FAQ

WOW-BE is the Belgian network of the Weather Observations Website: a crowdsourced platform on which individuals, schools and organisations share current weather observations. These observations complement the official RMI observation network and provide more local detail, for example in towns and villages.

Data from personal stations is not the same as validated measurements from official RMI stations. Participants are themselves responsible for the placement and maintenance of their weather station and for the quality and completeness of the data they supply.

Together with the measurements from the official RMI weather stations, these observations give an increasingly detailed picture of the weather in Belgium. Very local phenomena, such as wind gusts or a local thunderstorm, sometimes fall between the official observation stations; WOW-BE stations can pick them up.

To describe, understand and forecast the weather well, observations are needed from very different environments: from the coast to the Ardennes, from countryside to city. Personal weather stations complement the official network with many additional local observations.

The data from WOW-BE is used for the real-time assessment of extreme weather, for the analysis of notable weather situations afterwards and for research, for example into the urban heat island effect.

Yes. Participation is free and open to anyone with an automatic weather station that can send data over the internet. The brand or price range is not decisive; whether the weather station can work with WOW-BE, careful placement and continuity of the measurements are more important.

• An automatic weather station with outdoor sensors.
• An internet connection and a way to upload data: directly from the weather station, via an app, or via software on a computer, for example a Raspberry Pi.
• An account and a registered station on WOW-BE.
• The station details with which the upload is recognised.

If the upload runs via software on a computer, that computer must be active 24/7 whenever you want to send data. For permanent use, a separate device may be more suitable, such as the separate Ecowitt device, WeatherLink Live, Meteobridge or an energy-efficient mini computer, for example a Raspberry Pi.

WOW-BE does not prescribe a brand. We call a suitable station “WOW-ready”. Before buying, check whether the station can use a custom server, custom upload or DIY upload and supports the WOW, Weather Underground or Ecowitt protocol. Connecting via software such as Meteobridge, CumulusMX, WeeWX or Weather Display may also be possible.

More information can be found under “Join”.

To migrate an existing station from WOW Met Office, see “Join” → “Migrating an existing station from WOW Met Office”.

Create an account under “Login”. Log in and choose Register a station. After registration you will receive a long and a short station ID; you chose the authentication key yourself during registration.

Store your station ID and key safely. An authentication key does not belong in a public message, screenshot or online configuration file.

In the app or web interface, choose a custom server. When using the Weather Underground protocol, these are the settings for WOW-BE:

Do not enter http:// twice if the app already shows it before the server field. For devices with a server choice, select Customized, not the old option WeatherObservationsWebsite.

Yes, if your station or a separate device supports it. Use host wow.meteo.be, path /api/v2/send? and port 80. With this protocol, the platform identifies the station by its MAC address*, so register the correct MAC address for your station. A separate ID and key are not entered with this upload method.

If this does not work, try the Weather Underground configuration. Note that a MAC address consists of twelve hexadecimal characters and is easily copied incorrectly.

* MAC address: a unique sequence of letters and numbers by which a device is recognised within a network. You can usually find the MAC address of the weather station or the separate device in the accompanying app, on a sticker or in the network settings.

An interval of one minute is the current recommendation of WOW-BE. A higher measurement frequency in the station does not always mean that every individual measurement becomes visible: the platform may combine several measurements into one value or display the data with its own refresh interval.

Register your station again on WOW-BE. You will receive new identification details. In your upload software, change the endpoint to http://wow.meteo.be/api/v2/send? and use your new station ID and authentication key.

The old Site ID and six-digit AWS PIN are not your new login details. Your station’s measurement history on WOW Met Office cannot be transferred to WOW-BE.

A sensor does not only measure the weather, but also the influence of its immediate surroundings. A warm wall can raise the temperature, trees can intercept wind and rain, and paving can store heat during the day. A simple sensor in a good location can therefore deliver more usable data than an expensive sensor in an unsuitable location.

Can you not meet all the guidelines? Then state in the station description how and where the sensors are placed. Measurements from a city garden or a balcony can also be valuable, provided their context is known.

