NiRA.web - Precipitation forecast for municipal network management
Precise precipitation forecasts with NiRA.web - your portal for high-quality precipitation data
NiRA.web is the specialized online portal for the provision and analysis of reliable precipitation data for precipitation forecasts. Thanks to a newly developed database and functions specifically tailored to water management, NiRA.web enables precise and practice-oriented precipitation forecasts for professional applications.
It is becoming increasingly important for water management to obtain reliable information about precipitation – up-to-date, retrospective and forward-looking. With its extended functionality and its own broad-based database, NiRA.web offers a precise precipitation forecast and well-founded evaluations for a wide range of requirements.
Precipitation documentation
Efficient precipitation documentation with NiRA.web – precise, traceable, available at any time
NiRA.web archives and documents precipitation with pinpoint accuracy and uses it to create clear time series. These serve as a reliable basis for verifications, reports and water management documentation. With just a few clicks, hydrographs can be generated for any period of time, rainy weather days can be evaluated and relevant events can be specifically analyzed and, if necessary, precipitation forecasts can be created
Forecast
With the powerful precipitation forecast from NiRA.web, you are optimally prepared for upcoming rain events. The two-stage forecast offers both a precise short-term and a reliable medium-term outlook:
- 72h precipitation forecast: Shows upcoming rainfall events up to 72 hours in advance and is updated every 180 minutes – for early planning and an overview.
- 2h precipitation forecast: High-resolution in 5-minute increments, with updates every 15 minutes – for pinpoint and precisely timed forecasts directly before an event.
Whether for flood control centers, machine control or municipal deployment planning – NiRA.web provides a reliable precipitation forecast that enables fast and targeted action. And provides / guarantees basic protection by automating the actuators
Heavy rain
Forecast, analyze and respond to heavy rainfall at an early stage – with NiRA.web
Increasingly frequent and intense heavy rainfall events pose growing challenges for water management. NiRA.web supports an early response to acute heavy rainfall situations with precise precipitation forecasts and an integrated warning function.
The system also offers valuable options in retrospect: With a temporal resolution in 5-minute sums, heavy rainfall events can be analyzed in detail. Precipitation amounts and periods can be precisely classified and assessments can be carried out according to annuality or heavy rainfall index levels.
Rain gauge integration
Central bundling of all precipitation data – rain gauges and measuring networks in NiRA.web
To ensure that all relevant precipitation data is available in one place, individual rain gauges and entire measuring networks can be integrated into NiRA.web. This gives you a comprehensive overview of current precipitation events at all times.
In addition, the database can be expanded by combining radar and station data with other rain gauges. This allows small-scale heavy rain cells to be detected even more precisely and various data levels to be merged into a meaningful overall overview.
Warning
Early precipitation forecast leads to warning by e-mail or SMS – automated with NiRA.web
With the integrated precipitation warning from NiRA.web, you are always one step ahead. Individually adjustable rainfall event classes automatically trigger an alert by e-mail or SMS as soon as a defined event appears in the precipitation forecast.
Regardless of whether it’s KOSTRA annual values, heavy rainfall index levels or user-defined limit values: all relevant recipients are informed in good time – for targeted action instead of surprised reactions.
Level
Real-time runoff monitoring – keep an eye on precipitation forecast data and water levels
Runoff is becoming increasingly important as a direct result of intensive precipitation. NiRA.web® supports comprehensive runoff monitoring by displaying the current water levels of the Federal Waterways and Shipping Administration directly in the map view.
Additional water level measuring points can also be easily integrated. This creates a reliable link between local precipitation data and water levels – for a complete picture of the situation in real time.
FAQ
What can NiRA.web be used for?
NiRA.web can be used in a variety of ways and covers key areas of water management:
- Precipitation documentation for reports, verifications and water management documentation
- Evaluation of historical precipitation data and classification according to KOSTRA or heavy rainfall index (SRI12)
- Provision of a reliable data basis for simulations and hydraulic calculations
- Precipitation forecasts for the forecast-based control of individual systems or entire drainage networks (e.g. with IntelliNet)
- Automated heavy rain warnings as part of effective heavy rain management
What does the NiRA.web database consist of?
The NiRA.web database is based on the individual radars of the German Weather Service (DWD).
This radar data is extensively corrected and adjusted for interfering factors such as buildings or wind turbines. They are then merged into a Germany-wide radar composite to create a comprehensive overall picture.
To improve data quality, the radar images are compared with station measurements. This ensures that the radar data matches the actual measured precipitation amounts as closely as possible.
How does NiRA.web ensure high data quality?
NiRA.web relies on a multi-stage calibration process to ensure particularly high data quality.
The radar data is adjusted in two steps:
- Q1: Immediately available, based on pure radar data
- Q2: Available after 3 hours, additionally calibrated with station data
- Q3: Available after 24 hours, additionally optimized with further station data not yet available at Q2
This method provides a precise and reliable precipitation data basis for applications such as municipal network management, flood protection or drainage systems.
Why is NiRA.web also useful in combination with your own measuring stations?
Own measuring stations are ideal for recording precipitation with pinpoint accuracy - provided they are regularly maintained and deliver error-free measured values.
NiRA.web supplements these measurements with area-wide radar data, which is also available in regions where there are no stations. The system also provides precipitation forecasts for each location without any additional maintenance work.
NiRA.web thus closes the gap between point measurements and area-wide precipitation monitoring.
Can I integrate my own station data into NiRA.web?
Yes, rain gauge integration is possible and can significantly improve regional data quality.
Before integration, we check the measurement data quality for at least one year to identify systematic errors or implausibility.
Only after this validation is the station data used to calibrate the radar data. If a station delivers implausible values, this is detected in a checking process and the station is not used for calibration.
The operator receives a usage report so that only high-quality data is ever included in the precipitation forecast and any maintenance measures for individual stations can be implemented directly.
How high is the spatial and temporal resolution?
The data points of NiRA.web have a spatial resolution of 1 km × 1 km.
- Historical precipitation data and the two-hour short-term forecast are provided in 5-minute sums
- The long-term forecast is output in hourly totals
- The aggregation function can be used to generate values for any time interval - from daily and hourly values to 5-minute resolutions
This level of detail makes NiRA.web a valuable input variable for drainage systems, heavy rain management and municipal network management.
