A Global Challenge WMO Voluntary Co-Operation Program

168/2005

Sustainable Tsunami Observations – a Global Challenge

WMO Voluntary Co-operation Program – a Donor Perspective

Mauritius WMO Radiosonde Intercomparison

Vaisala LLDN May Assist Forecasters in Nowcasting Hurricane Intensity Contents The Boxing Day tsunami President’s Column: Extreme Phenomena 3 goes into the history of mankind as one of the worst natural disasters Sustainable Tsunami Observations on record. More than – a Global Challenge 4 300,000 people died in the catastrophe. Page 4. Vaisala AWS Conquers Heard Island in Southern Indian Ocean 6

Vaisala Measurement Systems – Reorganization for Your Benefit 8 Vaisala Thunderstorm Vaisala LLDN May Assist Forecasters in found that Long-range Nowcasting Hurricane Intensity 10 Lightning Detection Network (LLDN) ILDC/ILMC 2006 Announcement 12 data may provide forecasters with a South African Weather Service Chooses valuablecomplementary diagnostic tool for Vaisala Thunderstorm Information System 13 observing concentric eyewall cycles and other WMO Voluntary Co-operation Program important dynamic – a Donor Perspective 14 changes in the core of a hurricane. Page 10. The CORA Automatic Sounding System – a Brief History 16 The Voluntary Co- Mauritius WMO Radiosonde Intercomparison 18 operation Program (VCP) is an element Weather Monitoring and Prediction for the Rail Sector 20 within the WMO’s Technical Co-operation Vinh and Nasan Airports Receive a Facelift in Vietnam 23 Program (TCOP). The aim is to ensure the efficient and reliable Better Customer Service – We Are Working on It 25 operation of National Meteorological and KNMI Staff Members Holleman and Beekhuis Win Hydrological Services for Vilho Vaisala Award 27 the provision of services tovarious socio-economic Vaisala at the 85th AMS Annual Meeting 28 sectors in developing countries. Page 14. The Chase Is On 30

Briefly Noted 31

Contact the Vaisala News Team 31 Cover photo: Fotosearch

Editor-in-Chief: Design and Artwork: Vaisala in Brief improved safety and better per- Marikka Metso Edita Prima formance. Publisher: Printed in Finland by – We develop, manufacture and Vaisala Oyj Edita Prima, Finland market products and services for – We focus on market segments P.O. Box 26 ISSN 1238-2388 environmental and industrial where we can be the world lead- FIN-00421 Helsinki measurements. er, the preferred supplier. We put FINLAND a high priority on customer sat- Phone (int.): – The purpose of these measure- isfaction and product leadership. +358 9 894 91 ments is to provide a basis for We secure our competitive ad- Telefax: a better quality of life, cost sav- vantage through economies of +358 9 8949 2227 ings, environmental protection, scale and scope. Internet: http://www.vaisala.com

2 168/2005 President’s Column

Extreme Phenomena

he recent tsunami in Asia Tsunamis are rare, but effective imal maintenance in order to is a sad example of the ex- warning systems are both neces- keep operational costs reason- T tent to which we are vul- sary and possible. It has not al- able. These factors make the dif- nerable to natural disasters, if we ways been clear whose responsi- ference between professional are not prepared. In this case the bility such warnings are, systems and consumer products. phenomena were exceptional, are not in place everywhere, and Thankfully tsunamis occur not weather related. Many lives people have not been trained infrequently; there may be hun- were lost. on how to act when something dreds of years between them. The main task of the na- happens. I hope we are ready to The maintenance of a warning tional meteorological services change this now. system is difficult if it is just a is to provide warnings in order On a more positive note, the stand-alone system for tsuna- to protect lives and property. prediction of severe weather like mi warnings. Therefore it makes hurricanes and typhoons and more sense to integrate the sys- other kinds of storms already tem with other meteorological works reasonably well in many observation and forecasting sys- parts of the world. Evacuations tems, as they are used every day have become more accurate and and maintained regularly. This losses are minimized. Howev- also helps to control costs. er, even these systems are not in At present, there are not place globally. enough observations from the Our mission statement says oceans. This is a challenge the that we want to be part of the meteorological community still community and help issue warn- needs to address. Many warnings in order to save lives and ing failures have taken place be- property. We do this by provid- cause of missing observations ing the measurement systems from the hotspots. As nobody that enable the warnings. Our owns the ocean territory, financ- customers are the ones who is- ing the observations is a difficult sue the warnings, based on their task. A new kind of international own expertise and the measure- cooperation is required. ments gained with Vaisala equip- There is very little we can ment. Another important group do to stop extreme phenome- is the emergency response peo- na from happening, be it seis- ple, who step in when a warning mic or meteorological. But there has been issued. are proven ways to minimize the Our equipment has to per- damage. The cost of preventive form reliably in all conditions, action is low compared to the including extreme weather. Ob- cost of damage repair. ● servations are often made on remote islands, which may be in the front line for dangerous phenomena. Thus the equipment needs to be designed to endure Pekka Ketonen extreme strain, and require min- President and CEO

168/2005 3 Tapani Stipa Scientist, Docent, Ph.D. Finnish Institute of Marine Research Helsinki, Finland

Sustainable Tsunami Observations – a Global Challenge

The Boxing Day tsunami goes into the history of mankind as one of the worst natural disasters on record. More than 300,000 people died in the catastrophe.

he level of international do not create as much economic ready well observed and predict- move towards the oceans and support for the tsunami damage. ed, and therefore their potential the Earth’s crust? victims has been tremen- Is this an indication that for disasters is tamed? Should T The wider demand for dous. The UN appeal has raised weather-related disasters are al- the focus of hazard mitigation almost 7 billion USD. Moreover, preparation and a substantial amount of support readiness has been donated by companies In the aftermath of the Boxing and individuals to non-govern- Day tsunami, there has been mental organizations. a surge of suggestions for vari- It is fair to say that the human ous types of early warning sys- and economic costs of the tsuna- tems that could monitor and mi were not entirely unexpected. detect tsunamis. Many of these The International Strategy for Di- are technically as well as logis- saster Reduction (ISDR) of the tically expensive. For example, United Nations has estimated that the DART system deployed by more than 70% of the economic the USA in the northern Pacif- damage of natural disasters in the ic Ocean costs about 150k USD OECD countries has been caused per year per buoy to maintain. by seismic and hydrodynamic disasters (earthquakes, storm surg- The economic damage caused by es, tsunamis, etc.), whereas weath- different types of natural disasters er-related disasters are more fre- in OECD countries in 1994-2003. quent and dominate the news but Source: ISDR

4 168/2005 Even the USA has found it dif- The GLOSS stations have a very ficult to find sustained funding good track record, which is due for such a system. to such a local ownership of the How could the likes of the What is GLOSS? system. In general, ownership of Asian “tigers”, the rapidly devel- the multi-purpose tsunami warn- oping tsunami-affected nations he Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS) is an inter- ing system should belong to the in the Indian Ocean as well as T national program conducted under the auspices of the countries that operate it. their kin elsewhere in the world, Joint Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Ownership also promotes find the funding to maintain an Meteorology (JCOMM) of the World Meteorological Orga- awareness and readiness, which equally expensive system, which nization (WMO) and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic is essential for people to be able would survive the long-term po- Commission (IOC). to respond correctly to all nat- litical changes and still function GLOSS aims to establish high quality global and regional ural hazards, be it storm surges after 50 years? sea level networks for application to climate, oceanographic or tsunamis. The importance of The key to such a sustain- and coastal sea level research. The program became known preparedness is emphasized in able system must be its ability to as GLOSS as it provides data for deriving the “Global Level of the case of local tsunamis, which produce continuous added val- the Sea Surface”. often leave only a few tens of ue to the society. Only through The main component of GLOSS is the “Global Core Net- minutes of reaction time after a continuous supply of informa- work” (GCN) of 290 sea level stations around the world for the triggering event. tion that is of societal value can long-term climate change and oceanographic sea level mon- For local tsunamis, which a hazard monitoring and predic- itoring. ● are much more frequent than tion system find a political jus- tele-tsunamis, a dense network tification in the long run. Keith (Source: http://www.pol.ac.uk/psmsl/programmes/gloss.info. of tide gauges could also be use- Alverson, the head of the Glob- html) ful for detection and for warn- al Ocean Observing System ing the local population through (GOOS) of the Intergovernmen- communications such as alerts tal Oceanographic Commis- on the mobile telecommunica- sion (IOC) addressed this matter of its stations already current- ated tsunamis, can be verified as tion network. clearly in his article for Nature: ly transmit their information in well, therefore substantially re- “… the best way to ensure that near-real time to the global da- ducing the economic costs of a What next? a tsunami warning system remains ta networks. tsunami alert system. GLOSS and other components fullyoperational for decades to come Tele-tsunamis, that is, tsuna- of the IOC’s Global Ocean Ob- is to embed it in broader efforts to mis that cross entire ocean ba- Local ownership serving System (GOOS), are de- observe the ocean” (K. Alverson, sins, can be detected and veri- A system like GLOSS is sus- signed to address the daily infor- 2005: Watching over the World’s fied with tidal gauges situated tainable, since it is operated mation need of societies. They Oceans. Nature 434, pp. 19-20). on coasts and ocean islands. Per- and maintained by local care- are more likely to be sustainable Or, as Alverson highlight- haps more importantly, the non- takers, who can use the data for and in operation until the next ed in one of his speeches, sup- tsunamis, that is, false alerts from their own benefit – such as har- tsunami than any one-off sys- pose you have two cars; one that earthquakes that have not gener- bor maintenance, for instance. tem. you use every day and therefore The international commu- regularly maintain, and another nity would be well-advised to one that is only used for emer- make the best use of currently gencies and which may not have available technology (like multi- been used for 20 years. Which Observing the Oceans purpose tide gauges on islands) car would you choose if you had and existing organizations (IOC to urgently take your spouse or aisala provides tide/coastal meteorological stations that and its GLOSS and GOOS) to child to hospital? V can be used for observing the oceans – in support of and concentrate on arriving as fast as when upgrading the existing systems and technology. possible at the simplest yet sus- Global tidal gauge The water level is monitored by using multiple measur- tainable and cost-effective tsuna- network ing methods. Each station is also equipped with sensors for mi warning system, and to inte- Such a sustainable system for coastal meteorology (temperature, humidity, air pressure grate that system into the daily tsunamis already exists: the glob- and wind). This allows monitoring of not only tsunamis but operations of the local society as al tidal gauge network, operated also storm surges and coastal weather in connection to vio- well as the global networks. New under the IOC’s Global Sea Lev- lent storms. developments, which are identi- el Observing System (GLOSS) Proper site selection, installation and training, solid con- fied through research and cost- program. GLOSS has about struction, stand-alone powering option, real-time accurate effectiveness studies, will then 290 real-time sea level stations data, as well as satellite and GPS capabilities are all features be able to complement that sys- around the globe. Although the required from a good coastal meteorological station. ● tem when available, and to con- network was originally designed tribute to the build-up of contin- as a tool for monitoring long- Further information: uously improved ocean informa- term changes in sea levels, many [email protected] tion services. ●

