Quality Assurance
The Oklahoma Mesonet’s quality-assurance (QA) consists of four principal components:
1) laboratory calibration,
2) on-site intercomparison,
3) automated QA, and
4) manual QA.
In the instrument laboratory, all sensors are calibrated to validate or improve upon factory calibrations.
On an annual basis, the accuracy of several types of sensors in the field is verified through comparison to calibrated reference sensors housed in a portable system.
To make a first pass through the 640,000+ observations that are received at the Mesonet each day, automated QA software includes numerous algorithms to evaluate the data received from remote stations.
Finally, the Mesonet’s QA meteorologists employ numerous manual techniques to complement automated QA including analysis of monthly statistics to detect sensor drift or bias (click on a month and year to the left to download a PDF version of a Monthly Report). In addition to detecting problematic sensors, the QA meteorologists trace the true start time of each problem so that appropriate data can be manually flagged as erroneous. The QA meteorologists are responsible for communicating problems to, and coordinating with, appropriate field technicians to ensure proper resolution (see a list of the current outstanding tickets below).
Current Trouble Tickets in the Oklahoma Mesonet
(For questions regarding these tickets, contact )
| Station | Variable | Date Reported | Problem Description |
| HOOK | Wind Speed at 2 m | 2012-01-24 14:42:42 | Wind speed at 2m is significantly lower than 10m wind speed and has a starting threshold problem. |
| FAIR | Air Temperature at 1.5 m | 2012-01-10 22:32:23 | Air temperature at 1.5m has a 0.5 to 1 deg C low bias during extended periods. Bias does not coincide with high humidity and rainfall. Bias will be present for several days and then bias will return to normal. |
| WIST | Soil Temperature at 30 cm under Native Vegetation | 2012-01-05 20:55:14 | Sod Temperature at 30cm reports errant spikes in data. |
