Fellbach, Baden-Württemberg ( prfree.org ) August 23, 2013 - G. Lufft GmbH, a German company with a long history of providing precision measurement and control technology, is once again breaking new ground with meteorological monitoring for major sporting events. Lufft has been a leading supplier of the latest weather monitoring systems for decades, setting up sensors in many stadiums around the world. Recent projects have included the Special Olympics 2013 World Winter Games in South Korea and the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.

Currently, Lufft is collaborating on a pilot project with Appalachian State University in North Carolina. The university is the first of its kind to work with a commercial, fully integrated weather monitoring and forecasting system. These are normally only used in the transport and aviation sectors. The university's weather system collects and analyzes meteorological data to make accurate weather predictions and protect students, staff and visitors from weather-related hazards. The university is situated in Boone, the highest point in the United States east of the Mississippi in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. As a result, it has climate conditions not generally familiar to residents of the eastern US. The weather conditions on top of the mountains there are very different from those of nearby towns and the topography of the region often leads to inaccurate weather forecasts and unusual weather conditions. Sudden heat waves, high winds, rain storms, thunder and lightning and even tornadoes can blow through the immediate surroundings of the university within a few hours.

Appalachian State's stadium is home to the university's football team which regularly plays before 30,000 fans at each game. To avoid hazardous weather risks at such major sporting events and to guarantee security, the university uses Lufft weather sensors. With the WS600-UMB compact weather station, which combines three weather sensors into a single unit (including a patented Lufft Doppler radar to detect precipitation), the university can measure air temperature, relative humidity, precipitation intensity, type of precipitation, air pressure, wind direction and wind speed. The collected data is then transmitted and evaluated directly in "Total View," the weather forecasting and decision-making system run by Schneider Electric. Total View actively learns from the data transmitted by the Lufft compact weather station and, over time, will create more and more precise forecasts for the university area and adjust to the nuances of the particular microclimate.

Lufft's weather sensors will play a major role at other sporting events in the future. The numerous stadiums slated for use in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro will be outfitted with Lufft WS301-UMB compact weather stations. This all-in-one station can collect data on temperature, relative humidity, air pressure and global radiation, etc. Rainfall amounts can also be measured with an external sensor that can be connected to the compact weather station. Intelligent road condition data systems by Lufft have been installed in advance of the 2014 Winter Olympics in the Russian city of Sochi. The road sensors were set in the roadways to recognize changes in weather such as freezing rain or black ice as they occur. In addition, weather stations were set up to provide important meteorological data in real time.

Lufft, named one of the "Brands of the Century", will continue to see its weather sensors used at major sporting events as it continues to develop and optimize the equipment in line with the current state of technology. The goal is to ensure the continued safety of the public and the athletes with early recognition of severe weather conditions.

MEDIA CONTACT :

MACHEETE
Paulstraße 34
10557 Berlin, Germany
Contact person: Mareen Eichinger
E-Mail: [email protected]
Tel: 0049 30 488 187 25
Fax: 0049 30 488 118 42
http://www.macheete.com/

COMPANY CONTACT:

G. Lufft GmbH
Gutenbergstr. 20
70736 Fellbach, Germany
Contact person: Tobias Weil
E-Mail: [email protected]
Tel: 0049 711 51822 0
Fax: 0049 711 51822 41
http://www.lufft.com/en/

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Lufft, named one of the "Brands of the Century", will continue to see its weather sensors used at major sporting events as it continues to develop and optimize the equipment in line with the current state of technology. The goal is to ensure the continued safety of the public and the athletes with early recognition of severe weather conditions.