Plans for Weather Office

Press, 5 November 1984, Page 20

Plans for Weather Office

PA Wellington Weather information services will decline substantially if up to $4 million is not spent on improving computer facilities in the next one to two years, the Minister of Meterological Services, Mr Prebble, has been told. The Ministry of Transport briefing papers, prepared for the incoming Government, were released by Mr

Prebble. They say that the meterological service is modernising because of big changes in technology and techniques, increased demand for more sophisticated services and the cost of maintaining “historical and obso-

lete” manual methods was becoming excessive. “The rate of modernisation is slower than is desirable,” the papers say. “Traditionally the meteorological service has relied on many other agencies to make weather observations. “Trends towards automation in other agencies have removed personnel from many locations from which weather observations were

previously available,” say the papers. “Hence the maintenance of services to both the public and specialist industries, especially aviation, is becoming increasingly difficult.” Satellite data processing and numerical weather prediction had put a very heavy load on the six-year-old computer system at the Meterological Office in Kelbum.

Because of computer limitations, satellite data processing was restricted and all available information was neither processed nor used. The weather forecasting computer model was about 15 years out of date.

“If further enhanced computer facilites cannot be made available within the next one to two years, a substantial decline in weather services will result due to excessive mainten- / ance of ageing equipment and the inability of the service to provide information in a form that is necessary to match the increasingly sophisticated requirements of industries and the public.

“The total cost of enhancement is estimated to be $3.5 million to $4 million,” say the papers. The briefing papers said the meterological service had the ability to make greater use of satellite information to provide data such as sea temperatures to fishermen.

It also had the ability to use more sophisticated models in weather forecasting, but was unable to do so due to computer limitations. “The service had hoped to be able to install additional computer facilities before now, but approval has not yet been obtained,” say the papers.