Weather Stations

[OFSO]

Slightly off the computers and internet thread, but this one has me puzzled.

We live in a mountainside urbanisation called Mas Fumats 3 kilometres from (and above) the town of Roses. Mas Fumats is basically a posh housing estate set on a steep slope, with one restaurant & shop and that's it.

All my Android devices, until yesterday, showed on the main screen the name "Roses" and the weather sitrep for Roses.

Yesterday evening I noticed the home screens were now displaying "Mas Fumats" and the sitrep for the community. For example, "snow flurries". Switching back to Roses it displayed "rain".

Obviously the Android devices know where they are (GPS and triangulation) but (a) why has the name of the community now appeared and (b) from where is the weather data derived ? I might add that the name of the urbanisation now also appears on weather websites.

When the current weather has ameliorated I intend to have a walk around and see if someone has installed a METEOSAT ground transponder here.... but until then, any ideas ?

[Milo Minderbinder]

someone has stuck a new home weather station onto the network

here's a couple of examples of networks you can hook a home station to

Personal and Home Weather Stations (http://www.weatherforyou.com/personal_weather_stations/maps/)

PWS - Personal Weather Stations - WunderWiki (http://wiki.wunderground.com/index.php/PWS_-_Personal_Weather_Stations)

I don't know which network your phone provider will be using, but it will be something like that

[FullOppositeRudder]

Some amateur radio operators also do this as part of their APRS (http://www.aprs.net.au/general/what-aprs) activities.

[OFSO]

I don't know which network your phone provider will be using

Tha Tablet says its "Weather channel".

[Milo Minderbinder]

Thats who is providing the service to you
However they have to collate the data from somewhere, and part of that collation will be from a network of local weatherstations, quite probably run in many cases by backyard hobbyists.