01/22/2024
Global radiation benchmark - Meteonorm is among the leaders
As part of the international cooperation in IEA PVPS Task 16, a new benchmark of satellite and model based data sources was carried out. Meteotest also participated with the product Meteonorm time series.
The time series of the participants were compared with radiation data from ground measuring stations and statistically evaluated. The comparisons show large differences between the data sources, global and direct radiation and the continents.
Figure on top: Location and number of test data sets per reference station. Stations that were used by one or two providers for post-processing are marked with crosses (source).
In Europe, the models are the best. The satellite-based Meteonorm data performs very well there. Meteotest's method corrects the satellite data regionally to the ground data. The better these are, the better the radiation data from Meteonorm. In places with little or less good radiation data, e.g. in south-eastern Africa, the differences are bigger.
Overall, Meteonorm ranks second in the benchmark, surpassed only by an expensive high-end product. The Meteonorm database is regularly updated and the method improved. The Meteonorm data is available worldwide in the Meteonorm desktop software, as a time series single order or via API.
The table in the attachments shows the deviation (relative Mean Bias Deviation, rMDB) of the different radiation data at the investigated locations. In addition, the mean of the MBD, the standard deviation, the mean of the absolute values and the standard deviation of the absolute values are listed. The Meteonorm time series are listed as METEOTEST (source).
09/02/2020
Meteonorm Version 8
Eight years after launching version 7 Meteotest publishes Meteonorm Version 8 today.
This upgrade includes mainly new and more current climate periods, better access to ongoing timeseries and updates of the software. The user interface of the desktop software hasn't been changed much. With the publishing of version 8 Meteotest stops the support of version 6 (2006).
What's new:
Compared to version 7.3, Version 8 is based on more recent data from the following periods:
- 1996 – 2015: new main period for radiation parameters (see new maps)
- 2000 – 2019: new main period for temperature, dew point temperature, wind, precipitation and days with precipitation
This recent time period is denoted in the new Version as “contemporary”. It is still possible to choose a “historic” data period (1981 – 1990 for radiation and 1961 – 1990 for temperature).
- Access to ongoing current time series based on satellite worldwide (55°S to 65°N) and Re-Analysis data (ERA-5T) for the rest of the world
- New satellite data based on an own, globally homogeneous satellite model, including satellite data for Asia and the Americas
- Future data for IPCC Scenarios RCP 2.4, 4.5 and 8.5 from 10 global climate models based on CMIP5 are included (2020 - 2100)
- Detailed model for urban effects based on the H2020 climate-fit.city project. 100 cities in Europe include urban effects for the contemporary climates. Barcelona, Berlin, Bern, Bremen, Prague, Rome and Vienna additionally include urban effects of 2050 for two scenarios.
- Current data (downloaded timeseries) include the new parameters Td, FF, DD and RR (previously only Ta and Gh)
- The software was partly refactored, updated and bugs fixed. Climate data are mostly stored as .png files to achieve maximum compression rates.
- Clearer structure and separation of climate and/or imported / current data
Further info you can find on the changelog.
Recent clients
Clients having bought a new or a upgrade version of software 7.3 during the last 31 days before the publishing date of version 8 are eligible for a free upgrade. Clients will be informed directly.
10/17/2019
Making climate services a reality in Europe
Meteotest is part of the Horizon 2020 project climate-fit.city. The final results will be shown at the two day conference "Making climate services a reality in Europe" November 13-14th 2019 in Brussels
Within the project climate-fit.city Meteonorm was updated with urban heat and climate change data for 100 European cities (in the next update 7.3.4). We will show that climate change and urban effects have a big influence especially for building simulation results.
More info and registration for the free conference: https://www.climateservices.biz