INRiM: the Stupinigi climatological station joins the WMO worldwide reference measurement network under GCOS — according to INRiM only 20 stations have been selected so far
On 17 September 2026 the Italian metrology institute INRiM announced that the station it runs in the Stupinigi nature park was admitted on 14 September to the worldwide reference measurement network coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) under GCOS. Admission followed almost two years of application and evaluation.
- The station has operated since 2023; INRiM built it with the Italian Meteorological Society, the authority managing the Parchi Reali protected areas and the town of Nichelino. It measures air temperature with an accuracy down to hundredths of a degree, as well as humidity, precipitation, wind and solar radiation. The quality of the instruments and metrological control through constant calibration of the sensors make it a Climate Reference Station.
- The network stations measure simultaneously in different regions of the world and transmit data to an international centre using a common protocol, which ensures homogeneity and comparability. According to INRiM the requirements are so high that only 20 stations in different countries have been selected so far. The measurements are meant to assess heatwaves, heavy precipitation and high solar irradiance accurately and to build high-quality historical series for climatology.
- Data from Stupinigi are available in real time with open access; the measurements, accompanied by metrological certification, can be viewed and downloaded online. INRiM stresses that the aim is accurate, traceable climate data accessible to future generations of climatologists.
- INRiM does not name the network. On the GCOS website the reference network for surface measurements on land is the GCOS Surface Reference Network (GSRN): reference observations are to be directly traceable to SI units with all uncertainty components documented, and in the first phase cover at least surface temperature and precipitation. The GSRN Lead Centre is hosted by the China Meteorological Administration; the list of pilot GSRN stations on the GCOS website has 17 entries and includes no Italian station.