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The Director of the Hong Kong Observatory, Mr Shun Chi-ming, and Director-General of Shenzhen Meteorological Bureau, Ms Wang Yanqing, signed the Long-term Co-operation Agreement in Numerical Weather Prediction Technology in Hong Kong today (November 25).
Under the agreement, the Hong Kong Observatory will provide professional knowledge and technology in forecasting, and will arrange training for technical personnel of the Shenzhen Meteorological Bureau. The Shenzhen Meteorological Bureau will provide high performance computing resources and facilities to aid the development of related technology, and the two will jointly develop numerical weather prediction techniques.
"The agreement today will strengthen the technical exchange in weather forecasting between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. It will also raise the standard in daily weather forecasting in both cities as well as in the monitoring of severe weather, thereby enhancing the weather services for people in both cities, and particularly for cross-border public," said Mr Shun.
"Shenzhen and Hong Kong are located side by side and the weather is similar in both places. This agreement opens a new chapter in co-operation between the meteorological services in the two cities. We expect that the fruitful results of co-operation will bring higher quality weather services to the public in both places, and will set a model for meteorological co-operation between the Mainland and Hong Kong," said Ms Wang.
Under the Arrangement in Long-term Co-operation in Meteorological Science and Technology framework signed between the Hong Kong Observatory and the China Meteorological Administration in 1996, Hong Kong and Shenzhen have enjoyed an extensive interflow of projects and co-operation in meteorology over the years, encompassing areas such as weather forecasting and warnings, meteorological data communication, exchange of weather data, meteorological services and the training of personnel.
Today's agreement, the first in meteorology ever signed between Hong Kong and a Mainland city, marks a new height in meteorological co-operation between Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
Ends/Friday, November 25, 2011
Issued at HKT 20:56
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