NWS Coop Modernization Program

For more than a century, the United States government has utilized the cooperative efforts
of public-spirited citizens all across the nation to help perform an invaluable service by
participating in a network of volunteer weather observers. This Cooperative Observer
Network is the nation's largest and oldest weather network established in 1890 to make
meteorological observations and establish and record climate conditions in the United
States, primarily for agricultural purposes. The network is increasingly used by the National
Weather Service (NWS) to support meteorological and hydrological forecasts and warnings
and to verify forecasts.

A significant undertaking is being implemented by the NWS to create an automated network,
manned by the same Coop participants that would significantly modernize the Coop
capability to essentially provide real-time reporting. The intent is to not only monitor
traditional Coop parameters (temperature and precipitation), but other parameters as well
that would be of use for the public good. In anticipation of this unique real-time capability,
the NWS Coop Modernization Program is now part of the new NOAA's Environmental
Real-time Observation Network (NERON).

Vaisala HydroMet™ Automatic Weather Stations are currently being used in the NWS
New England Pilot Coop Modernization Program, which is the testbed for the national
network. The NWS Coop Modernization Program will eventually provide high quality
data on a grid of approximately 20 x 20 miles across the country.