Thematical Queries
The data available for selection can be seen in the topic tree. This is divided into six main categories:
1. Descriptive Data
Describe the weather (sky coverage, precipitation, perceived air temperature, wind direction and strength) and its effects on (cultivated) plants, buildings and other man-made artefacts as well as on humans and livestock (including epidemics and livestock diseases), geological and geomorphological hazards and atmospheric and extraterrestrial phenomena.
2. Instrumental Measurement Series and Serial Weather Data
Instrumental measurement series are data on temperature, precipitation, air pressure, wind force or water height recorded with contemporary measuring instruments, whose values (if at all possible) must be converted into today's measurement scales. Serial weather data refers to the monthly frequency of weather phenomena counted on the basis of weather diaries, for example the number of days with precipitation or snowfall. For legal reasons, the measured values from MeteoSwiss (from 1864) are currently only available via IDAweb.
3. Bio-physical Proxy Data
Proxy data refers to temperature or precipitation indicators in the natural or near-natural environment: "Bio" stands for biological processes related to the climate, mainly the development of (cultivated) plants. "Physical" stands for physical processes related to the climate such as flooding, snow cover and the ice cover of bodies of water. The biophysical data are primarily plant phenological observations. The data are often given in the form "Day of Year" (consecutive numbering of the day in the year in question). Accordingly, "244" corresponds to the 244th day of the year in question (1 September in normal years).
4. Temperature and Precipitation Indices
This refers to monthly or seasonal classifications on a scale of -3 (extremely cold) to +3 (extremely hot) or -3 (extremely dry) to +3 (extremely humid), whereby this information on temperature and precipitation conditions relates to entire seasons.
5. (Climate-relevant) Economic Data
This includes data on agricultural production and fisheries, insofar as these have some connection to the weather, as well as corresponding data on feed and food prices. However, these cannot be understood as climate indicators because numerous other factors are also responsible for this.
6. Socio-political Data
Socio-political data refers to the physical and social consequences of economic processes on households and societies, insofar as these are caused by weather and climate. This also includes weather-related processions and prayer services as well as the crisis-related persecution of minorities such as Jews and witches.
Any number of topics and sub-topics can be selected. Subcategories are always included in the main categories. If no category is selected, all data available for the selected period and the selected room are displayed.
Combination of categories: AND/OR:
AND presents observations that contain all selected categories at the selected location (e.g. temperature and precipitation).
OR includes all observations that contain at least one of the selected categories (e.g. either temperature or precipitation).
Long series can be queried using a special function.