The CWOP network is a public-private partnership with U.S. citizens and various agencies including NOAA, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), and various universities. There are over 4500 registered sites worldwide, with close to 3000 of these sites located in North America.

G.8. Desert Research Institute (DRI) Network

• Purpose of network: sample weather and climate in various desert and mountain locations in support of ongoing research activities at WRCC and Desert Research Institute.
• Primary management agencies: WRCC and Desert Research Institute.
• Data website: http://www.wrcc.dri.edu.
• Measured weather/climate elements:

o Air temperature.

o Precipitation.

o Relative humidity and dew point temperature.

o Wind speed and direction.

o Barometric pressure.

o Solar radiation.

• Sampling frequency: every 3 seconds.
• Reporting frequency: every 10 minutes.
• Estimated station cost: $10000, with maintenance costs of about $2000 per year.
• Network strengths:

o High-quality data and metadata.

o Sites are well-maintained.

o Data are in near-real-time.

• Network weaknesses:

o Network has relatively small geographical extent (Nevada and its immediate surroundings).

The Desert Research Institute (DRI) operates this network of automated weather stations, located primarily in California and Western Nevada. Many of these stations are located in remote mountain and desert locations and provide data that are often used in support of various environmental studies in the region.