The coordination of weather observing activities in the United States is complex. In addition to the Departments of Commerce (DOC), Defense (DOD), and Transportation (DOT), this effort requires the participation of commercial aviation interests who represent a large segment of the users of meteorological information.
This diversity mandates that the meteorological information distributed among Federal agencies and commercial users comply to established standards.
The Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology (OFCM) through the Working Group for Surface Observations' Task Group for Surface Instrumentation Standards (TG/SIS) has developed standards for siting automated weather observing systems used at airports and heliports. This document addresses siting characteristics for exposure and placement of sensors. Siting characteristics are essential for the establishment of a standardized meteorological data network and necessary for aviation and other weather forecasting purposes.
While these siting standards define and establish specifications and guidelines, they contain sufficient flexibility for agencies to achieve the requirements through agency specific procedures.
To provide for an orderly transition to metric units, this document includes both English and metric dimensions. Until there is an official conversion to the metric system, English units will prevail.
Julian M. Wright, Jr. Federal Coordinator