OTT Hydrometry is enhancing its reputation as maker of the world's most reliable, versatile, and durable precipitation gauges, even under the most demanding environmental conditions. Several U.S. government agencies have recently designated OTT as their official precipitation gauge following extensive testing and evaluation. Working with OTT representative CC Lynch and Associates, the U.S. National Weather Service selected the OTT All Weather Precipitation Accumulation Gauge for use in key airport facilities around the country. The OTT gauges are being installed at airports beginning this fall and will replace existing gauges over the next year. Precipitation data gathered at airports is crucial to the accuracy of the nation's weather monitoring and forecasting network.

GAUGE EXCELS IN EXTENSIVE TESTING

In addition, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has chosen OTT as its measuring standard following more than four years of testing. The OTT Pluvio was selected as the official precipitation gauge of the National Atmospheric Deposition Program, which monitors acid rain. OTT gauges will be installed in all new monitoring sites and will replace gauges currently in use to provide more accurate information about environmental conditions.

OTT gauges measure all forms of precipitation, including snow, sleet and freezing rain, through the use of a precision scale and temperature sensors. The gauges being placed at airports feed data directly to the Automated Surface Observation System, or ASOS, a suite of sensors that measures, collects and broadcasts weather data to help meteorologists, pilots and flight dispatchers prepare and monitor weather forecasts and flight routes. ASOS also provides crucial information for takeoffs and landings. “No other gauge could compare with the repeatability and accuracy of the OTT product." “The OTT gauge is such a precise instrument that it never has to be recalibrated, so it remains reliable even in extreme conditions.”

NO MAINTENANCE WAS A KEY REQUIREMENT FOR THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

The National Weather Service was especially impressed that OTT gauges remained calibrated without regular maintenance. “The National Weather Service's resources are strained,” explained Lynch, “It can't afford to put highly trained technical personnel in all these locations to maintain gauges. Since OTT gauges never require recalibration, that's no longer an issue for them.”