OpenAWS is a network of open-souce automated remote weather stations. The goal of OpenAWS is to develop a simple low-cost weather station that
can be installed anywhere on Earth to fill in gaps in our knowledge of global climates. The stations are designed to be reproducible by
meteorologists and hobbyists with minimal equipment. The station design prioritizes low power consumption, ease of installation, low
operating costs, and long-term reliability. Deploying an OpenAWS station is the easiest and most inexpensive way to record weather
data in remote locations.
Why was OpenAWS started?
OpenAWS was conceived in 2022 as an effort to bridge the gap between personal weather stations (PWS) and cost-prohibitive research-grade meteorological equipment. Over the course of the
next few years, the designed was refined into a station that cost about the same as a consumer-grade PWS and could operate reliably in remote areas. As the ultimate goal of the network
is widespread data collection in unique climates with lacking data, the decision to open-source the design was a natural one. OpenAWS welcomes contributions to the station's design
and fully supports the reproduction and deployment of OpenAWS stations.
How much does an OpenAWS station cost to build?
The cost to build an OpenAWS station depends on the number of sensors installed and network availability. A basic station that communicates via a cellular network and measures temperature,
humidity, rainfall, and barometric pressure can be constructed for less than 170 USD. Cost is increased by the addition of an anemometer and the specialized hardware required for satellite connectivity.
How much does an OpenAWS station cost to operate?
The operating cost of an individual station is determined by the network type. OpenAWS stations are highly efficient in their use of bandwidth. Each data transmission
is encoded into a payload of just 35 bytes. At the standard five-minute observation interval, data usage is about 840 KB per month. Stations transmitting on cellular networks
are able to operate in most countries on a single SIM card costing about 1 USD per year. The usage of satellite networks drastically increases the operating costs. As of 2026,
geostationary NB-NTN networks are the most cost-effective and can support stations transmitting once per hour for about 15 USD per month.
OpenAWS is licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0.