Citizen science during RELAMPAGO: Societal contribution to the analysis of severe weather

CARAGUNIS J.I; VELAZQUEZ Y.

Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires

Workshop; RELAMPAGO-CACTI Data Analysis Workshop; 2019

CIMA (CONICET/FCEN-UBA)

The RELAMPAGO-CACTI project was created to observe and study the severe storms that produced high-impact meteorological events in the lee of the Andes mountains and Sierras de Córdoba in Argentina. In order to have an independent source of information, it was necessary for society to participate in this project by reporting the severe phenomena they observed. The reports were collected using a Google Form. First, the user must enter the location and time of the event, then it was possible to select its type (hail, heavy rain, gusts/strong winds, lightning). After choosing an event, the form asked for its characteristics, including the possibility to upload photos and videos. The form was shared through the Twitter account @RELAMPAGO_edu where flyers with meteorological information were also published to engage the public. From these reports a database was generated.