of Earth’s water cycle. This is especially critical in the face of climate change, human-induced hydrologic changes e.g. due to rapid urbanization, and consequent increase in frequency and magnitude of extreme events. OpenSense unites scientists, weather service experts, sensor network owners, and rainfall product users to create a global opportunistic sensing community. The project aims to enhance access to continental opportunistic sensing (OS) observations, establish OS as a reliable method for operational precipitation monitoring, and integrate OS into traditional networks.
The challenges addressed by OpenSense include overcoming data exchange barriers, gaining acceptance as hydrometeorological observations, defining standards for large-scale OS precipitation product benchmarking, coordinating OS observations with traditional monitoring, and identifying new sources of precipitation data. These efforts will boost OS adoption and produce high-quality precipitation products with superior spatial and temporal resolution.