The "Anemometer Design Competition" is organized by the Faculty of Engineering, The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Hong Kong Observatory (HKO). It aims to enrich students’ knowledge in both engineering and meteorology.
All primary and secondary school students of Hong Kong are welcome to take part in the competition. Teams fall into either of the two categories: Junior and Senior. A team should comprise 1 teacher advisor and a maximum of 5 students. A student can participate in only one team, while a teacher is allowed to act as an advisor of more than one team. At most three teams can come from each school. Each team is required to submit one set of deliverables as follows:
| Category | Deliverables | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Anemometer | Report | Presentation | |
| Junior | Design and implementation of an anemometer | Documentation on the design and operation of the anemometer, how readings can be taken, trial records, etc. | 15 minutes |
| Senior | Design and implementation of an automatic anemometer, including hardware and software for measurement and data manipulation in calculating, recording and displaying data automatically through a computer | Documentation on the design and operation of the anemometer, circuits, software, how readings can be taken, trial records, etc. | 15 minutes |
Both Junior and Senior teams should observe the requirements R-01 to R-05 below:
| Description | |
|---|---|
| R-01 | The anemometer should be capable of measuring wind direction and speed, reporting the data automatically (senior teams) or manually (junior teams).The anemometer should be capable of measuring wind direction and speed, reporting the data automatically (senior teams) or manually (junior teams). |
| R-02 | There is no restriction on the choices of materials for the anemometer. The anemometer should be waterproof and durable for prolonged outdoor use. The cost for the design and fabrication of the anemometer, excluding computers (for data archival and analysis), should be less than HKD 1000. There will be no subsidy from organizers for making the anemometer. |
| R-03 | The anemometer should include a stand e.g. a mounting pole or tripod for mounting the wind measuring equipment at a height not less than 1 meter above the ground. The anemometer should be able to stand independently and safely on the ground such that it will not be blown over or even blown away by the wind, and cause injury or danger to people. |
| R-04 | The report should be prepared in a concise manner, comprising preferably no more than 10 pages (diagrams included). It should preferably be printed on A4-sized paper. A hard copy of the report should be delivered. It can optionally be supplemented by soft copies on CDROM or DVD-ROM. |
| R-05 | Each group will be allocated 15 minutes for presentation. Participants are suggested to spend about 10 minutes for presentation and/or demonstration, and 5 minutes for questions and answers from the judges. A computer with projection facility will be provided at the presentation room. |
Senior teams should observe the following additional requirements R-06 to R-08:
| Reqt. | Description |
|---|---|
| R-06 | The anemometer should be completely autonomous in operation. |
| R-07 | The anemometer should be capable of reporting (i) 1-minute average wind direction in 10 degree increments with respect to true north; (ii) 1-minute average speed in metre per second; and (iii) maximum instantaneous speed in metre per second in the past 1 minute. |
| R-08 | The anemometer should be capable of storing the measured wind data onto digital storage media or sending the data directly to the collection website. |
Registered participants are eligible for attending workshops and visits organized by the HKU Faculty of Engineering and the Hong Kong Observatory. A tentative schedule of the activities, with highlighted important dates, is tabled in the Schedule page. Attendance certificates will be issued to registered team members and teacher advisors participating in talks and workshops.
Registration forms should be filled in by the principal or teacher in charge of the participating school. Completed application forms should be sent to:
Organizing Committee, Anemometer Design Competition Department of Computer Science, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong
or fax to 25598447 on or before 2008-10-31[Fri]. You can register online, print out the PDF registration form here, or print out this page as registration form. The submission time will be based on the date of postmark. Late submission will not be accepted.
The deliverables should be sent to the following address on or before 2009-04-30[Thu] 1700:
| Address |
Hong Kong Observatory 134A Nathan Road 1/F Centenary Building Attn: Ms Yeung Siu-wai |
| Method | Please inform Ms. YEUNG Siu Wai Christina at 29268023 or Ms. CHIU Chiu Yee Candy at 29268313 before delivery. |
| Submission checklist |
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The deliverables shall be accompanied by a duly completed deliverable submission form. Late submission will not be accepted.
The judging panel consists of professionals from HKU Faculty of Engineering and the Hong Kong Observatory. The judging criteria are as follows:
| Criterion | Description | |
|---|---|---|
| J-01 | Research | Content of report, data collection and testing methodologies. |
| J-02 | Innovation | How innovative ideas have been applied in the design of the anemometer. |
| J-03 | Accuracy | How the anemometer measures truthfully under different situations. |
| J-04 | Appearance | Does the instrument look sleek, neat and tidy. |
| J-05 | Presentation | Performance in the project presentation session. |
The prizes of each category are as follows:
| Prize | Award |
|---|---|
| Champion | A trophy and a book coupon will be awarded to the team, and a certificate to each team member. |
| First runner-up | |
| Second runner-up | |
| The most innovative anemometer award | A book coupon will be awarded to the team, and a certificate to each team member. |
| The most accurate anemometer award | |
| The most attractive anemometer award |
All participating teams are invited to an award presentation ceremony on 2009-07-04[Sat] when they will be presented participation certificates and the results will be announced. The list of price winners will also be published in this web site.