168/2005 5 Doug Thost Field Glaciologist Australian Antarctic Division Kingston, Tasmania, Australia

Dr Martin Truffer takes a breather at the upper MAWS201 site, on the way to survey marker canes at 1200 m asl. Behind him, winds whip up Vaisala AWS Conquers driftsnow and batter the upper slopes. Heard Island in Southern Indian Ocean

Heard Island is remote – really remote. Very few people make the of 550 meters above sea level in our 2000-01 field season. These effort to travel the 4,350 km southwest of Perth, Western Australia, units are designed for the cold to visit this 2745 m high active volcano. Yet it is a fascinating place, and dry conditions of the Antarc- particularly for glaciological monitoring, and gleaning information tic, and the majority of sensors on the effects of climate change. failed after a couple of months, probably due to repeated freeze- thaw events common on subant- arctic Heard Island. We did re- rior to the Australian yet was robust enough to with- cover temperature and solar ra- Antarctic Division’s sec- stand what we knew from experi- diation for a period of 669 days P ond field season in the ence were extreme conditions. before complete failure. austral summer of 2003-04, our When we revisited the site glaciology program decided that In-house design three years later, it looked like we needed a light, easily deploy- battered to ruins someone had been throwing able automatic weather station We had erected a four meter in- rocks at the unit. The aluminum (AWS) that could log data, and house designed AWS at a height tower was deeply pitted, the two

6 168/2005 meter T sensor had taken a direct hit from some large airborne object, the battery box had a lay- er of internal ice, and the wind speed sensor was nowhere to be seen.

Up the mountain by foot Whereas we had had the services of a helicopter to deploy our tower, our most recent field season was all foot and backpack work. We were interested in re- cording fohn events, which are particularly dramatic on Heard Island. We chose the Vaisala Hy- droMetTM Automatic Weath- er Station MAWS201, and deployed two units, one at the ter- minus of our main study glacier, and the other on a small rock outcrop at 922 meters. This lat- ter unit was going to have to endure the worst of the weather, and was the highest any instruments have been deployed on the island to date. Three people carried the vari terminal program made down- er unit in place, logging average Upper MAWS201 site. ous components up the moun- loading data simple. conditions every six hours. If tain from our sea level campsite, On return to the upper we are lucky, it will still be there additionally weighed down with unit, after a particularly violent when we hope to return in three survival gear and roped together storm, the tipping bucket rain years time. ● for glacier travel. gauge and T/RH sensor arm Doug Thost downloading data to I was responsible for se- hung limply alongside the unit, laptopusing a lightweight bivvy bag curing both units on site, and remarkably still connected by forwind protection, light reduction, used a combination of climbing their data cables. A quick field and computer protection. tape, Hessian bags filled with lo- fix saw the T/RH sensor moved cal gravel, and some very heavy to the pyranometer arm, and the boulders, to almost bury the low- rain gauge retired. In fairness to er supporting tripod. As we got the MAWS201 unit, it had done blown back down the mountain pretty well to even stay in place in an increasing gale, I hoped I when analysis of the data found had done enough to keep them it had endured a maximum wind in place on the smooth rock gust of 65.1 m/s (234 km/h) dur- pavement. It was nine days of ing the storm. worrying before I got to see that the upper MAWS201 was still MAWS201 standing, and I cheered with de- – still standing light! With the high cost and logisti- cal complexities associated with Enduring wind gusts getting to a place like Heard Is- of 234 km/h land, the last thing you need is I downloaded the data from the equipment failure. We were real- units using a laptop, and by hid- ly impressed with the MAWS201 ing in a windproof and almost units, and are still analyzing the waterproof dark bag was better data collected during our 44 day able to see the screen in a very field season. In something of an bright environment. The MAWS experiment, we have left the low-

168/2005 7 Erkki Järvinen Division Director Vaisala Helsinki, Finland

Vaisala Measurement Systems – Reorganization for Your Benefit

In January 2005, the Vaisala Soundings and Vaisala Remote Sensing divisions as well as the Vaisala Measurement Systems sales channel were merged into one division under the name Vaisala Measurement Systems. This synergy benefits both Vaisala’s customers and the company’s own internal processes.

he two merged businesses and Thunderstorm Data. The Removing have much in common, functions are Services, Sales, De- organizational T both in terms of custom- livery and Research & Develop- boundaries ers and essential competencies. ment. The business units are re- Both divisions apply the same sponsible for the overall busi- Vaisala Measurement Systems core processes, and the sales or- ness and its competitiveness, as focuses on achieving a bound- ganization has also been shared each unit is an expert in its own ary-free organization that serves in the past. Due to the syner- field. Product Leadership is the common customers. Competen- gy potential and common goals main focus for all business units: cies or projects should not be for development, it made per- we aim to always offer superior constrained according to func- fect sense to streamline the way products to our customers. tion boundaries; and customers we work, to enable a better and The functions on the other especially should not have to ex- more efficient service for our hand are responsible for the ef- perience any function bound- customers. ficient implementation of core aries, all core customer process- processes: product process, op- es are cross-functional. This al- Product Leadership and erations process and service pro- so enables new interactions be- Operational Excellence cess. Operational Excellence is tween Vaisala employees and The chosen business configura- the main focus for all the func- promotes innovation – bringing tion is a matrix of business units tions: our operations result in together diverse knowledge and and functions. There are four premium class quality and deliv- experts from different fields that business units: Soundings, Wind ery of goods and services to cus- have not necessarily previously Profilers, Thunderstorm Systems tomers. interacted.

Roles and responsibilities in a matrix organization Each business unit carries the re- sponsibility for its business and competitive edge. Business units manage their own strategy and product portfolio. Business units provide you with product support. Product Managers are the application specialists who are in continuous contact with you – our customers. They are key people in all projects because of their ex- Vaisala pertise in the particular applica- Measurement tions and their understanding of Systems’worldwide the markets. locations.

8 168/2005 Vaisala Measurement Systems – Reorganization for Your Benefit

Research & Development is the service process as well as for responsible for the efficient im- the development of the service plementation of the product business. Good services facilitate process. It looks after the dif- our customers’ operations and ferent competencies, for exam- produce added value for their ple project management compe- business. tence, technology competence and application know-how, of What’s in it for you? R&D personnel. Science-based Thanks to the reorganization of innovation is an important value resources, our customers can ex- for the R&D organization. pect improved efficiency in our Delivery is responsible for core processes: product pro- the efficient production of de- cess, operations process and ser- liverables, delivery projects, lo- vice process. For example, major gistics, supply chain manage- product development projects ment and respective competen- can be managed with a shorter cies, that is, for Operational Ex- throughput time, and delivery cellence. projects will become more effi- The Sales organization is the cient. focal point of every customer re- Important responsibilities lationship. Vaisala Measurement must be shared by everyone par- Systems’ customer account man- ticipating in the customer pro- proved ability to excel in our agement is carried out by sales cesses. Networking and knowl- commitments, improved re- professionals who seek to estab- edge-sharing enable us to im- sponsiveness, better availability lish long and functional rela- prove our efficiency and innova- and flexibility of technical and tionships with customers, built tiveness, and this will bring add- service resources, and a common on trust. Sales actively seek out ed value to our customers. service organization – one stop Vaisala Measurement Systems is one of Vaisala’s three divisions, customer problems that can be The goal is a cooperative or- shopping. ● and it consists of four business solved with Vaisala’s expertise. ganization that enables great- units: Soundings, Windprofilers, Services are responsible for er agility. Agility allows our cus- Further information: Thunderstorm Systems and the efficient implementation of tomers to benefit from our im- [email protected] Thunderstorm Data.

