DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18268508
title: PARASITE UAS wind measurement and ultrasonic anemometer/radiosonde reference measurements (Jülich 08/2024, Falkenberg 02/2025)

description: PARASITE UAS Wind Measurement Validation Dataset

This dataset contains meteorological measurement data recorded by the PARASITE (Portable Aircraft Rucksack for Atmospheric Sensing and In Situ Turbulence Estimation) payload attached to two multicopter uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) as well as reference data from ultrasonic anemometers and radiosondes.

The UAS used are commercially available multicopters:- DJI Matrice 300 (nicknamed "Hopper")- DJI Mavic 3E (nicknamed "Flik")

The goal of the measurements performed for this dataset was to capture validation data for a novel indirect wind measurement method (COMP+NN) used with the PARASITE payload, which estimates the 3D wind vector from the UAS avionics without the use of an external flow sensor.

The dataset contains measurements from two experiments:

1. Falkenberg Mast Intercomparison (February 2025): Hovering flights next to ultrasonic anemometers at the German Meteorological Service (DWD) Meteorological Observatory Lindenberg - Richard Aßmann Observatory (MOL-RAO) in Falkenberg, Germany.

2. Jülich Campaign (August 2024): Vertical profiles up to 2000 m above sea level at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany, with simultaneous radiosonde ascents (within a time window of +- 20 min) for comparison.

 

Experiment 1: Falkenberg Mast Intercomparison

Location

- Site: DWD Meteorological Observatory Lindenberg - Richard Aßmann Observatory (MOL-RAO), Falkenberg, Germany- Mast Coordinates: 52.16658°N, 14.12228°E- Gill Maximet ("gustl") Coordinates: 52.167000, 14.121944- Terrain: Flat, low surface roughness

Campaign Period

February 2025

Reference Instruments

Three ultrasonic anemometers were used as reference instruments (nicknames in parentheses):




Nickname
Instrument
Height (m a.g.l.)
Sampling Rate
Variables


sully
METEK USA-1
99
20 Hz (resampled to 10 Hz)
u, v, w


mike
METEK USA-1
50
20 Hz (resampled to 10 Hz)
u, v, w


gustl
Gill Maximet 501
5
1 Hz
u, v, horizontal speed, direction, temperature




 

UAS Platforms




Nickname
Platform
Mass
Propeller Diameter
Motors
Endurance


Hopper
DJI Matrice M300
~7 kg
53 cm
4
~45 min


Flik
DJI Mavic 3E
~1 kg
23.9 cm
4
~30 min




 

Flight Strategy

The UAS was positioned 5–10 m laterally from the sonic anemometers, orthogonal to the mean wind direction. This separation prevented rotor downwash interference with the reference sensors while keeping the UAS clear of the mast's turbulent wake.

Data Filtering

The provided data has been filtered to include only periods where:- The UAS was hovering (not in transit)- Horizontal separation from the sonic anemometer was ≤20 m- Vertical separation was ≤10 m- Wind direction was outside the mast wake sector (excluded: 0°–50°)- No propeller icing occurred

 

Experiment 2: Jülich Vertical Profiles

Location



Site: Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany

Campaign: Vital 1 (part of the HIRES-APP research project)


Campaign Period

August 2024

Measurements



UAS: 19 vertical profiles using "Flik" (DJI Mavic 3E) up to 2000 m a.s.l.

Ascent rate: 4 m/s

Reference: Standard meteorological radiosondes launched within 20 minutes of UAS flights


Data Processing

Data from both systems were averaged into 50 m vertical bins to account for differing measurement principles (high-resolution UAS vs. GPS-derived radiosonde winds).

File Descriptions

Falkenberg 10 Hz Hovering Data

These files contain synchronized 10 Hz time series from the UAS and corresponding sonic anemometer during hovering flight.




Filename
UAS
Reference Sonic
Height




hopper_gustl_combined.csv
Hopper
gustl (Gill Maximet)
5 m


hopper_mike_combined.csv
Hopper
mike (USA-1)
50 m


hopper_sully_combined.csv
Hopper
sully (USA-1)
99 m


flik_gustl_combined.csv
Flik
gustl (Gill Maximet)
5 m


flik_mike_combined.csv
Flik
mike (USA-1)
50 m


flik_sully_combined.csv
Flik
sully (USA-1)
99 m




Falkenberg Spectral Analysis Data

These files contain uninterrupted sequences of data suitable for spectral analysis and structure function computation. Each sequence is identified by a block_id.




Filename
UAS
Reference Sonic




hopper_sully_spectra_sections.csv
Hopper
sully (USA-1, 99 m)


flik_sully_spectra_sections.csv
Flik
sully (USA-1, 99 m)




Jülich Radiosonde Comparison




Filename
Description




flik_radiosonde_comparison.csv
Binned (50 m) comparison of Flik UAS profiles with radiosonde ascents




Column Descriptions

UAS Columns (Hopper/Flik)

Replace {uas} with hopper or flik as appropriate.




