Bureau forecasting technology recognised in international awards
09/05/2014
A major upgrade to the Bureau of Meteorology’s forecast and warning system has been awarded a prestigious international award in Geneva overnight.
The Next Generation Forecast and Warning System (NexGenFWS) has enabled a leap forward in the delivery of services. Seven day forecasts are now available for 650 locations in Australia, a level of service previously only available in capital cities, and a web-based viewer allows people to generate a forecast for a specific location.
The project was named recipient of a ‘Geospatial Technology Innovation Award’ at the Geospatial World Awards held in Geneva.
Bureau of Meteorology Director, Dr Rob Vertessy, said the award is a credit to the work of many Bureau staff who contributed their expertise to the NexGenFWS project since it began in 2009.
"This award is one of the most prominent peer-reviewed awards in the geospatial industry and recognises the innovative use of geospatial technology," Dr Vertessy said.
"In delivering NexGenFWS, the project team has built a forecasting system with the capacity to handle the complexities of forecasting a range of weather such as tropical cyclones, thunderstorms, rainfall, fog and frost.
"The work in presenting this forecast information through interactive maps has enabled the Bureau to develop MetEye, a graphical forecast viewer with a point and click interface.
"MetEye brings together the most popular elements of the Bureau’s website, displaying seven day forecasts, satellite and radar imagery and real-time weather data such as temperature, rainfall, cloud cover, humidity and wind speed.
"It offers a whole new way for communities to view their local weather."
Dr Vertessy said NexGenFWS and MetEye had been recognised with a number of industry awards since the project began, including the 2013 Asia-Pacific Spatial Excellence Award, presented last month in Canberra.
"These awards show that the Bureau is an innovative and technically capable organisation working to deliver the best possible service to the Australian community."
"It is a privilege to lead a team so dedicated to excellence in their chosen field."
The Next Generation Forecast and Warning System has been successfully rolled out in Victoria, New South Wales, Tasmania, South Australia, Western Australia and Queensland. The Northern Territory roll-out later this year will complete the national project.