168/2005 9 Nicholas W.S. Demetriades Applications Specialist Vaisala Tucson (AZ), USA Vaisala LLDN May Assist Forecasters in Nowcasting Hurricane Intensity

Vaisala Thunderstorm found that Long-range Lightning aisala Thunderstorm Detection Network (LLDN) data may provide forecasters with gave a scientific presen- a valuable complementary diagnostic tool for observing V tation at the 2005 AMS conference on tropical cyclone concentric eyewall cycles and other important dynamic changes lightning, based on research and in the core of a hurricane. findings of the LLDN. The network detects cloud-to-ground lightning over oceanic and land

10 168/2005 areas that are many thousands of They proposed that outbreaks of al Lightning Detection Network ragged or elongated in shape, kilometers from existing network eyewall lightning were general- (NLDN) sensors. Lightning does when vertical wind shear in- sensors. Although the detection ly caused by either eyewall con- not always occur in the eyewall creased and/or when dry air in- efficiency of the LLDN varies traction or secondary eyewall re- of a hurricane. However, when truded into the storm center. with region and time of day, the placement. This means that eye- lightning does occur, it may be data from this network provides wall lightning outbreaks may be a sign of change within the hur- Applying the hypotheses: continuous monitoring of light- able to help forecasters nowcast ricane’s inner-core structure that Hurricane Charley ning activity over a large portion hurricane intensification (eye- could help nowcast storm inten- Hurricane Charley provided a of the Atlantic and Eastern Pacif- wall contraction) or weaken- sity. In an effort to extend the unique opportunity to apply the ic tropical cyclone basins. ing (secondary eyewall replace- work of Molinari et al., Vaisala hypotheses, put forth by Moli- ment). Thunderstorm used LLDN da- nari et al. and the results found Eyewall lightning Molinari et al.’s work was ta to study several category 3 or in Vaisala’s study, to a real-time Outbreaks of lightning with- limited to five Atlantic basin higher hurricanes as classified by situation. Eyewall lightning data in the eyewalls of moderate- hurricanes where the center of the Saffir-Simpson Scale (sus- from Hurricane Charley was an- to-strong hurricanes have been circulation passed within 400 tained winds of 96 knots or high- alyzed for the 19 hours preced- studied by Molinari et al. (1999). km of one of the U.S. Nation- er) in both the Atlantic and East- ing landfall in southwest Florida. ern Pacific tropical cyclone ba- Figure 1 shows the eyewall flash sins from 2001 through 2003. rate as detected by the LLDN su- Vaisala Thunderstorm found perimposed upon observations that LLDN data may provide of central pressure from Hurri- forecasters with a valuable com- cane Charley. Low-to-moder- plementary diagnostic tool for ate rates of eyewall lightning oc- observing concentric eyewall cy- curred as Charley intensified at a cles and other important dynam- moderate rate between 0300 and ic changes in the core of a hur- 1200 UTC. ricane. Eyewall lightning out- As the primary eyewall of breaks occurred in eleven of the Charley contracted and the twelve concentric eyewall cycles storm rapidly intensified from found in this study. This is im- 965 to 941 mb, eyewall flash portant for forecasters because rates increased dramatically. concentric eyewall cycles are of- LLDN eyewall flash rates inten obscured on visible and increased to 230 and 340 at 1500 frared satellite imagery. The in- and 1800 UTC, respectively. At strumentation currently used the same time, a secondary eye- to identify these features can- wall developed around the pri- Figure 1:Three-hour CG lightning rates detected within 60 km of Hurricane not continuously monitor hur- mary eyewall. The primary and Charley’s center superimposed on Charley’s minimum central pressure. CG ricanes. These include ground- secondary eyewalls of Hurricane lightning rates are indicated by purple bars with values located on the left y- based radar, microwave satellite Charley can be seen in the radar axis and minimum central pressure is indicated by the blue line with values and air reconnaissance data. base reflectivity data from the located on the right y-axis. Eyewall lightning outbreaks Tampa Bay WSR-88D at 19:46 also occurred during the initial UTC (Figure 2). intensification stage of a hurri- Vaisala has been operating cane and when the eyewall dy- the LLDN since 1996. The data namical structure changed. These from this network may provide dynamical structure changes oc- forecasters with a unique way of curred when the eyewall became continuously monitoring changes in the inner-core structure of hurricanes. Vaisala continues to work with the National Hurri- Figure 2: Tampa Bay WSR-88D cane Center and other hurricane radar base reflectivity image from researchers on applications of 19:46 UTC, 13 August 2004. lightning data for hurricane in- The center of Hurricane Charley tensity forecasting. ● is located just off the southwest coast of Florida. The secondary eyewall is visible as a ring of higher reflectivity surrounding a ring of lower reflectivity, surrounding the primary eyewall. Image courtesy of Further information: thePlymouth State Weather Center. [email protected]

168/2005 11 ILDC/ILMC 2006 Announcement

Vaisala will present the 19th International he ILDC will again pro- Lightning Detection Conference (ILDC) on lated to thunderstorm nowcast- vide a unique and im- April 24-25, 2006. Vaisala also announces ing for the meteorological and T portant forum for pre- the 1st International Lightning Meteorology aviation communities, ocean- sentations and discussion re- Conference (ILMC) on April 26-27, 2006. ic extratropical and tropical cy- lated to advances in detection clone nowcasting, and data as- technology and network perfor- Both events will be held in Tucson, Arizona. similation into numerical weath- mance evaluation. Fundamen- er prediction models. A mete- tals of lightning physics and cur- orological services perspective rent research in the area will be on the topics of lightning pre- discussed. There will continue diction and nowcasting the CG to be a focus on power utility, lightning threat will also be dis- CG lightning threat and forest- cussed. Meteorological uses of ry applications. ILDC will also lightning detected by LF cloud- cover the use of lightning clima- to-ground, VHF total lightning, tologies in network performance and VLF (or satellite) long-range evaluations. The ILDC confer- lightning networks and single ence will be two full days, Mon- point sensors will be covered. day and Tuesday. The ILMC will be a full day on Meteorological applications Wednesday and a half-day on of lightning data have grown Thursday. in recent years. The ILMC has Conference headquarters been established due to the in- will be the Tucson Marriott Uni- creased number of meteorologi- versity Park, offering special ho- cal sessions at ILDC and the im- tel rates for participants. Call for portance of the topic to Vaisala. papers and invitations will be Vaisala Thunderstorm believes mailed in July 2005. To be added this is a good forum to strength- to the mailing list, please send en our relationship with the in- an email of interest to theresa. ternational meteorological com- [email protected]. ● munity. The ILMC will focus on ap- The ILDC 2004 was held in plications of lightning data re- Helsinki, Finland.

12 168/2005 Ed Bardo Lightning Sensors Product Manager Vaisala Tucson (AZ), USA South African Weather Service Chooses Vaisala Thunderstorm Information System

The South African Weather Service has chosen the Vaisala Thunderstorm Information System to provide national lightning data to aid in nowcasting and forecasting, advance severe storm warning, and precipitation prediction. The system will consist of nineteen Vaisala lightning sensors providing lightning coverage of South Africa, Lesotho, and Swaziland.

he South African Weath- data to analyze outages caused er Service (SAWS hereaf- by lightning strikes, to improve T ter) is working to mod- power restoration operations, ernize its offering of meteoro- and to design better lightning logical services in a number of protection schemes. ways. With its acquisition of the The Vaisala Thunderstorm Vaisala Thunderstorm Informa- CG Enhanced Lightning Sensor tion System (TIS), SAWS will LS7000 will provide SAWS have the means to greatly im- with detailed cloud-to-ground prove its understanding of se- and survey-level cloud-to-cloud vere weather. With the advance lightning information. The warning provided by the Vaisa- LS7000 is the ideal sensor for la TIS, SAWS will be able to is- providing weather forecasters sue warnings of potentially dan- with early thunderstorm detec- gerous lightning episodes so that tion over wide areas. The Vaisa Vaisala the devastating effects of light- la TIS will also track thunder- Thunderstorm ning strikes to vulnerable com- storms hundreds of kilometers CG Enhanced munities can be averted. Light- outside of South Africa to give Lightning Sensor LS7000. ning is a great safety concern advance warning of approach- for the South African public as ing severe weather. The LTS2005 well as in airport ground opera- display will be used to give fore- tions (fueling and baggage han- casters a powerful tool for look- Vaisala Thunderstorm dling), mining and construction, ing at real-time thunderstorm in- explosives and flammable mate- formation. In addition, the Vaisa aisala is the world’s largest lightning detection equip- rials handling, and any outdoor la FALLS® Fault Analysis and V ment manufacturer and lightning data services provid- field work. Lightning Location System™ er. Vaisala owns and operates the U.S. National Lightning The lightning information software will be used for foren- Detection Network®. A wide customer base of lightning- supplied by the Vaisala TIS will sic analysis of thunderstorm da- sensitive industries – to whom early thunderstorm warning also be used to analyze and im- ta in order to identify geographic and post-storm analysis are crucial – use Vaisala lightning prove electrical power delivery trends or specific events caused warning, tracking, mapping, and analysis systems and ser- within South Africa. ESKOM, by lightning such as power out- vices to save lives, protect property and reduce economic South Africa’s largest generator ages, damage to man-made struc- losses caused by lightning. ● and supplier of electrical power, tures, and so on. ● is interested in using lightning

168/2005 13 Steve Palmer International Manager Met Office Exeter, UK WMO Voluntary Co-operation Program – a Donor Perspective The Voluntary Co-operation Program (VCP) is an element within the WMO’s Technical Co- operation Program (TCOP). The aim is to ensure the efficient and reliable operation of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services for the provision of services to various socio-economic sectors in developing countries.

