Paul Geissman

Paul Geissmann was recently the focus of a short film looking at how satellite data can be used. Paul has been using EUMETSAT data, daily, for almost a decade. As a keen amateur user of weather satellite data in Switzerland, he was given the concession for the operation and reception of the space/weather radio service aids. This licenced him to do research on, and teach about, the Meteosat and Metop weather satellite series.

Paul's interest in satellite imagery started in 1969, when he saw images of the Moon landing. At the time he was working as a technician for Swiss television in Zurich.

Together with a friend, who was a pilot, Paul tried to receive weather images via satellite. They built an antenna, but despite a lot of effort were unsuccessful at that time. But, as Paul told the film crew from Medioline.TV, this was the start of what has now become an almost full-time hobby.

Through a new job at Autophon, Switzerland, Paul made many professional contacts at the Central Meteorological Institute's (now MeteoSwiss) aviation weather centre at Kloten airport, which enabled him to further his hobby. Over the next two decades he bought his first PC and slowly built it up to what it is today.

From his hilltop location in Bruggen he now operates more than 10 screens of professionally-arranged satellite data, which he also analyses. He is also responsible for some weather webcams.

Every year Paul holds a number of exhibitions and school sessions, showing the applications of both visible and infrared data.

Paul said: "I am not a born meteorologist — space and telecommunications are my main interests. But thanks to satellite data I can show the many visitors that I have the wonderful images from the entire world. Sometimes my guests might have a wish, for example, they would like to see a particular country or section of the Earth. Sometimes, I also show them the weather for a particular place, for example if they have a child who is holidaying there."

For more information on Paul, his work and the webcams visit www.satellitenpaul.ch

In June 2014 Paul was also featured in the GEO Quarterly magazine. Read the article

Watch Paul's video of British astronaut Tim Peake talking to schoolchildren in Bristol