Improving Students’ Weather and Climate Literacy, AWS Community Innovation Comes to SMP IT Insantama Bogor

IPB University fully supports the initiative of SMP IT Insantama Kota Bogor in improving weather literacy and environmental awareness among students. This support is realized through the installation of a Community-based Automatic Weather Station (AWS).

This Community AWS is a digital weather monitoring tool that records atmospheric data in real-time and can be accessed publicly online. The installation was carried out directly by the Community AWS innovator, Dr Idung Risdiyanto, as part of the “MACA EXPO: Weather and Climate Literacy for a Sustainable Earth” education program.

Dr Idung, a lecturer at the Department of Geophysics and Meteorology, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA), said that the presence of AWS in the school environment is expected to strengthen data-based learning and become a real learning resource for students in understanding the climate dynamics around them.

“This device functions to automatically measure weather conditions, ranging from rainfall, temperature, pressure, wind direction and speed, to air humidity. All data is real-time every 10 minutes,” explained Dr Idung, who led the installation process.

He explained that the installation of AWS at SMP IT Insantama is part of IPB University’s efforts to expand climate science literacy at the school level.

“We installed this device so that children can learn directly about climate and weather. Parents can also monitor weather conditions at school, for example when picking up their children,” he said.

He added that the accuracy of the AWS will increase as more data is collected. “The longer this device is used, the higher its accuracy will be. The initial 50 percent chance of rain can increase over time and with the data collected,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Iqbal Maulidi, Vice Chair of SMP IT Insantama for Curriculum, expressed his appreciation for IPB University’s support. He believes that the AWS can encourage data-based literacy learning at school.

“It is very useful because our school is indeed a literacy school. With this weather data, students can analyze and understand natural phenomena, then take action based on that data,” he said.

Iqbal gave an example that AWS data can be used by students to study the relationship between vegetation and environmental temperature. “When vegetation decreases, the temperature becomes more extreme, and this can be seen directly from the AWS data,” he said.

He emphasized that this initiative is in line with the climate change literacy program launched by the Ministry of Education and Culture. “AWS helps us instill in students that every action must be data-driven,” he added.

According to Iqbal, the device will be used long-term for educational activities. “If there are renovations in the future, the position of the device may change, but its function will remain the same for educating students and parents to become more aware of the importance of data in protecting the environment,” he concluded. (*/dr) (IAAS/ASY)