Mobile Meteorological Survey Station: Applying Measurement Tools on a bike to create the Meteobike

This paper presents a logistic proposal for the research project related to thermal comfort in Rio de Janeiro’s open spaces. Part of the investigation consists of collecting weather data and applying a thermal sensation survey to pedestrians in Rio de Janeiro city’s centre. The weather station used is a Davis-Pro2, composed by a cylindrical module body moulded on plastic and sustained by a central tube attached to a tripod, both in galvanized iron. The fieldwork dynamics requires data collection in different points, therefore, involving the constant transportation of the equipment throughout the city. Carrying the equipment in a big town generally implies travelling long distances with a heavy and bulky cargo by using public transport or a car, creating pollution, facing traffic problems and dealing with lack of adequate parking spaces. The idea of attaching the station to a bicycle came naturally to the two researchers. The system, as idealized, has proven to be efficient, providing practicality, lightness and mobility in data collection, coupled with the advantage of being a non-polluting transportation. The bike name ‘Meteobike’ was suggested by many respondents.