Training on the Media Weather Presentation System in Sri Lanka.

he purpose of the TCOP ments and the United Nations ing a multi-hazard early warning ment) as a demonstration proj- and VCP as laid down in Development Program (UNDP).” system, and in assisting disaster ect for community information T the WMO’s sixth long- Buried in this rather daunt- planning within their countries, in remote areas, and has since term plan is: ing text is the exciting reali- including public education. grown in many African coun- “... to ensure, through col- ty of NMHSs and other part- tries. It is now spreading across laborative efforts of Members ners working together on the big Example 2 – promote the South Pacific island states. and for their mutual benefit, the themes in development. It is in- gender equality and At the heart of RANET lie enhancement and development teresting to work through these empower women community FM radio stations, of the capabilities of the Nation- and think of all the ways in which Weather, climate and water ser- broadcasting high-quality audio al Meteorological and Hydro- climate, water and weather infor- vices are relevant to gender to a limited area, with the choice logical Services (NMHSs)... so mation are related to the Millen- equality. In many poor rural of programs under local com- that they can contribute to and nium Development Goals. communities, there is a division munity control. Freeplay wind- participate effectively and effi- of labor between the genders: up radios may be used by the lis- ciently in the implementation of Example 1 – eradicate women fetch water and work in teners, who can purchase them WMO Programs, for the benefit extreme poverty and the fields, while men handle the through micro-credit schemes. of the global community and in hunger cash. This means that getting in- The WorldSpace radio system, support of national sustainable In the tropics, agricultural pro- formation to women is a particu- which receives digital audio and development.” duction is dependent on the lar problem. One of the themes multimedia over satellites, is “... to promote relevant in- start, duration and intensity of of the RANET project approach- a source of both international ternational cooperation and to the rainy season. In turn, this has es this through the use of wind- and national broadcasts for relay assist Member countries through links to climatological features up radios, which do not need through the community radio, collaborative efforts of Members such as El Nino/La Nina. Disas- batteries and therefore do not and also for the web-style broad- to complement implementa- ter preparedness and warnings need cash to keep working. cast of information to a PC. tion activities for WMO scientif- are also related, because poor Some of the pages in this ic and technical programs under people have fewer choices and RANET broadcast are prepared by the other programs such as national are more vulnerable to disasters. RANET started at ACMAD (the NMHSs to cover their nation- programs, bilateral or multilater- The NMHSs together have a African Centre for Meteorolog- al and local needs. The RANET al programs, Trust Fund arrange- vital role to play in implement- ical Applications for Develop- pages use the multimedia chan-

14 168/2005 Tuvalu Meteorological Services HQ, Funafuti.

nel allocated by WorldSpace to Different sources of national poverty. These translate the NMHSs to prepare a ready- First Voice International. While support into ensuring that the NMHSs to-broadcast tape for delivery to RANET started in the meteoro- of developing countries are sus- the TV companies. logical community, it has always VCP donors are mainly the tainable institutions capable of Another project developed involved other partners, some of NMHSs of developed countries, taking, communicating and us- through UK VCP support has whom provide funding, and all but they are not the only ones. ing consistent observations and been the Statistics In Applied of whom contribute to making it There are also donations through of delivering effective services Climatology courses (SIAC). relevant and useful to the com- VCP of equipment by members into all the relevant sectors of These aim to teach good prac- munities it is aimed at. of the Association of Hydro-Me- their nations. tice in using observational data teorological Equipment Indus- In consequence, the his- and in applying it to agricultur- Getting requests to try (HMEI). toric support by the UK to ob- al crop production, health, civil donors Many of the countries in deserving programs in remote lo- engineering and many other ap- In its simplest form, VCP works velopment also offer places on cations is now tied firmly to the plications. by providing a mechanism to training courses and technical GUAN (Upper Air Network for link the needs of developing support to their neighbors, and GCOS, or Global Climate Ob- Making a difference country NMHSs with the re- this form of mutual assistance serving System) stations, and is While weather climate and wa- sources of donors. Requests are is very helpful. An excellent ex- assessed against the monitoring ter information services are on- made to the WMO using a form ample is the development of the of the supported stations. This ly critical in a limited number of which aims to define the strate- Climsoft climatology database also implies that ascents should situations, they do make a useful gic need and the particular re- package, for which the lead de- be to higher levels than need- difference to the lives and liveli- quirements, and these are then velopers are in Zimbabwe and ed for conventional meteorolo- hoods of many vulnerable peo- circulated. This is mainly done Kenya, and contributions have gy, that the reporting should in- ple, and can have a multiplier ef- through the WMO website, par- been made by the NMHSs of clude more detail than the min- fect on other initiatives. VCP is ticularly the VCP News. Donors Guinea and Cap Verde. imum of the TEMP code, and a very effective method of un- select projects from the requests, The donors work in differ- that the submission of the CLI- derstanding needs and develop- make a formal offer of support, ent ways, and each will have pri- MAT TEMP message is impor- ing partnerships to help advance and then implement the project. orities set by their own organi- tant. the Millennium Development There is a similar arrangement zation. Many of the developed Other UK VCP projects are Goals, and to help people in the with requests for fellowships and country NMHSs have links to assessed on the development sta- poorest countries make the most training. their national aid organizations tus of the recipient country. An- of their own situations through However, in practice, things and bid for funds from these other theme of the UK VCP is to better information, knowledge are often much more complex. sources. Some employ staff who empower the developing coun- and warnings. ● Usually there is a process of ne- provide hands-on technical sup- try NMHSs through the provi- Further information; gotiation between the donor and port to developing country sion of equipment and training Millennium Development Goals the recipient about the scope of NMHSs. There is an emphasis that lead directly into services for http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/ the project. If the donor has de- on emergency warning services, the public. About 35 NMHSs RANET http://www.ranet2000.org/about.html veloped a “blueprint” type proj- and on reconstruction after di- have now been equipped with ACMAD ect, then it will be rolled out to sasters. TV weather presentation sys- http://www.acmad.ne a number of recipients, and typ- tems, and these have been very First Voice International http://www.firstvoiceint.org/ ically the donor will suggest to UK VCP important in raising the pro- HMEI the recipient that a formal request UK VCP funding is managed by file of the NMHSs within their http://www.hydrometeoindustry.org/ should be submitted in a particu- the Met Office as part of the UK countries and governments, as lar form. A change in technology National Meteorological Pro- well as delivering good local in- will also prompt a series of similar gram, which is a statement of formation in direct competi- requests. Planning these chang- the needs of the UK government tion with the global providers on es and informing the donors for meteorology. Hence there is CNN and BBC World. The na- well in advance is vital, especial- now a strong emphasis on the tional NMHS has the major ad- Steve Palmer, ly as many of the donors have need for observations for global vantages of local languages and International long timescales for their funding climate monitoring, and also ex- culture, as well as providing lo- Manager, UK allocations. plicit mention of reducing inter- cal detail. These systems enable Met Office.

168/2005 15 Ilkka Ikonen Manager, Spectrum Matters Vaisala Helsinki, Finland

The CORA Automatic Sounding System – a Brief History

Vaisala delivered the first fully automated sounding system in March 1975. To celebrate the 30-year-old CORA, we look at some significant milestones in its development.

n the early 1970s, Vaisa- Low Frequency (VLF) band, could then take place. This kept ga signals. Fast developing dig- la made the strategic de- which made it particularly suit- the radiosonde design fairly sim- ital electronics and new mini- I cision to develop a 400 able for global use as the signal ple, and consequently its man- computers made it possible to MHz band radiosonde. This range was over 10,000 km. The ufacturing cost relatively low, apply a revolutionary new ap- was primarily in response to whole globe could be covered making it an attractive new prod- proach to the task. Instead of us- the growing threat of interfer- with eight Omega transmitting uct. The new radiosonde family ing a conventional phase lock to ence in the 28 MHz frequency stations, and there would be at carried the name Vaisala Radio- detect the Omega signals, a cor- band. There was also a need to least four transmitters within re- sonde RS21. The pressure, tem- relating receiver, or a correlator, find a windfinding solution for ception range everywhere. perature and humidity (PTU) was developed. In the correla- the new radiosonde system. From three possible naviga- transducer and sensors were tak- tor, the Omega signal was first An attractive new method tion frequencies, the 13.6 kHz en from the Vaisala Radiosonde sampled, and then digitized. The was to use the long range nav- was chosen. The VLF signal did RS18. digital Omega signal was then igation system Omega, which not need to be detected by the correlated with a locally formed was under construction by the radiosonde, but instead could Utilizing Omega signals similar signal. The results were U.S. Coast Guard. The Ome- simply be relayed to the ground The new sounding system need- then passed to the minicomput- ga system operated in the Very station where all processing ed a method to utilize the Ome- er, where the signal phases were detected and the wind finally computed. Jaegersborg sounding station, Denmark, 1977. The basic correlator solution was at a prototype level in late 1972, when Omega windfinding program development was started. The minicomputer used was a NOVA 1200, which had a 16 bit word length, and the address space only allowed direct pointing up to 32 Kword (16 bit words). The ferrite ring memory allowed a processing speed of just 1 MHz. In addition, the program development environment was primitive compared to what it is today. There was no mass memory, so all programs and test data needed to be stored on paper tapes. The only input and output device was Teletype ASR 33, which was an electromechanical, reliable but noisy device, with a printing speed of 10 characters per second. Later, a C-cassette unit with three drives

16 168/2005 was added to the system for program loading and intermediate data storage. The main program- ming language was BASIC, but a number of special functions needed to be written in Assem- bler code.

