Hot air balloon derived winds

This dataset consists of navigational data from hot-air balloon flights and are a potential source of wind data in the atmospheric boundary layer. The data is provided on voluntary basis by professional balloonists.

The dataset was compiled for the PhD thesis with DOI: 10.18174/589639. The PhD thesis is about the application of hot air balloon tracks as a potential source of wind data in the lower kilometer of the atmosphere. Balloon flights from the archives of balloonists were studied and interesting wind patterns were explained with respect to their meteorological background. The motion of a hot air balloon was studied as well as the inertia of the balloon after changing winds. A field experiment was conducted in the Netherlands to collect data using a smartphone app, which was used to determine balloon wind data. Verification with the 200m high Cabauw tower measurements yielded positive results. Balloon dynamics were studied with an accurate wind meter mounted under the balloon basket. Next, verification and impact studies were performed with two weather models to demonstrate the applicability of the hot air balloon wind data.