The Institute DIGITAL develops state-of-the-art technologies and products for meteorology, offering a wide range of functionalities and services for scientific activities. Within the context of an ESA study on wave propagation in the troposphere, experts of the research group "Space and Communication Technology" have developed the 2D-Video-Distrometer, which provides automatic and continuous measurements of precipitation particles. By scanning the precipitation particles (e.g. raindrops) from the front and from the side with two high-speed cameras, a very high degree of surveying accuracy is achieved. Together with other overall parameters such as rain rate or precipitation particle size distribution, the acquired data provides the background for more accurate weather forecasts and allows precise estimates of the impacts of the various types of precipitation on satellite communication systems.

The innovation has been successfully brought to market: ESA and NASA were among the first customers, more than 120 2D- Video-Distrometers have been installed, mainly in Asia and in the USA. The Austrian technology has inspired several international research institutions to carry out joint studies to enable more efficient and accurate precipitation measurements over wide geographical areas.

In order to offer the image-based raindrop measurement technique to a wider range of meteorological services, a more cost-effective version, the 1D-Video-Distrometer has been developed, which measures the front view of precipitation particles and their exact arrival time. The included software package makes it possible to integrate the collected data, such as rain rate, raindrop size distribution and contour information into the user’s own evaluation programs and analyses.