From prototypes to first delivery Soon it was discovered that PTU The first fully automated sounding system, MicroCORA®. could also be digitally sampled and processed. Thus it was, at last, possible to create a fully automatic sounding system. In 1973, Vaisala and the Finn- was ready in early 1975, and was managed by Erik W. Nielsen, field acceptance test, where both ish Meteorological Institute delivered to South-Africa. How- many of the data processing and the overall system reliability and joined forces to develop a pro- ever, it soon became clear that operational issues were solved. windfinding accuracy were test- gram to code the WMO TEMP the system was far from “ready”. However, it was also found that ed. A new CORA system was message in a minicomputer. Dr. the 32K Word memory was a born. Daniel Söderman with his team Improving the system limiting factor. Another con- The next major steps were produced the first TEMP coding with customers strain was BASIC, which pro- the introduction of the RS80 ra- program in Assembler language – The second phase of the de- duced relatively slow executable diosonde family in the begin- an outstanding achievement. In velopment began in late 1976, code. ning of the 1980s, and the use of those days, telex was the prima- with the goal being to improve the NOVA 4 minicomputer with ry method to disseminate TEMP both the windfinding perfor- The breakthrough full solid state program storage messages for global distribution. mance and radiosonde signal R&D Software Engineer Pentti to replace the electromechanical In order to print the five bit te- processing. It was soon evident Karhunen, PhD, found a unique C-cassette unit. In this configu- lex code with an eight bit ASCII that powerful methods were and simple solution to invert an ration with the new radiosonde, teletype, an adapter for the tele- needed to extract “true” sig- 8x8 matrix, needed to determine MicroCORA® became world type printer was needed. nals from the noise infested, the wind from the general wind- famous and remained a reliable The first winds were mea- raw PTU and Omega signals re- finding equation, binding the tool in synoptic and research sured using Omega as early ceived. In addition, there were measured phases of the signals meteorology until the termina- as February 1973. Soon after- many operational aspects to be from eight Omega stations to- tion of the Omega network in wards the two first prototypes of taken into account. gether with the geographical fac- 1997. The new sounding systems CORA systems were delivered An early customer of the tor. This opened up the oppor- DigiCORA®, DigiCORA II® to the French National Center CORA system was the Dan- tunity to convert all the need- and Marwin® were the replace- for Scientific Research (CNRS), ish Meteorological Institute, ed code to Assembler language. ments, but they were still based to be used in the internation- which installed a system in Jae- The real test for the new version on the same principles as their al GATE campaign in summer gersborg sounding station near came in the form of a delivery predecessor. ● 1974. The first production ver- Copenhagen. Through the co- to the Swedish Airforce in Feb- sion of the software and system operation with the Danish team, ruary 1978. CORA passed the

168/2005 17 Hannu Jauhiainen Business Development Manager Vaisala Helsinki, Finland

Mauritius WMO Radiosonde On February 7-25 of this year, the WMO Intercomparison conducted an intercomparison of high quality radiosonde systems on the island of Mauritius. The intercomparison took place at the headquarters of the Mauritius Meteorological Services, Vacoas.

he location and timing systems from six manufactur- pared instruments, test flights ure 1 shows an example of atmo- of the test offered good ers were tested. Vaisala partic- needed to be divided into two spheric temperature and humid- T conditions for radio- ipated with the Vaisala Radio- groups. Four multiple sonde ity profile from the first week of sonde humidity and tempera- sonde RS92-SGP and Vaisala rigs were flown daily. Two of the the test. February is in the mid- ture testing, stated as important DigiCORA® Sounding System flights were nighttime sound- dle of the cyclone season in objectives of the intercompari- MW31, featuring the new Vaisala ings at 7 pm and 10 pm local Mauritius. Before the test it was son, along with GPS wind mea- Sounding Processing Subsystem time. Daytime soundings were thought possible that some of surement. SPS311 with built-in software performed at 9 am and 2 pm. the flights might need to be post- The test was supervised by defined radio technology. Addi- The flights were scheduled from poned because of high ground the Vice-president of WMO/ tional instrumentation, such as Mondays to Saturdays. Vaisa- winds and rain. During the test, CIMO, Dr. John Nash, while the Vaisala Ceilometer CT75, a la was the only manufacturer to however, the wind speeds were practical arrangements at the cloud radar, and a GPS met sys- participate in all test flights. relatively low. site were conducted by Mau- tem, was also used to collect data The weather during the cam- One important task of the ritius Meteorological Services’ for further scientific analysis. paign was hot and humid. In the Mauritius Meteorological Servic- Deputy Director / Intercompar- first week, rain showers occurred es is to forecast possible cyclone ison Project Manager Dr. Beenay Soundings daily, ground level temperature development and issue appro- Pathack. day and night varied between 24-28oC and hu- priate warnings. During the test Radiosondes and ground Due to the large number of com- midity between 70-95% RH. Fig- Vaisala also provided sounding

18 168/2005 Figure 2: Telemetry performance of the RS92-SGP / SPS311 with software defined radio in Mauritius. Percentage of received frames / expected frames, average 99.2% and median 99.9%. Figure 1: Typical temperature and humidity profiles. data from Vaisala radiosondes Vaisala telemetry link Figure 2 outlines the per- test was 11 on average. The GPS for the station’s meteorological performance centage of received frames from wind calculation requires at least needs. the Mauritius soundings. The re- four satellites to be tracked and A full report on the intercom- liability of the data transmission this was the case in 99.95% of 10 out of 10 for parison will be published by was very high - the average of re- the received GPS frames. arrangements the WMO in due course. Pre- ceived frames / expected frames This figure describes the The arrangements by the WMO liminary results of the test will being 99.2%. In practice, the da- sonde GPS-receiver performance and Mauritius Meteorologi- be presented at TECO-2005 in ta availability is somewhat lower, and does not include operation cal Services set a good basis for May. Due to the agreed sched- as the data received is subject to of the telemetry link between a successful test campaign. Be- ule, the manufacturers are not further validation. sonde and ground equipment. fore the test, the manufacturers permitted to publish data accura- When this figure is combined and the personnel of the Vacoas cy analysis before this. However, GPS wind data with the telemetry performance, Meteorological Station built up some information on the Vaisa- availability it can be seen that the RS92-SGP the sounding systems and the rela system’s performance and reli- The GPS wind data availability offered very good wind da- quired infrastructure. During the ability can be revealed now. of the RS92-SGP radiosonde was ta availability in the Mauritius campaign, big 2000 gram bal- A combination of the Vaisa also evaluated. One useful mea- WMO Radiosonde Intercom- loons were used to lift up bam- la Radiosonde RS92-SGP and sure is the number of tracked parison. ● boo rigs, typically reaching 35 km Vaisala DigiCORA® Sounding GPS satellites by the radiosonde altitude and 6 hPa pressure level. System MW31, with the new 12 channel receiver. The num- Further information: Rigs were equipped with 3 to 4 Vaisala Sounding Processing ber of tracked satellites in the [email protected] test radiosondes, according to a Subsystem SPS311 with software predetermined sounding plan. defined radio, was used in Mau- In the second daytime ritius. The signal transmission of Average tracked satellites. sounding a fifth sonde, the Vaisa the system is built on a fully dig- la Radiosonde RS80-15G, was al- ital telemetry link. When com- so attached to the rig to carry out pared to conventional analog RF the station’s routine synoptic receiver technology, the new dig- sounding. The launch of big rig ital telemetry technology offers systems is always a challenging significant advantages, including task. During the test period, the accurate and flexible digital sig- station personnel took care of nal processing, software-config- the sounding launches. Experi- urable digital filters and efficient ence and practice from previous error detection and correction radiosonde intercomparisons methods. The result is improved was brought in by the WMO su- bandwidth efficiency, reliable pervisors. The rig launches were data transmission, improved di- very successful despite the vary- agnostics, and more consistent ing wind conditions. unit-to-unit operation.

