Introduction to the Meteorological Department's Traffic Weather Visibility Monitoring Stations

Traditional methods of visibility monitoring rely mainly on manual visual observation, which involves the selection of fixed references at different distances from the observing site, and then the observer's judgement of the visibility level by the naked eye.

Although this traditional monitoring method is simple, there are certain limitations, such as the influence of the observer's subjective judgement and the difficulty of observation under adverse weather conditions. With the development of science and technology, we now have more advanced technology to replace this manual monitoring method.

Modern visibility monitoring technologies, such as visibility monitoring stations, can provide more accurate and objective data. These devices measure the scattering coefficient in the air optically and thus automatically calculate the value of visibility. This method not only improves the accuracy of monitoring, but also reduces the reliance on manual observation.

In addition, combined with the Internet of Things technology, these automatic monitoring devices can transmit data to the central monitoring system in real time, enabling managers to obtain visibility information in a timely manner, so as to better carry out traffic management and meteorological warnings and other work. With the application of these technologies, visibility monitoring in China will become more efficient and accurate.

Monitoring visibility is very meaningful. For example, in the face of unpredictable weather phenomena such as fog and mass fog, we cannot just rely on the forecasts of a few weather stations. To ensure road safety, we can make use of cameras on motorways to analyse videos and monitor visibility in real time using big data and artificial intelligence technology.

In this way, we can monitor the road conditions 24 hours a day, and the system will automatically issue an alert once the visibility is reduced. This approach requires no manual intervention and allows for a quick response, helping drivers and transport authorities to take timely measures to reduce the risk of traffic accidents due to low visibility.

In short, it is the use of high technology to make the instrument into an intelligent "eyes", at any time to monitor the road, to protect our safety.