Place it over a natural surface, for example grass, in a white, all-round ventilated radiation shield that keeps out direct sunlight and precipitation, and as far as possible from walls, roofs, paving, exhausts and other heat sources. Direct sunlight often causes a clear positive measurement error; placing it “in the shade” alone is not always enough, because still air and a warm wall also affect the measurement. Clean the temperature sensor and the radiation shield when visibly dirty.

A humidity sensor may deviate by a few percent. In dense fog and a temperature above zero, a value close to saturation — roughly 95–100% — is a useful practical check.

Level the rain gauge, with a free inflow and not close to trees, walls or roof edges. Regularly clear the funnel and tipping bucket of leaves, insects and dirt.

An anemometer needs as much free airflow as possible on all sides. Obstacles cause shelter and turbulence; as a result, wind speed and wind direction at a sheltered location are often less representative. Note the mounting height and relevant obstacles in the station description. With an all-in-one sensor array a compromise is unavoidable: document it.

Place a radiation sensor horizontally and level in a location with as clear a view of the sky as possible. Make sure buildings, trees, antennas and other parts of the weather station do not cast a shadow on the sensor at any time of the day. Also keep the sensor away from strongly reflective surfaces, such as light-coloured walls or metal roofs.

Regularly check whether the sensor is still level and carefully clean the sensor surface in case of dust, bird droppings, snow or other contamination. Follow the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions and avoid scratching the diffuser or sensor cover.

An air pressure sensor may be placed indoors, because air pressure indoors and outdoors is almost the same. Place the sensor in a dry location with as constant a temperature as possible. Avoid direct sunlight and places close to a heater, air conditioner, open window or exterior door.

Make sure the sensor stays in contact with the ambient air and therefore do not seal it airtight. Note the height of the sensor above sea level in the station details; this height is needed to reduce the air pressure to sea level correctly.

First check which pressure field your software sends. Absolute air pressure is the pressure at the actual height of the sensor; relative air pressure is converted to sea level and is therefore suitable for comparing locations. Send these values to the correct field (baromin for relative, absbaromin for absolute pressure) and do not apply a height correction both in the station and in the upload software.

An almost constant deviation compared with neighbouring stations often points to an incorrect height, the wrong pressure type or a double correction.

1. Check whether the station itself shows recent values and has internet access.
2. Carefully compare the server address, upload path and port number you entered with the prescribed settings. One missing or wrong digit, letter or punctuation mark can block the upload. Pay particular attention to the slash (/) and the question mark in /api/v2/send?.
3. Check the short station ID and the authentication key, or for Ecowitt the registered MAC address.
4. Check whether the custom upload is enabled and the interval is not set to “off”.
5. If necessary, restart only the upload function, the separate device or the software and wait a few upload intervals.
6. Look at a log or upload status. Messages such as 401 or 403 usually point to identification; 404 often to an incorrect path.

The map may refresh later than the upload. Registering again several times does not help then and can actually cause confusion through different station IDs.

A difference is not automatically a defect. Distance, height, cloud cover, ground, buildings and shelter can cause real local differences. Preferably compare over several days with different types of weather and with more than one neighbouring station.

• Temperature too high mainly in sunshine: think of radiation influence or too little ventilation.
• Wind almost always too low: think of obstacles or a low mounting height.
• Rain structurally too low: check shelter, contamination and levelling.
• Pressure almost constantly offset: check height and absolute/relative.

Only calibrate after placement, configuration and maintenance have been checked. Correcting on the basis of a single snapshot can introduce a new error.

Short spikes can be caused by a sensor connection dropping out, a flat battery, a restart, radio interference, dirt in the rain gauge or a software error. Missing values often occur when wifi, internet, the separate device or the upload computer is temporarily down.

Check the times in the local log and compare different variables: if they all drop out at the same time, the cause is probably in the connection or upload. If only one variable is disturbed, investigate that sensor first.

For questions about connecting a specific station or specific software, it is best to contact the supplier of your station or the developer of the software first, and to check the forums for that software as well. For other questions about WOW-BE, you can contact the RMI’s WOW-BE team via the contact form.