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To strengthen co-operation on numerical weather prediction, the Director of the Hong Kong Observatory, Mr Shun Chi-ming, and Director-General of Guangdong Meteorological Bureau, Mr Xu Yongke, signed the "Long-term Co-operation Agreement in Numerical Weather Prediction Technology" (the Agreement) after the Hong Kong/Guangdong Co-operation Joint Conference today (September 14).
Under the Agreement, the two sides will enhance information exchange in order to improve the accuracy of weather forecasting, and further improve meteorological services across the region, providing an even better service to users in both places.
Mr Shun said, "The strengthening of technical exchange in numerical weather prediction between Hong Kong and Guangdong will further improve our capability in forecasting severe weather, bringing enhanced weather services and improved capability in disaster prevention and mitigation to better serve the public."
Mr Xu said, "Hong Kong and Guangdong are connected geographically and share common weather. Closer co-operation in fostering mutual development is in keeping with the trend. It is also important for meteorologists in Hong Kong and Guangdong to work together to bring about benefits to the communities in the region. The two sides have been working hand in hand in weather services for over 30 years. Today's signing of the Agreement will further our respective strength, raising the competence of weather forecasting to benefit the communities of both regions. Our co-operation is also expected to elevate the international influence of the region in the global meteorological arena and serve as a model of regional meteorological co-operation in the country."
Numerical weather prediction (NWP) uses computers to simulate changes in weather. Through this Agreement, the two sides will enhance the exchange of professional knowledge and techniques of NWP. A unified verification platform will be developed to assess the performance of NWP model forecasts as well as the impact of various observations on the models' performance. The co-operation aims at advancing the technical development and operational applications of NWP of the two parties.
The Hong Kong Observatory and the China Meteorological Administration signed the "Arrangement in Long-term Co-operation in Meteorological Science and Technology" (the Arrangement) in 1996. Under the Arrangement, Guangdong and Hong Kong carried out extensive exchanges and co-operation over the years in the field of meteorology, including weather forecasting and warning, meteorological telecommunication, exchange of observation data, meteorological services and personnel training. Every year, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao organise the Seminar on Meteorological Science and Technology in turn, with the first meeting held in 1985. In 2011, the Hong Kong Observatory also signed the "Long-term Co-operation Agreement in Numerical Weather Prediction Technology" with the Shenzhen Meteorological Bureau. The Hong Kong Observatory provides professional knowledge and technology in forecasting, while the Shenzhen Meteorological Bureau provides high performance computing resources and facilities for the joint development of NWP technology.
Ends/Friday, September 14, 2012
Issued at HKT 19:03
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