A nerds dream for new wind sensor technology:

[consumer]

I’m sure you would all be familiar with those times on the water, when despite your years of experience, you feel like a beginner. Challenging conditions is an understatement at times…
I was finding that the dynamic of many tricks is dramatically changed even with the same equipment and the same power feel through the kite. After giving this lots of nerd thought I have come up with a theory/ really a call to arms for greater wind sensor tech:

Problems with current wind sensors:
1. Sensors only measure wind velocity in 2-D(time excluded obviously) – maybe you think this isn’t a big deal, but how can you tell the quality of the wind from just a single plane. What you are measuring is an average wind vector- how can you assume that this is the same average wind vector hitting your entire kite? – It may be the most probable wind vector in that plane, but you are still losing a lot of information in wind quality.
2. You are only measuring a single fixed point in the entire wind field; measuring one point gives you only a miniscule amount of information about the entire 3D wind field. You could get the same average and lull/gust reading from a 2D sensor when the 3D fields are dramatically different.

What we need:
1. some sort of sensor that can capture the other dimension (up +down) – or at least establish that for our purposes it doesn’t really matter (I doubt that). Would the sensor require another axis?
2. Maybe an optical sensor that can scan an entire space to get an estimate of the vector field? Don’t we have these already for meteorologists?

In an age where we all carry iphones I think it’s time we improved our wind observation technology.

[BWD]

That's so last year!
http://www.catchthewindinc.com/products/racers-edge

Just kiddin'
So far it's been found somewhat impractical even in the america's cup level.
Knowing what you're doing and old fashioned "local knowledge" still take you farther.

[Rustas]

THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT THREAD... DO NOT EVEN THINK ABOUT LAUGHING!

[consumer]