168/2005 19 Brian Davis Rail Weather Product Manager Vaisala Birmingham, UK

Advanced Rail Weather Information: Weather Monitoring and Prediction for the Rail Sector

Since 1998, Vaisala has been working to ntil recently, the rail sec- Overhead wire icing and introduce a range of rail weather solutions. tor largely ignored such high winds U enhanced solutions. These solutions have been derived from However, in many ways railways Ice on the overhead wire causes work in the highways sector where, for over can be more susceptible to the ef- trains to lose power and in ex- 20 years, operational benefits have been fects of the weather, with it caus- treme cases leads to the over- ing significant disruption at all head wire / catenary system achieved by linking data from road weather times of the year due to extremes being brought down. Arcing stations with localized, site and application of temperature, wind and precip- caused by the presence of ice al- specific forecasts. itation. so leads to excessive wear to the The main parts of the rail in- train-mounted pantograph con- frastructure affected include the ductors. In addition, high wind track and switch points, conduc- gusts can cause dangerous move- tor (power) rails and overhead ment of exposed overhead wires, wires/catenary systems. A range leading to loss of power to the of solutions is now available to train and de-wirements. help manage the effects of weath- In 1998, Vaisala was ap- er on the rail network. Some ex- proached by Railtrack LNE (now amples implemented in the Unit- Network Rail) in the United ed Kingdom are discussed here. Kingdom to help solve similar

20 168/2005 A Vaisala Overhead Wire Ice Weather Station.

Vaisala Rail Weather system user interface. problems which were jeopardiz- the East Coast Main Line (EC- from the new non-contact sen- tional forecasting agencies, it has ing the reliable operation of the ML) between London and Scot- sor being used to initialize the been demonstrated that the fore- rail network. land. Each wind weather station model. cast period can be extended and The Railtrack LNE wind controls a particular line section, If ice, frost or snow is fore- overhead wire forecast models management strategy was based and wind related train speed re- cast for the following 3-hour pe- can now give rail operators reli- around text and/or general wide strictions are now limited to line riod, a message is passed to the able 24-hour advance warning of area hazard (Yes/No) type fore- sections where high wind gusts Vaisala Rail Alarm server and an overhead wire temperature and casts. However, the effects of have been reported. alarm generated. These alarms state. wind can be highly localized and are used to trigger warning no The Vaisala Overhead Wire influenced by local terrain/to- Ice monitoring and tices which are relayed to main- Ice Weather Station comprises: pography so making wind gusts prediction for the tenance crews and train opera- a non-contact overhead wire sen- difficult to forecast. This often overhead contact wire tors, in addition to scheduling sor, an air temperature and rela- led to train speed restrictions Ice events are best managed scraper trains as necessary. tive humidity sensor, wind speed, being introduced too frequent- through the provision of accu- More recently, working with direction and gust sensors, and a ly, which in turn resulted in un- rate site-specific forecasts de- Network Rail and some interna- present weather detector. ➤ necessary delays. Alternative- tailing the timing of the events. ly, it was possible for localized Such warnings then allow users wind events to occur which had to plan preventative measures, not been forecast, leading to ex- such as applying heating to the pensive and disruptive de-wire- wire, or running scraper trains to Solutions to Help Manage the ments. break-off any ice/frost before the Effects of Weather on the Rail Network The solution developed by passing of main service trains. Vaisala provided the means for Experience in the highways Monitoring of train speed restrictions to be in- sector suggested that it would • High wind gusts troduced only in areas affected be possible to both measure • Heavy snowfall by high winds, thus reducing de- and forecast ice accretion, which • Heavy rainfall lays and costs, while also mini- could then help in the forward- mizing infrastructure damage planning of maintenance opera- Monitoring and prediction of under high wind conditions. tions. • Overhead wire icing The Vaisala Wind Alarm As part of a project with Net- • Conductor rail icing system is based around a network Rail, Vaisala developed • Hot rails work of strategically located and verified the performance wind weather stations report- of a new non-contact overhead “...using the Vaisala Rail Weather System has helped us ing real-time wind gust alarms wire sensor which reports over- reduce the amount of weather related train delays... so to the Vaisala Rail Alarm serv- head wire temperature and state reducing the impact on our passengers” er in the Network Rail Control (ice, frost, snow, wet, moist, dry). - Trevor Marshall, Network Rail Room in York, England. A total Vaisala also developed and veri- Weather Strategy Coordinator of 22 wind weather stations have fied a short range overhead wire been in use since 2000, along ice NowCast model, with data

168/2005 21 Following the success of the ter checks were made by mainte- non-contact sensor and forecast nance staff. Such measurements model development, 5 Over- could be inaccurate and/or in- head Wire Ice Weather Stations consistent, as the measurements were installed alongside the depended on the operator, or ECML wind system. This Over- technique adopted. In some cas- head Wire Ice Monitoring and es staff were required to go line- Prediction System has been in side to take temperature mea- operation since 2000. surements – clearly not an ideal or safe solution. Precipitation warnings A Vaisala Rail Temperature and track-side visual System was therefore installed at monitoring 10 locations on the District and Rail networks can be susceptible Metropolitan lines across Cen- to heavy rain and snowfall. The tral and Greater London. Tem- Vaisala Rail Weather System can perature sensors attached to sec- also report precipitation type tions of rail mounted on ballast and amount using the Vaisala mounted sleepers next to the 72-hour graph of rail (red), air (blue) and dew point temperature. Present Weather Detector. line are used to report rail tem- This element of the system perature data. Air temperature can warn users about heavy rain and relative humidity data are al- and snowfall events at remote lo- so provided at all locations. cations. The information provid- Data are automatically col- ed facilitates the proactive man- lected every hour all year round agement of areas at risk of wash- by The Vaisala Bureau, and then outs/landslips, and the targeting posted on a dedicated website or planning of snow clearance for Metronet. Along with the operations. Web-based Weather- normal table and graph views, Cams can also be provided as an multiple status maps provide a “eye on the ground” at remote visual overview of the status of locations. the network, allowing maintenance staff to be mobilized on- Hot rails and ly when required. conductor rail icing With a total of 6 temperature Weather related problems are al- thresholds in summer, mainte- so experienced all year round at nance staff can now remotely as- track level. In 2004, Metronet sess, online, the state of the net- Rail, responsible for revitaliz- work and at each threshold act 24-hour conductor rail forecast and actual data overlay. ing two thirds of the London according to their predefined (Forecast data copyright: PA WeatherCentre) Tube, invested in a Vaisala Rail procedures. For example, when Temperature System. In January rail temperatures are in the 49- 2005, a Vaisala Conductor Rail 53°C range trains are subject to Ice System was also installed and high temperature related speed the temperature and state (ice, The system now provides an commissioned on the same net- restrictions. In the winter the frost, snow, wet, moist, dry) of additional input into the Metronet work. With around 70% of the system also provides warning the rail. The network has been decision-making process to intro- Tube being above ground, man- when the rail temperatures are classified as having four distinct duce sleet (anti-icing) trains and to aging the network in adverse less than -7°C to help schedule climatic domains, and one Con- allow engineering works to run – weather, in particular under ex- winter maintenance works. ductor Rail Ice Weather Station all aiding the uninterrupted oper- tremes of temperature, is a chal- Ice on the conductor (pow- has been located in each of these ation of the railway. lenge. These two systems are er) rail can also be a significant domains. In the words of Phil Galligan, now helping Metronet manage problem, causing trains to lose Data from the new conduc- Track Delivery Manager for these challenges. power, leading to service disrup- tor rail sensor provides a feed Metronet Rail “ ...the system Daytime rail and air temper- tion. Some of the hot rail weath- into a new 24-hour site-specific provides a better picture of the atures can deviate significant- er stations have been upgrad- forecast model to give Metronet prospects for the next 24-hours, ly under clear skies or broken ed with the new Vaisala Con- advance warning of the risk so if there is a likelihood of ice cloud, and this can mean a risk ductor Rail Ice System. This up- of ice on the conductor rail. forming on rails overnight, pre- of rail buckling in the summer grade uses an innovative tech- The site-specific conductor rail emptive action can be taken”. ● months. nique whereby a sensor embed- forecasts are verified using the Historically, manual hour- ded within a reference section of Conductor Rail Ice Weather Sta- Further information: ly rail temperature thermome- conductor rail is used to report tion data. [email protected]

22 168/2005 Vu Khac Thong Director Trieuha Co., Ltd. Hanoi, Vietnam

Vinh and Nasan Airports Receive a Facelift in Vietnam

In recent years, the Vietnamese economy has es. Vinh airport was upgraded Free from experienced remarkable growth in all fields. with a new 2,400 m long and 45 3rd party suppliers m wide runway, built to accom- Intensive trading and tourism necessitate the modate larger airplanes, includ- The two airports were to be re- renovation and upgrading of major airports ing the Airbus A320. There is al- equipped with new, state-of-the- throughout the country. so a 1,950 sq m terminal, capa- art and fully automated weath- ble of receiving 140 arrivals per er observation systems. Abiding hour. Even the parking area was to the local procurement proce- increased to 24,787 sq m. dures, a public tender was called n 2003, the Northern Air- in October 2003 for two airport port Authority (NAA), the Nasan weather observation systems. I managing body for all air- Nasan airport is the key to un- The tender specifications for the ports in the northern part of locking the economic blood ves- two airports were identical – re- Vietnam, was assigned by the sels in the north-west area of quiring that all information on government to give a facelift to Vietnam. It was originally a stra- pressure, temperature, humidity, Vinh and Nasan airports. tegic military airport built by the precipitation, wind speed and di- French colonists, and served as rection, horizontal visibility and Vinh the only supply channel to the cloud base should be collect- The city of Vinh is an important famous Dien Bien Phu base. It is ed in a local data logger, prop- tourist and economic center of now to be upgraded with a new erly repacked and fed via an un- Nghe Anh province, boasting runway and a modern terminal derground wire line to a central the picturesque Cualo beach- to become a civilian airport. database server and from ➤