Column
Unit
Description




timestamp_utc
ISO 8601
Timestamp in UTC


{uas}_dji_gps_longitude[deg*10^-7]
deg × 10⁻⁷
GNSS longitude (WGS84)


{uas}_dji_gps_latitude[deg*10^-7]
deg × 10⁻⁷
GNSS latitude (WGS84)


{uas}_dji_gps_altitude[mm]
mm
GNSS altitude above mean sea level


{uas}_dji_pitch[deg]
degrees
Aircraft pitch angle from avionics


{uas}_dji_roll[deg]
degrees
Aircraft roll angle from avionics


{uas}_dji_yaw[deg]
degrees
Aircraft yaw/heading angle from avionics


{uas}_dji_esc_speed1[rpm]
RPM
Propeller speed, motor 1


{uas}_dji_esc_speed2[rpm]
RPM
Propeller speed, motor 2


{uas}_dji_esc_speed3[rpm]
RPM
Propeller speed, motor 3


{uas}_dji_esc_speed4[rpm]
RPM
Propeller speed, motor 4


{uas}_ardupilot_SCALED_PRESSURE:press_abs
hPa
Absolute pressure from onboard barometer


{uas}_sht40_temperature[*C]
°C
Temperature from SHT40 sensor (slow response)


{uas}_sht40_humidity[%]
%
Relative humidity from SHT40 sensor (slow response)


{uas}_dji_wind_compnn_model_u[m/s]
m/s
COMP+NN estimated wind, zonal (u) component


{uas}_dji_wind_compnn_model_v[m/s]
m/s
COMP+NN estimated wind, meridional (v) component


{uas}_dji_wind_compnn_model_w[m/s]
m/s
COMP+NN estimated wind, vertical (w) component


{uas}_dji_wind_hspeed_compnn_model[m/s]
m/s
COMP+NN estimated horizontal wind speed


{uas}_dji_wind_direction_compnn_model[deg]
degrees
COMP+NN estimated wind direction




Flik-Specific Sensors




Column
Unit
Description




flik_stinger_temperature-median[°C]
°C
Temperature from fast-response Stinger sensor


flik_hyt_humidity[%]
%
Humidity from fast-response IST HYT.R411 sensor




Sonic Anemometer Columns

sully & mike (METEK USA-1)




Column
Unit
Description




sully_u / mike_u
m/s
Zonal wind component


sully_v / mike_v
m/s
Meridional wind component


sully_w / mike_w
m/s
Vertical wind component




gustl (Gill Maximet 501)




Column
Unit
Description




gustl_u
m/s
Zonal wind component


gustl_v
m/s
Meridional wind component


gustl_w
m/s
Vertical wind component


gustl_temp
°C
Air temperature


gustl_cdir
degrees
Wind direction


gustl_cspeed
m/s
Horizontal wind speed




Spectral Analysis Files




Column
Unit
Description




timestamp_utc
ISO 8601
Timestamp in UTC


block_id
-
Identifier for each uninterrupted data sequence


{uas}_u
m/s
COMP+NN zonal wind component


{uas}_v
m/s
COMP+NN meridional wind component


{uas}_w_original
m/s
COMP+NN vertical wind component (not time-shifted)


sully_u
m/s
Sonic zonal wind component


sully_v
m/s
Sonic meridional wind component


sully_w
m/s
Sonic vertical wind component




Radiosonde Comparison File




Column
Unit
Description




alt_bin
m
Altitude range of the 50 m altitude bin (a.s.l.)


flight_id
-
Identifier for each UAS flight


drone_flik_dji_wind_compnn_model_u[m/s]
m/s
Mean COMP+NN zonal wind per bin


drone_flik_dji_wind_compnn_model_v[m/s]
m/s
Mean COMP+NN meridional wind per bin


drone_flik_dji_wind_compnn_model_w[m/s]
m/s
Mean COMP+NN vertical wind per bin


drone_flik_stinger_temperature-median[°C]
°C
Mean temperature per bin (Stinger sensor)


radiosonde_Speed
m/s
Radiosonde horizontal wind speed


radiosonde_Dir
degrees
Radiosonde wind direction


radiosonde_Temp
°C
Radiosonde air temperature


radiosonde_RH
%
Radiosonde relative humidity


radiosonde_P
hPa
Radiosonde pressure




Radiosonde Flight Reference Table

The following table lists the UAS flight IDs included in the radiosonde comparison dataset with their corresponding radiosonde launch times.




flight_id
Date
Radiosonde Launch Time (UTC)




flik-0031
2024-08-12
13:50


flik-0036
2024-08-13
09:46


flik-0039
2024-08-13
12:33


flik-0044
2024-08-14
09:35


flik-0048
2024-08-15
05:00


flik-0051
2024-08-15
06:06


flik-0054
2024-08-15
07:10


flik-0057
2024-08-15
08:15


flik-0059
2024-08-15
09:20


flik-0065
2024-08-15
12:23


flik-0079
2024-08-15
20:00


flik-0084
2024-08-19
04:59


flik-0086
2024-08-19
06:06


flik-0087
2024-08-19
07:18


flik-0089
2024-08-19
08:21


flik-0090
2024-08-19
09:38


flik-0092
2024-08-19
10:55


flik-0097
2024-08-19
16:11


flik-0098
2024-08-19
19:01




Wind Convention

All wind components represent the direction the air is moving toward (standard physics convention):



u: Zonal component (positive = air moving eastward)

v: Meridional component (positive = air moving northward)

w: Vertical component (positive = air moving upward)


Wind direction (in *_direction_* columns and radiosonde_Dir) is reported as the direction from which the wind is blowing, in degrees clockwise from north (0° = North, 90° = East).

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the operational support provided by the staff at the Meteorological Observatory Lindenberg - Richard Aßmann Observatory (MOL-RAO) and the Forschungszentrum Jülich. The Jülich campaign was part of the HIRES-APP research project funded by the Hans-Ertel-Center for Weather Research (HErZ) and the German Meteorological Service (DWD), Grant number 4823DWDP5A