mPING
The National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) and The University of Oklahoma's Cooperative Institute for Mesoscale Meteorological Studies (CIMMS) needs your help with our research!
The Meteorological Phenomena Identification Near the Ground project (mPING) needs you, the Citizen Scientist, to watch and report on precipitation.
mPING is looking for volunteers of all ages and backgrounds to make observations
- teachers, classes, families, everyone and anyone! This app and associated web pages are your portal to providing observations to the research meteorologists at NSSL that will help us develop and refine algorithms that use the newly upgraded dual-polarization NEXRAD radars to detect and report on the type of precipitation that you see falling. To do a good job, we need tens of thousands of observations form all over the US. We can succeed only with your help.
mPING volunteer observers can spend as much time as they want, from a little to a lot, making observations. The basic idea is simple: NSSL will collect radar data from NEXRAD radars in your area along with sounding data from our models during storm events, and use your data to develop and validate new and better algorithms. We have two focus areas: winter precipitation type, such as rain, freezing rain, drizzle, freezing drizzle, snow, graupel, ice pellets, mixed rain and snow, mixed ice pellets and snow and even observations of “none” when the precipitation has stopped, even if only briefly.
Why? Because the radars cannot see close to the ground at far distances and because automated surface sensors are only at airports. But the people affected by winter weather are everywhere so we need you to tell us what is happening where you are.But we need more than winter weather details: when there are thunderstorms, we need to know if hail falls and, if it does how big it is. Measuring with a ruler is best but, whatever you do, stay safe.
All you need to do is use this app to select the precipitation type. Tell us what is hitting the ground. NSSL scientists will compare your report with what the radar has detected and what our models think the atmosphere is doing, and use it to develop new technologies and techniques to determine what kind of precipitation such as snow, ice, rain or hail and its size is falling where.
Category : Education
Reviews (25)
App is fine but there is no option for just Snow. The only option I can select is Snow and/or graupel. Very confusing. Is that the right selection when it is just snowing? I emailed the developer a week ago but no response so far.
The mPing app is a good, easy way to contribute to scientists and meteorologists alike. It is simple: You select what the weather is like in your neighborhood and report, which can actually be fun to do, especially during severe weather and snowstorms. You can also see other weather reports around your area and compare them to yours. mPing also comes with Radarscope, another handy weather app. mPing is fun to use and is recommended to all weather geeks.
This is a great app, and especially fun for citizen scientists, young and old. Being able to "tell" someone what's really happening with the weather, after seeing the weather app give inaccurate or out of date information, is a joy unto itself. Then clicking the map of the live reporting and seeing where other users are reporting and what they're seeing just makes it all the more fulfilling. It like realizing that a loved one far away is still looking at the same night sky, stars and moon.
It works as is, but I hate we can't have a login to view all our reports over time too and to add individual notes to them later on if we want to expand on our observations for researchers to see more about later on. Just wish it was more user focused and had user features like a login for report histories etc. Was hoping the redesign would give more user focused stuff like that.
Update... Glad to see the app up and running again!! Has worked flawlessly for a long time. Recently when I try to report I get a "404 unauthorized pop up" so I had to uninstall. Hopefully you will get it fixed soon.
Sept. 1, 2020. Samsung Galaxy Note 9. KG5EEU This app no longer works at all since my most recent phone update. Will not allow me to make or view reports. I will be uninstalling it as it is now useless. UPDATE: 09/04/2020 Now that the app issues have been resolved, I have reinstalled it and it appears to be working well.
As a Private pilot weather is extremely important to me. I'm a big-time user of "RadarScope" & "Storm Radar" and with this little mPing app it's nice that I could give back in a way, for all the help the weather service has given me for the past 30 years.
App is good overall but desperately needs updated. The app is a viable platform for data gathering and should be kept up to date. If you have to build a pay version then so be it. If nothing else a paid version will keep the riff raff at bay.
Just tried the app. Worked properly for about an hour. Snow isn't an option, snow and/or graupel. Wouldn't let me see the map around me. Couldn't give it 0 stars. Deleted. Tried again the next day, wouldn't load. Ugh
Now working, new update, ... Not loading, opening stalls I had ver 2.1.1 So uninstalled and reinstalled. Still same prob On android phone samsung Galaxy7.
Omg please start blocking ip addresses of people that drive down the highway reporting rain every quarter of a mile for 20 miles or so. this is not instagram or a fitness running rout tracker and it does not help the purpose of this app when people do this.
I think it's awesome because I live 5 miles from weather station and I can have different report than they are reporting on the news from them. Can check out the map for where I am heading in bad weather.
The app doesn't seem to be transmitting my data. I tried the test and didn't get the yellow x. I'd like to use it but if it isn't sending data it's a waste of time.
Okay.. I like the idea. Needs more ability to see the store or weather reports themselves. Apart from that, it's cool.
Great app to allow the public to share what weather is occurring where they are in real time. When using certain weather radar apps the reports show up giving you a great perspective of weather happening or about to occur.
Easy to use but i would like to see the ability to include a photo and also add ability to enter SkyWarn ID which would be included with reports.
The app has a lot of report options, but is lacking a report option for lightning. It would be good for reporting heavy lightning in an area and cloud to ground lighting
I use this app fairly frequently. Upgraded my phone to a Galaxy S20 earlier this week & the app no longer works. Please update the app! Follow up. I learned about the flood of false reports after my post, so I retract what I said! Good luck!
This application is still not working. I have a Galaxy S10 model SM-G973U. I can select the type of report but nowhere can I enter the data. I have version 2.1.1 . Please help.
Very great way of helping informing people of weather activity would be nice to have more options for reporting like maybe some lightning intensity options somehow or more specific reporting for rain and snow like moderate rain or heavy rainfall just to allow to be more specific on conditions and same for snow light snow, moderate snow and heavy snow
Glad it is back on the air. Like to think that is helpful to report actual weather. Often have much windier weather then National Weather Service seems to know about. This year the rain has skipped us by.
I haven't been able to submit reports since the flood of false reports earlier this month but I know they're working fixing that. So, 5 stars for how it worked up until then and I look forward to being able to use it again.
Looking forward to being able to submit reports again. Its acting like I am blocked. I see where there has been some issues here. Thanks in advance, waiting for things to be resolved. :) Spotter LN-75 - Albany, Oregon Ham Radio - W7WZA
not transmitting reports I've made Maybe due to the last update being 2016. Being a university app the developers have probably graduated or moved on to other things because with all the bad reviews there is no response either.
I've used this application as a user for over three years. It's great to see weather when traveling. Users need to send "No Report" after they've had significant WX such as heavy rain & snow to indicate the storm has moved out of your area. I've found this app not only very informative to let me know how the storms are moving, but also, it's doggone fun.