The NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory is collecting public weather reports through a free app available for smart phones or mobile devices. The app is called “mPING,” for Meteorological Phenomena Identification Near the Ground. mPING reports are immediately archived into a database at NSSL, and are displayed on a map accessible to anyone. To use the app, reporters select the type of weather that is occurring, and tap “submit.” The anonymous reports can be submitted as often as every minute.