Same data, many modellers
How well do microclimate models actually perform? For the first time, we’re putting them to the test – together. Join a global community challenge to benchmark microclimate modeling approaches under controlled, comparable conditions.
The gap we’re closing
Microclimates — fine-scale environmental variations shaped by topography, vegetation, and surface properties — govern how organisms actually experience climate change. Yet coarse-scale data often misses these crucial local conditions.
A wide range of microclimate models exists, from correlative to fully mechanistic, but their relative performance has never been systematically compared. Until now.
This kind of coordinated comparison has never been done for microclimate modelling. The MEB community has the expertise and the global reach to finally do it right.
All teams receive the same standardized training data and predictor variables — then bring their own modeling approaches. The organizing team handles blind evaluation.
Get the data
Receive soil temperature observations from our chosen European logger network, plus standardized predictors: topography, climate, vegetation, and soil variables.
Build your model
Use any approach – correlative, mechanistic, or hybrid. You can even submit multiple models if they use distinct algorithms.
Submit predictions
Predict a range of microclimate parameters with your model, in a comparable way.
Learn together
Centralized evaluation reveals which approaches work where – and the whole community benefits from the results.
What do you get out of it?
Three big things:
1. Every participating team will be listed as co-author on the resulting paper – this is a genuine community science effort, and the manuscript will reflect that.
2. Valuable knowledge! How well do our models work in different circumstances? Which methodological decisions matter?
3. And for a bit of a spark: the team with the lowest RMSE receives an award in the form of 5 TOMST TMS4-sensors!
Ready to join?
The sign-up form asks about your team, your experience with microclimate modelling,
and the type of models you’d bring.
Takes about 5 minutes.