168/2005 23 thereon distributed to observa- expensive without similar expe- tion terminals and displays. rience, were offered at a very at- The Vaisala MIDAS IV Au- tractive turnkey price. tomated Weather Observing Sys- tem, offered by the local distrib- Fast installation utor Trieuha Co. Ltd., was a per- In August 2004, the installation fect match and the choice of all work including all civil work was members of the tender commit- completed in just two weeks by tee. The winning argument was Trieuha Co. Ltd. The MIDAS that Vaisala is the only manufac- IV system in Vinh airport was turer offering a complete system commissioned and put into op- – including sensors, data logger, eration alongside the existing hardware, and system software – weather facility. The ATC and that can provide long-term spare other staff can now enjoy a visu- parts and support without being ally pleasing and fully automat- dependent on any third party ed all-at-a-glance display right manufacturers. The "all-made-in- on their desk. The other MIDAS Vaisala" concept won top marks IV system in Nasan is also run- during the evaluation. ning but, because of the on-going runway construction work, Good track record does not serve daily flights. All Another important point was the data will be collected and re- that Trieuha Co.’s expertise in ported to NAA for statistical cal- Vaisala equipment has been culation. proven with a number of instal- From 2006, the MIDAS IV lations in Vietnam. In this ten- "twins" at Vinh and Nasan air- der, Trieuha Co. offered addi- ports will be in full service. With tional services such as a LAN- these new systems, all 5 airports extender solution to extend the in the northern part of Vietnam reach of the LAN hosting to the are now being served by Vaisala database server at the ATC tower, AWOS systems. They will sure- which is more than 200 m away. ly provide an excellent reference Furthermore, Trieuha contribut- for the upcoming airport up- ed to a rather challenging new grades in middle and southern AFTN terminal set-up, adding parts of Vietnam. ● to the existing AFTN network Vaisala MIDAS IV at Vinh Airport. at Vinh and Nasan airports. All Further information: the services, which could be very [email protected]. Nasan met garden.

Trieuha Co. Ltd.’s Director Mr. Vu Khac Thong.

24 168/2005 Marikka Metso Editor-in-Chief Vaisala Helsinki, Finland Better Customer Service – We Are Working on It Customers in the global economy are more aisala, like any other leading company, is ex- demanding than ever before. And rightly so. V pected to produce premium-class products and ser vices that are designed to meet the specific customer’s needs, and deliver them quickly any- where in the world. The “customer service” concept is used so much today that is has become somewhat of a cliché. It seems like everyone is doing it. Howev- er, providing excellent customer service takes more than words – much more. The first ever Vaisala Global Service Summit was held in Bir- mingham, UK, in March 2005. The 2-day meeting reflects Vai sala’s true commitment to efforts aimed at improving the services we offer to our customers. The following important issues were among those identified in the meeting.

Customers seek cost-efficiency The services we provide must be cost-competitive and facilitate our customers’ business. It is the main (if not the only) reason our customers buy Vaisala’s services. It is as simple as that.

Attitude is decisive Attitude is a decisive factor in good or bad customer service. What service really comes down to is interactions between individuals. Each one of us contrib- utes to the customer experience with our own behavior.

Processes need to be efficient Service processes need to be efficient, as well as well document- ed and implemented. Clear processes help us to determine the actions required. Good processes are tools for work, not ➤

168/2005 25 inflexible documentation jun- Proactivity creates gles. strong relationships Most customers appreciate a pro- Vaisala Services – Helping You Everyone is responsible active partner that speaks with Operate Successfully The entire enterprise must pull them on a regular basis to ensure together to provide excellent that everything is working as de- aisala offers a portfolio of services to ensure that your Vaisa- customer service. For example, sired. We are happy to take on a V la products and systems keep working productively, deliver- manufacturing, purchasing and more consultative role; problem- ing the measurement data you require over their entire lifecycle. quality control may never talk to solving is not always about pro- the end-user of our products, yet viding ready answers, it is also Vaisala services include: they are vital in meeting the cus- about providing options and in- • Delivery services: these include consulting, site surveying, tomer’s needs. To drive customer formation on the pros and cons factory acceptance testing, delivery, installation, and site accep- responsiveness through the en- of the different choices. Talking tance testing. tire organization, we must treat to our customers regularly helps • Support services: encompassing support from the Vaisala whoever receives the output of us to understand their business HelpDesks, preventive and corrective maintenance, repair, spare our process as our customer - in- requirements better. parts, troubleshooting, and possible further consulting. cluding internal customers. • Training services: including lessons on the working princi- Measurement is the key ples of the Vaisala system in question, as well as practical hands- Honesty and integrity to any improvement on hardware and software training. Training is also given on are important in Key indicators of the quality of troubleshooting and maintenance tasks. all interactions customer service must be recog- • System evolution services: a range of services includ- Honesty is vital in customer re- nized and followed consistent- ing consultation and system upgrades according to the needs of lations. We all like to do busi- ly. Different tools can be used to your evolving business. The goal is to maximize data availability, ness with people we trust. If our monitor our performance, and so that you can concentrate on running a successful operation. customer asks us for advice on frequent customer satisfaction • System outsourcing, rental and leasing services: a product, we will sell them the surveys will provide important flexible equipment ownership and operation solutions are avail- item that is best suited for the feedback on how you think we able to accommodate different customer requirements. customer’s business. are doing. • Data services: Vaisala offers a range of data services, such as the provision of lightning data, synoptic data, and road weather data. ● Promises must be Building an delivered agile organization Further information: It is also extremely important to Agility is the word used to de- [email protected] deliver what we have promised, scribe companies who can meet how we promised it, and when customer requirements in new, we promised it. Turnaround and flexible and innovative ways. The review and revision as we learn areas, there are different business response times are a critical cus- Birmingham summit delegates from experience, and technolo- models also in Vaisala’s service tomer satisfaction factor in our agreed that all Vaisala services gies and customer requirements business. One shoe does not fit business. need to be subject to continuous change. Like in other business all, and some businesses may follow slightly different guidelines. One of the goals of the summit was to increase the understanding of what works best for whom. Vaisala actively participates in knowledge-sharing and learn- ing networks in the area of industrial services development. These efforts, as well as our newly-established Global Service Forum, support from top management, and concrete improvement actions contribute towards more agile service operations that benefit our customers. ●

HelpDesk Manager Megan Harris gives a tour of the Birmingham HelpDesk facility to summit delegates.

26 168/2005 Dr. Iwan Holleman and Hans Beekhuis KNMI De Bilt, The Netherlands KNMI Staff Members Holleman and Beekhuis Win Vilho Vaisala Award

In March 2005, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and Vaisala presented the 19th Vilho Vaisala Award to Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI) staff members Iwan Holleman and Hans Beekhuis, in recognition of their innovative work on the Doppler weather radar. In addition to detecting precipitation, the Doppler radar is able to register wind across the whole of the Netherlands.

olleman and Beekhuis Kenneth Forss developed a practical (Vaisala), method that has greatly Michel Jarraud H (WMO), Iwan improved KNMI’s radar-based Holleman and wind measurements. This brings Hans Beekhuis enormous benefits, especially at the award with gale-force or squally winds ceremony. on the weather charts. The prestigious Vilho Vaisala Award is granted annually to celebrate a leading publication in the field of meteorological instrumentation and observation methodology. This year’s winning publication Analysis and Correction of dual PRF Velocity Data describes the results of an extensive analysis of wind reg- istration data generated by KNMI’s Doppler radars. The application of the dual-PRF (Du- al Pulse Repetition Frequency) technology inevitably leads to errors. Holleman and Beekhuis have found a way to correct these errors, which has great- alerts and alarms. Additional ef- other (European) countries will ly improved the quality of the forts are being made to further also be able to benefit from this wind data. gear the wind data towards spe- development. cific meteorological uses. Professor Vilho Väisälä, who High-quality The high-quality wind data passed away in 1969, was an es- radar wind data are not only used by KNMI me- teemed inventor as well as the Holleman and Beekhuis’ research teorologists – they also find their founder and long-standing Man- has given radar wind data the way to government agencies and aging Director of Vaisala. He set quality needed for operational weather companies, and to the an example of creativity, high purposes. This means that the in- aviation and recreation sectors. quality, devotion, pride in pro- formation is now available to me- Thanks to the international ex- fessional skills and belief in one’s teorologists for preparing weath- change of research results and own abilities – all qualities much er forecasts and issuing weather operational wind data moreover, honored at Vaisala today. ●

168/2005 27 Marikka Metso Editor-in-Chief Vaisala Helsinki, Finland

Vaisala’s stand at the 85th AMS Annual Meeting in San Diego.

