The Opportunistic Precipitation Sensing Network (OpenSense)
Maximilian Graf (Deutscher Wetterdienst)
Vojtěch Bareš (Czech Technical University)
Hagit Messer (Tel Aviv University)
Roberto Nebuloni (Istituto di Elettronica e di Ingegneria dell' Informazione e delle Telecomunicazioni, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche)
Martin Fencl (Czech Technical University)
Christian Chwala (Karlsruhe Institut für Technologie)
Aart Overeem (Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI))
Remco Van de Beek (Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute)
Jonas Olsson (Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute)
Jonatan Ostrometzky (Tel Aviv University)
Natalia Hanna (Technische Universität Wien)
Remko Uijlenhoet (TU Delft - Water Systems Monitoring & Modelling)
Matthias Gottschalk (Deutscher Wetterdienst)
Tanja Winterrath (Deutscher Wetterdienst)
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Abstract
The International Conference on Opportunistic Sensing of Precipitation (OpenSense) took place on 25–26 June 2025 at the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) headquarters in Offenbach, Germany. Organized as the final meeting of the Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action Opportunistic Precipitation Sensing Network (CA20136), the meeting brought together over one hundred participants from across Europe and beyond. The attendees represented a broad spectrum of the meteorological community, including researchers in hydrology, radar meteorology, atmospheric science, computer science, and representatives of several national meteorological and hydrological services (NMHSs). The overarching research topic of the conference was about the advances of opportunistic sensing (OS) for precipitation monitoring. OS uses signals or devices not originally designed for professional, high-quality meteorological purposes—such as commercial microwave links (CMLs), personal weather stations (PWSs), television-satellite microwave links (SMLs), and citizen-science contributions—as rainfall sensors. OS can either complement conventional observations from gauges, radars, and satellites or give observational data in regions with sparse rainfall data. The COST Action OpenSense, launched in 2021, has provided a framework for this community. It aimed to establish a coordinated scientific network, to harmonize processing methods, and prepare the ground for operational uptake of OS methods. Working groups within OpenSense focused on data management, methodological homogenization, data merging, and applications (https://opensenseaction.eu/). The conference was the kickoff of a meeting series on the scientific progress and institutional prospects of OS rainfall estimation. The second edition is already in preparation at the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) in De Bilt, the Netherlands, on 23 and 24 June 2026. This first edition of the conference served as the final meeting of OpenSense and also consisted of internal management committee and working group meetings preceding the two conference days. The conference program was structured into thematic sessions described in the following sections and consisted of oral and poster sessions as well as keynote lectures and a panel discussion. This report synthesizes the main themes, cross-cutting insights, and emerging challenges as discussed across the sessions.
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