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The observatory performs systematic aerosol measurements in the frame of EARLINET (European Aerosol Research LIdar NETwork) and continuous aerosol measurements in the frame of AERONET (AErosol RObotic NETwork). The CIAO infrastructure hosted international satellite validation experiments for the study of water, it has been involved in several international experiments for the study of clouds and their modelling, and strongly cooperates with the Cloudnet. Moreover, since December 2009, CIAO is among the fifteen backbone stations involved in the operations of GRUAN (GCOS Upper-Air Reference Network).

All the products are collected in the CIAO database. The CIAO database is organized in order to collect both the raw data (lv0, lv1) and the final quality assured products (lv2). Level 0 data (lv0) are represented by the raw measurements output of each instrument. The lv1 products are referred to the “raw products”. The lv2 products indicate the estimation of atmospheric parameters retrieved from the application of suitable algorithms to the lv1 products, like the lidar water vapour mixing ratio or the microwave temperature profile.In order to fully exploit the simultaneous use of different ground-based remote sensing techniques, a suitable integration strategy has been adopted at CIAO that allows to obtain a further set of products. All the data are archived in NetCDF format and each file contains all the necessary information for its use in evaluation/validation procedures as well as to reprocess the data in case of the availability of new calibration or retrieval schemes. Before archiving, all the data also undergo the corresponding quality assurance protocols.The database is accessible through the CIAO website (www.imaa.cnr.it) behind a request to the instrument PI. Each instrument PI is also in charge of both checking the status of maintenance procedures and supporting the users. The database and most of the real-time quicklooks of the collected data are also accessible from the websites of the networks in which the CNR-IMAA is involved.

Instruments operative at CIAO along with the corresponding lv1 and lv2 products, and the advanced products obtained from the synergy and integration of different techniques.

Instrument lv1 products lv2 products Advanced and synergetic products
MUSA Trasportable multi-wavelength Raman lidar <span">RCS at 1064, 532 parallel, 532 cross, 607, 387 nm ß at 355/532/1064, α at 355/532, τ at 355/532, δ at 532 nm Aerosol Microphysical properties
Fixed multi-wavelenght Raman lidar RCS at 1064 parallel, 1064 cross, 532 parallel, 532 cross, 355 parallel, 355 cross, 607, 387, 407 nm ß at 355/532/1064, α at 355/532, τ at 355/532, χ at 355/532 and at 532/1064, δ at 1064, 532, 355 nm, WVMR Aerosol Microphysical properties. Water vapour: Raman lidar + microwave profiler for water vapour retrieval using Kalman filtering
Mobile multi-wavelenght Raman lidar RCS at 1064 parallel, 1064 cross, 532 parallel, 532 cross, 355 parallel, 355 cross, 607, 387 nm ß at 355/532/1064, α at 355/532, τ at 355/532, χ at 355/532 and at 532/1064, δ at 1064, 532, 355 nm Aerosol Microphysical properties
UV scanning lidar RCS at 355 parallel, 355 cross, 387 nm ß at 355, α at 355, τ at 355, δ at 355 nm Aerosol Microphysical properties
Lidar laboratory RCS at 1064 parallel, 1064 cross, 532 parallel, 532 cross, 355 parallel, 355 cross, 607, 387, 407 nm; Fluorescence spectra, HSRL profiles at 532 nm, Rotational profiles ß at 355/532/1064, α at 355/532, τ at 355/532, χ at 355/532 and at 532/1064, δ at 1064, 532, 355 nm, WVMR, temperature profiles Aerosol Microphysical properties. Water vapour.
Ka-Band Doppler radar Metek MIRA-35 fixed NF SNR, Z, Ze, Doppler velocity, LDR  Hydrometeors classification In synergy with data produced by other instruments and/or models, it is possible to obtain other products such as LWC and IWC profiles.
Compact Ka-Band Doppler radar MIRA 35C mobile NF SNR, Z, Ze, Doppler velocity, LDR  Hydrometeors classification In synergy with data produced by other instruments and/or models, it is possible to obtain other products such as LWC and IWC profiles.
Ceilometer Vaisala CL51 fixed NF RCS 905 nm (uncalibrated backscattering profile) 905 nm attenuated backscattering profile, visibility, cloud base height, PBL _
Ceilometer Vaisala CL31 mobile RCS 905 nm (uncalibrated backscattering profile) 905 nm attenuated backscattering profile, visibility, cloud base height, PBL _
Microwave radiometer RPG-HATPRO-G5 Sky brightness temperature (Tb) at 14 frequencies: 7 in the K-band and 7 in V-band, within the spectral range of 9.6 to 11.5 µm Temperature, humidity and cloud liquid water profiles up to 10 km above the ground, IPWV, LWP _
Automatic/Manual Radiosounding systems _ Temperature, pressure, relative humidity, wind profile up to 35 km a.g.l. _
Surface Meteorological station _ Surface temperature, pressure, relative humidity and wind direction/velocity, rain gauge _
GPS antenna/receiver Trimble L1/L2 GPS antenna ZTD IPWV _
Allsky camera  180° "fisheye" view of the day and night sky _ _
α: Extinction coefficient; β : Backscattering coefficient; δ: Depolarization ratio;  τ: Optical depth; χ: Angström coefficient; AOT: Aerosol Optical Depth; IPWV: Integrated Precipitable Water Vapour; IWC: Ice Water Content; LDR: Linear Depolarization Ratio; LWC: Liquid Water Content; LWP: Liquid Water Path; RCS: Range-Corrected Signal; SNR: Signal-to-Noise Ratio; Tb: Brightness Temperature; WVMR: Water Vapour Mixing Ratio; Z: Reflectivity factor; Ze: Equivalent reflectivity factor; ZTD: Zenith Total Delay.