New Bureau operations hub for north-western Australia opens in Darwin
06/12/2016
Today the Bureau of Meteorology officially opened a brand new purpose-built Observing Operations Hub in Darwin to service the Bureau's observations network across north-western Australia.
The Bureau’s Deputy Director Observations and Infrastructure Dr Sue Barrell said the new Darwin Hub is the first of eight planned to support the operation and maintenance of the Bureau’s network, including radars and automatic weather stations, across Australia.
“Each hub will house highly skilled technical staff to service our infrastructure across regions defined by local considerations rather than state or territory borders,” Dr Barrell said.
“We have analysed accessibility, liveability and transport logistics in deciding the location of the eight Observing Operations Hubs, which will be managed by three Area Managers,” she said.
Northern Area Manager Mark Dalmazzo heads up the newly defined Northern Area spanning most of the NT, the Kimberly, and Queensland. He will oversee operations at the Darwin Hub, as well as the hubs in Cairns and Brisbane when they open in mid-2017 and early 2018 respectively.
“The new national areas are a logical way to manage the Bureau’s infrastructure across Australia’s diverse terrain. It makes sense to combine operations to better manage the Bureau’s observation network and deliver a more robust standard for service continuity. Everyone right across the Northern Area, will benefit through improved support for observing operations,” said Mr Dalmazzo.
The Darwin Observing Operations Hub will house staff to service the Bureau’s infrastructure across the region, with responsibility for meteorological, hydrological, space weather, marine and environmental observations.
Staff members' duties include maintenance and site inspection visits, remote monitoring, quality control of observations data and metadata, training as well as airport and marine observations support.
“I am delighted to be in Darwin during the late build-up to formally open the Bureau’s first Observing Operations Hub. It’s a great opportunity to spend time with the team who deliver such important services to everyone who makes decisions based on the best source of weather and climate information,” said Dr Barrell.
