When lightning is nearby, high up on a roof or a steel girder is one of the last places you would want to find yourself. With the unpredictability of weather and cell phone and internet service making it difficult to anticipate exactly when and where a storm will hit, a recently released handheld device looks to add one more weapon to the arsenal of outdoor weather intelligence products that can help keep construction crews safe.
The INO Weather Pro is, according to INO Technologies, the first handheld device that combines weather data with lightning detection. Most lightning detection technologies rely on national weather data feeds, which require an internet or cellular connection to update. But cell and internet service may not always be available on a construction site, which is why the INO Weather Pro uses its own sensor to provide real-time local lightning detection and direction. The company claims the INO Weather Pro can detect cloud-to-ground lightning strikes as far away as 40 miles.
When a strike is detected, the device will alert the wearer with both visual and auditory feedback of the strike’s distance. The INO Weather Pro uses updatable software and a customizable touchscreen display that allows users to fill their dashboards with the information that is most pertinent to them. In all, the INO Weather Pro provides seven functions: lightning detection, temperature, atmospheric pressure, humidity, heat index, altitude, and dew point.
The water-resistant device runs on a USB charged Lithium battery and has a suggested retail price of $497.
Photo courtesy of INO Technologies.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Turner Building Cost Index dips nearly 4% in second quarter 2009
Turner Construction Company announced that the second quarter 2009 Turner Building Cost Index, which measures nonresidential building construction costs in the U.S., has decreased 3.35% from the first quarter 2009 and is 8.92% lower than its peak in the second quarter of 2008. The Turner Building Cost Index number for second quarter 2009 is 837.
| Aug 11, 2010
Turner, Structure Tone top BD+C's ranking of the 50 largest office contractors
A ranking of the Top 50 Office Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
AGC unveils comprehensive plan to revive the construction industry
The Associated General Contractors of America unveiled a new plan today designed to revive the nation’s construction industry. The plan, “Build Now for the Future: A Blueprint for Economic Growth,” is designed to reverse predictions that construction activity will continue to shrink through 2010, crippling broader economic growth.
| Aug 11, 2010
Section Eight Design wins 2009 Open Architecture Challenge for classroom design
Victor, Idaho-based Section Eight Design beat out seven other finalists to win the 2009 Open Architecture Challenge: Classroom, spearheaded by the Open Architecture Network. Section Eight partnered with Teton Valley Community School (TVCS) in Victor to design the classroom of the future. Currently based out of a remodeled house, students at Teton Valley Community School are now one step closer to getting a real classroom.
| Aug 11, 2010
PCL Construction, HITT Contracting among nation's largest commercial building contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 Commercial Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Pella introduces BIM models for windows and doors
Pella Corporation now offers three-dimensional (3D) window and door models for use in Building Information Modeling (BIM) projects by architects, designers, and others looking for aesthetically correct, easy-to-use, data-rich 3D drawings.