Introduction to Visibility Measurement Instruments

In port and traffic-intensive areas, severe weather conditions such as fog and strong winds often have a serious impact on production and transport activities. Owing to the challenges of establishing meteorological observation facilities in these areas, there is a chronic lack of systematic observation data. The inadequacy of meteorological warning services is particularly evident in areas such as harbours and motorways, which require high visibility monitoring. Therefore, it has become critical to properly site and establish sophisticated meteorological monitoring stations in these critical areas.

Based on the aerosol forward scattering principle, we have introduced a visibility measurement instrument, which is controlled by a microprocessor and is capable of emitting pulses of infrared light and measuring the intensity of forward scattering of light by suspended particles in the atmosphere. By applying specific algorithms, the instrument is able to convert measurements of scattered light intensity into meteorological visibility values.

This visibility instrument is an innovative successor to the traditional transmission visibility sensor, providing continuous visibility measurements.

It has a wide range of applications including, but not limited to, weather stations, remote automatic weather monitoring stations, airports, motorways, airways and large ships, providing a powerful tool for weather monitoring and traffic management.