The Windstations

Locations.
There are seven windstations that can operate - The Estuary, SouthBrighton, Lake Ellesmere, Taumutu, Waimakariri River Mouth, Lincoln, Waikuku Beach, plus the portable Testsite. Although not at a sailing site, the Lincoln windstation has been setup as a demonstration of the wind information for visitors to this website. Future plans are to reinstate the Harbour station and to add a station at Greenpark. Places such as Lake Clearwater are on the list but that will take some time to figure out how to get the signal out.

Data collection.
An anemometer measures the wind speed and direction. Temperature gauges measure the air and if possible the water temperature. This information is collected, collated and transmitted to the website every ten minutes through the cellular phone network. The result is a display of the windspeed in the form gust, average and lull updated every ten minutes.

There is a mobile test rig that is used for the development of the website and data from this rig is displayed as the Testsite. The Testsite data should be seen as an example only although sometimes it will be showing what the wind is doing at good sailing locations because I often set it up when I go windsurfing. Where the Testsite is currently running from will sometimes be advised via the message board.

The windstations are intended to operate during the core sailing time each day from 9am to 6pm, with some stations starting earlier and some finishing later. These times will vary through the year with the objective of covering the best sailing time each day. The endevour will be to have at least two stations running each day with most days seeing all stations running.

Pictures of the anemometers used are here.