Weather station. Illustration of a weather station in operation during 1880. The station contained an automatic anemometer. This device measured the direction and strength of the wind, and recorded it on a strip of paper. The science of meteorology advanced greatly during the late 19th century due to the development of telegraphy. This allowed data to be quickly collected from many weather stations at once. The first daily weather maps were published in 1860. Artwork of a weather station at the Greenwich Royal Observatory in London, Britain.