PARASITE UAS wind measurement and ultrasonic anemometer/radiosonde reference measurements (Jülich 08/2024, Falkenberg 02/2025)

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