GSB's Weather Station

     Did you know that we have a weather station on campus?  It is attached to the flagpole at Thomas Court, in front of the Athletic Center and the Cox Lower School.  The weather station measures temperature, wind speed, humidity, precipitation and barometric pressure.

 The GSB Weather Station at Thomas Court

 

     Truthfully, there seems nothing earth-shattering about the fact that a small weather station is located on campus.  But it gets more interesting.  Our weather station is one of several hundred connected stations that collectively offer a snapshot of weather worldwide.  A "weather collective," the Weather Underground, collects and organizes data from stations around the globe.  Information is posted on www.wunderground.com.  In other words, this is a weather wiki site.  A great many individuals and groups contribute time and effort towards building a body of knowledge useful to others.

     Additionally, each participating weather station site can host a site with station-specific information.  At GSB, for up-to-date campus weather, go to http://www.weatherlink.com/user/gsb (For your convenience, there is link on the home page of KnightSite.) Here, you'll see, in real time, the temperature, humidity, etc. for the Gill St. Bernard's School campus.

     Everyone is interested in the weather from time to time, so there is real utility in these sites for everyone.  But in classes, particularly in the Lower School, the information becomes part of the curriculum.  In April, the LS science program turns its attention to weather, and our own weather station can provide data of use to students in their studies.  With a few clicks, students can access historic data for our weather station and measure data against local norms.  It's just one more way that technology can help deepen students' understanding and interest in a topic under consideration.

 The GSB Weather Station's web site - access via KnightSite's home page

 

     It's worth a mention that Hope Preston deserves a special commendation for our participation in the Weather Underground program.  She spearheaded the effort to obtain the weather station hardware and integrate it into the global weather network.  Thanks also to Ryan Roque for his work setting up the web sites that provide the information to the rest of us.