WEGN2OPEN - The WegenerNet Open Data and Science Laboratory Region Southeastern Austria

The WegenerNet climate station network Feldbach Region has provided measurements of hydrometeorological near-surface and surface variables with very high spatial and temporal resolution since 2007. It was specifically built as a long-term weather and climate monitoring facility that provides an open-ended data record to help fill the gap between short-term, high-resolution observations and long-term observations at larger scales. In 2020, this ground station network was complemented by the WegenerNet 3D Open-Air Laboratory for Climate Change Research, which has added atmospheric sounding capabilities through a polarimetric X-band Doppler weather radar, a microwave radiometer for vertical profiling of temperature, humidity, and cloud liquid water, an infrared cloud structure radiometer, and a water-vapor-mapping GNSS station network. Together, these facilities provide a unique setup for studying extreme meteorological events in a changing climate.

 

To maximize the impact of these data an open data store and open science tools, based on widely adopted and recognized (metadata) standards, are in the process of being implemented as part of the project WEGN2OPEN. Its focus lies on the provision of innovative high-resolution data cubes with a high level of interoperability to allow for an easy integration into existing applications and workflows.

The aim of this contribution is to showcase the current state of the WEGN2OPEN data store, along with planned advancements and features. This includes an overview of the currently available APIs through which datasets can be discovered and accessed, the web application for browsing, viewing, and subsetting data, and an outlook to a future extension with cloud-based analysis and processing tools.