> Background to the project:
... In the latter part of the 1980's, I was one of a team of forecasters providing weather forecasts to the BBC's national radio networks from a studio housed within the London Weather Centre at High Holborn, now long gone.
… Through contacts with blind listeners, I was made aware that there was a requirement for an easy to use (and cheap) method that those interested in meteorology might be able to use to measure rainfall.
… This article describes the method of construction and use of a simple rain-gauge for home / hobby use that is intended to be used by people who are blind or partially-sighted. It can though be used by anyone.
… Given the materials and methods used, accuracy will be limited - certainly to the nearest 1 mm of rain, but with practice, 0.5mm might be achieved. However, although these figures would not allow its use for official climatological returns, for the purpose of monitoring weekly or monthly rainfall and placing into a broader-scale context, the measurements will be of some use. I built one for one of my contacts and she has been using it since 2005: the results are remarkably good when compared with 'classical' instrumentation in the surrounding area.
Index:-
1 Materials used & suggested sources
2 Method of construction: main bucket
3 Method of construction: funnel / cap
4 Method of construction: collector
5 Method of construction: measuring vessel
6 Method of construction: measuring float
7 Siting the gauge
8 Method of use
9 Problems
Martin Rowley
October, 2006
http://booty.org.uk/booty.weather/