1. Near-Real-Time Data Collection at WDCA: Why & What
Fiebig, M. et al. WDCA at the Norwegian Institute for Air Research

2. Source: Copernicus.eu

3. Implementing the Digital Agenda: Copernicus
Source: Alessandro Annoni, JRC

4. Source: Vincent-Henri Peuch, ECMWF

5. Source: Vincent-Henri Peuch, ECMWF

6. Source: Vincent-Henri Peuch, ECMWF

7. New Operational Atmospheric Composition Air Quality Products
CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) AOD product:

8. New Operational Atmospheric Composition Air Quality Products
CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) PM2.5 forecast product:
GAW surface in situ aerosol data for validation, not assimilation.
Data needs to be available in NRT!!!
Delayed validation for academic purposes only
Non-NRT data has much less impact on result.

9. Source: Astrid-Christina Koch, Copernicus

10. Source: Astrid-Christina Koch, Copernicus

11. Metrological Traceability: Surface In Situ Data’s Unique Selling Point
“property of a measurement result whereby the result can be related to a reference through a documented unbroken chain of calibrations, each contributing to the measurement uncertainty”
(Definition of metrological traceability according to JCGM200:2012 International vocabulary of metrology – Basic and general concepts and associated terms)
Many (most?) surface in situ aerosol observations are traceable already, and more will be.
Traceable data are the only means to discover systematic biases in an absolute sense.
Motivation:
Hugely increased visibility, both for GAW and for station.
Good arguments for sustained funding.

12. GAW Aerosol’s NRT Network: Current Status
32 stations
52 instruments

13. GAW Aerosol’s NRT Network: Possible Status
75 stations
110 instruments

14. Measures to Realise NRT Potential in GAW Aerosol
Convince people:
Station PIs need to be convinced that additional visibility is worth the extra effort in maintaining NRT data stream.
NRT data delivery is an investment in a station’s future.
Provide Tools for Participating:
NOAA software package
ACTRIS modular DAQ software
Ensure Visibility of Station and Network:
Means of acknowledgement in operational products not defined yet.
Resistance of operational service providers to acknowledge data sources.

15. NRT DAQ Software Packages
NOAA software package:
Comprehensive, covers numerous instruments (ECOTECH & TSI neph, aethalometer, MAAP, PSAP, CPCs), acquisition, online display, QA workflow, normal & NRT reporting.
ACTRIS:
Volunteers write stand-alone software for single instruments to share
Can be adapted to local workflow.
Instrument
Responsible
TSI 3563 nephelometer
NILU (ready!)
ECOTECH nephelometer
U. Crete
MAAP
TROPOS
Magee AE31
NILU
Magee AE33
Radiance Res. PSAP
TROPOS SMPS
Custom DMPS / SMPS
Stations themselves

16. Measures to Realise NRT Potential in GAW Aerosol
Convince people:
Station PIs need to be convinced that additional visibility is worth the extra effort in maintaining NRT data stream.
NRT data delivery is an investment in a station’s future.
Provide Tools for Participating:
NOAA software package
ACTRIS modular DAQ software
Ensure Visibility of Station and Network:
Means of acknowledgement in operational products not defined yet.
Resistance of operational service providers to acknowledge data sources.

17. Operational Services: What’s In It For The Station?
Success for ACTRIS-ESFRI:
ACTRIS-ESFRI will establish ACTRIS (stations & facilities) as permanent infrastructure.
Will be successful only if relevant (for digital agenda / Copernicus)
Funding & Visibility at national level:
Your national funding agency can demonstrate they are contributing to Copernicus (with your station)
Increased chances of getting national funding on ACTRIS ticket.
Visibility:
Work towards visibility of network and station in final product.

18. 2 Routes For Data Submission
Regular, annual submission:
Submission of annual dataset by 30 June the following year.
Data shall have highest level of QA possible.
Dataset assembled by data originator, because detail knowledge resides here.
Near-Real-Time Data Submission:
Submission shall be collected and disseminated within max. 3 hours of measurement.
Compromise on data quality due to auto-processing accepted.
Alert service for provider if instrument “misbehaves”.
Central data processing to ensure uniform dataset and implement alert service.

19. NRT data collection flow chart
automatic
feedback
Sub-network data centre:
auto-creates hourly data files (level 0).
initiates auto-upload to NRT server.
FTP transfer
to data centre
Station:
collects raw data in custom format
transfer
Data Centre:
check for correct data format (level 0).
check whether data stays within specified boun- daries (sanity check).
FTP transfer
to data centre
Station:
auto-creates hourly data files (level 0).
initiates auto-upload to NRT server.
automatic
feedback
User access (restricted) via web-interface: ebas.nilu.no
Processing to level 1.5
Processing to level 1
EBAS database
User access via machine-to-machine web-service
Hourly level 1 data file
Hourly level 1.5 data file

20. Increasing the number of NRT stations and instruments
Follow-up on stations that have NRT upload procedures ready.
Take one instrument type at a time, focus first on nephelometers, then absorption photometers, then MPSS.
Within ACTRIS WP3, we should provide & share DAQ software that:
collects data from instrument
displays incoming data graphically,
writes data to hard drive in level 0 format
uploads hourly level 0 files to NRT account at NILU.
auto-start of the software, e.g. after a power failure.
Need volunteers to write, provide, and maintain such software!!!