the US EPA. • On the representation of two- and three-dimensional total lightning information. • Long-Range lightning applications for hurricane intensity. • A warning method for the risk of cloud-to-ground lightning based on total lightning and radar information. • An analysis of lightning holes in a DFW supercell storm using total lightning th and radar information. Vaisala at the 85 • New piezoelectric Vaisala RAINCAP® precipi- AMS Annual Meeting tation sensor. If you would like to receive one or more of these papers, This year, the Annual Meeting of the American Meteorological please send an email to vaisala. [email protected], stating the Society (AMS) was held at the San Diego Convention Center, January publication name(s). 9-13. The meeting was organized around the broad theme of Building the Earth Information System and the role that science can Vaisala Workshop play in decision-making for society. Vaisala Workshop offered a broad selection of presentations on in-situ upper-air measurement technology, wind profiling he meeting brought over • Meeting strategies of Na- applications, thunderstorm in- 2,600 attendees to the San tional Meteorological Ser- formation systems, hydrometeo- T Diego Convention Cen- vice by outsourcing services. rological solutions and meteoro- ter. As before, Vaisala was one of • Integrated hydrometeoro- logical instruments – including the biggest exhibitors. Monday’s logical monitoring solutions the new Vaisala Weather Trans- Exhibit Hall opening in particu- and network management. mitter WXT510. lar drew scores of people to the • Lightning produced by th more than 100 stands. Vaisala ex- cold season oceanic extra- 86 AMS perts presented a great variety of tropical cyclones: Obser- Annual Meeting Vaisala products, systems and so- vations related to nowcast- The next AMS Annual Meeting lutions to interested visitors. ing storm development, in- will be held 29 January–2 Feb- tensity and precipitation ruary 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia. Vaisala papers amounts. It will be a very special event Vaisala experts presented a num- • Global Earth Observation for Vaisala, as in 2006 the com- ber of papers in San Diego, in- System (GEOS): System Ca- pany also celebrates 70 years in cluding: pabilities and the Role for business. ●

28 168/2005 New AMS Commission to be Headed by Vaisala Employee George Frederick

The American Meteorological Society (AMS) Council recently approved the formation of a new commission within the Society: the Commission on the Weather and Climate Enterprise.

his marks an important state, and private organizations Vaisala Measure- T milestone in the history of should seek a neutral host, such ment Systems as the AMS because commissions as the American Meteorologi- the first chair of the represent the primary organi- cal Society, to provide a periodic Commission on the zational feature of the Society’s dedicated venue for the weath- Weather and Cli- volunteer structure – making the er enterprise as a whole to dis- mate Enterprise. In creation of a new commission a cuss issues related to the public– his role as Commis- rare and important event. private partnership. sioner he will be The new commission grew The resulting Commission guiding the forma- out of the Society’s desire to re- on the Weather and Climate En- tion of the boards spond proactively to recom- terprise clearly represents a re- that will carry out the business of cations for the rest of the world mendation 3 in the National Re- sponse to the Fair Weather re- the commission, as well as pro- since many of the issues involv- search Council’s report entitled port, but it also goes well be- viding leadership in the planning ing the various sectors of the En- Fair Weather – Effective Part- yond issues related to NOAA’s of several initial activities so that terprise know no international nerships in Weather and Climate interactions with the private sec- the commission can begin show- boundaries. No doubt the "In- Services. The study for which the tor and academic communities. ing results as quickly as possible. ternational Weather and Cli- report was generated had been The new Commission represents The plan is to gradually "spin mate Enterprise" will benefit commissioned by the US Nation- an opportunity for the Society up" the boards of the Commis- from the dialog that will take al Weather Service to look at im- to help foster better interactions sion so that it will become fully place within this AMS Commis- proving the public-private part- among all the provider and us- fleshed out by the end of 2006. sion, and in the future such dia- nership in weather services in er communities in ways that can In the meantime, many activities log will take on a more interna- the United States. The recom- truly help the enterprise grow are underway and many more tional flavor. ● mendation stated: and prosper. are being planned. The National Weather Ser- The Council appointed past- This effort, while focused vice and relevant academic, President George Frederick of on the United States, has impli-

Vaisala Employee Walt Dabberdt Named Fellow of the AMS

his year, 24 individuals were President Susan Avery an- T awarded the distinction of nounced the names in the AMS becoming a Fellow of the AMS. Annual Review meeting in San Each was selected based on their Diego. One of the deserving outstanding contributions to the new AMS Fellows is Walter F. atmospheric or related oceanic Dabberdt, Director for Strategic or hydrologic sciences, or their Research, from Vaisala’s Boulder application over a substantial office. ● number of years.

168/2005 29 Robert Henson Writer/Editor University Corporation for Atmospheric Research Boulder (CO), USA The Chase Is On

For storm scientists and dedicated amateurs, chasing tornadoes is more than Hollywood fiction. COPYRIGHT ROBERT HENSON COPYRIGHT

Tornado in south-central Nebraska May 24, 2004.

hile teaching a me- Floods, construction, and traf- chasing. The largest such project, teorology class for a fic are among the many hazards dubbed VORTEX, took place W group of Vaisala em- that impede storm chasing. A from Texas to Kansas in 1994– ployees in Louisville, Colora- successful chaser calls on exten- 95. A follow-up is being planned do, I was reminded of the pow- sive knowledge of storm behav- for later this decade. Porta- er of the tornado. Discussing se- ior and skills that include navi- ble Doppler radars mounted vere weather caught people’s at- gation, observation, communi- on trucks are a vital part of this tention and triggered interesting cation, and physical intuition. work. One such radar measured questions. wind speeds of more than 460 It is no surprise that the Serving science km/hr just above ground level springtime parade of thunder- Storm chasing for research began during a deadly Oklahoma tor- storms is so compelling. Yet even in Oklahoma and Texas in the nado outbreak in May 1999. residents of the U.S. Great Plains 1970s. They helped catalog visi- – home to more tornadoes than ble clues to storm behavior, such Amateurs on the trail any other place on Earth – can as low-hanging wall clouds that Even before scientists started go a lifetime without seeing one. precede many tornadoes and chasing, amateurs were on the I grew up on the plains in Okla- lines of cumulus that extend like trail. David Hoadley began chas- homa City, but it was not until spokes from the rotating heart of ing on his own in the mid-1950s Robert Henson is the author of The I started storm chasing as a col- a storm. Reports from the field as a teenager in North Dakota Rough Guide to Weather. (Photo courtesy of Carlye Calvin) lege student in 1980 that I saw also help when interpreting radar and still chases today. The 1997 my first tornado. Since then I data. In 1987, I spent a summer film “Twister” inspired hun- have seen more than 35 twisters with seven colleagues following dreds of nonscientists to take to while chasing as part of research storms across eastern Colorado. the Great Plains with video cam- projects and for my own photog- Each day we took note of the eras. Some of these newcomers volve more than 700 kilometers raphy. time and location of severe hail, join organized tours, where peo- of driving. Storms may not de- Driving alongside a severe tornadoes, and other weather ple from as far away as Japan velop until an hour before sun- thunderstorm is a humbling ex- features; meanwhile, the storms and Great Britain pay more than set, if at all. Still, those late-day perience. It is a small-scale phe- were being tracked by the pro- $1200 US a week for the chance moments when the atmosphere nomenon that often defies even totype unit for what would be- to see an elusive twister. comes alive can be spellbind- the best forecasters, changing come the U.S. network of Dop- Although it is glamorized ing. It is the grand sweep of a from minute to minute. Even pler radars. on television and in the movies, storm against the sky, twister or when a storm is well-behaved, Basic research on severe chasing offers far more boredom no twister, that brings me back the road network may not be. weather relies heavily on storm than excitement. Many days in- to the prairie each spring. ●

30 168/2005 Briefly Noted

Vaisala at the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi, Japan

aisala is participating in the mental protection and an un- ly the Tokyo office employs close V 2005 World Exposition in derstanding of climate change. to 30 sales and marketing, after the Nordic Pavilion in Aichi, Ja- The EXPO runs from March sales, and maintenance service pan. The EXPO theme Nature’s 25 to September 25, 2005, and professionals. Since the estab- Wisdom – about finding a new is expected to attract 15 million lishment of Vaisala KK, net sales balance between nature, tech- visitors to Aichi. Vaisala is intro- in Japan have grown steadily. nology and culture – coincides ducing one of its newest prod- From the very beginning, Vaisa- well with Vaisala’s mission to ucts, the unique compact Vaisala la has worked in close coopera- provide environmental measure- Weather Transmitter WXT510. tion with its long-standing cus- ments that create the basis for a Vaisala has been in the Japa- tomer, the Meteorological Insti- better quality of life, safety of nese market for 25 years. Its sub- tute of Japan, JMA. ● life and property, optimization sidiary, Vaisala KK, was estab- Official Nordic Pavilion website: Official EXPO website: of economic activities, environ- lished in 1983 in Tokyo. Current- http://www.nordicatexpo2005.com http://www.expo2005.or.jp

The 21st Meteorological Permanent Committee – Arab League in Qatar

he State of Qatar and the on meteorology, which is sum- provided a good T Civil Aviation Authority of moned at least once a year to co- venue to introduce Qatar hosted the 21st Meteoro- ordinate actions and develop co- our latest products, logical Permanent Committee operation. Decision-makers, ad- solutions and mea- – Arab League and the 1st Qatar visors and technicians attend the surement technol- International Exhibition on Me- meeting to discuss and decide on ogies to visitors, as teorology Techniques (QIMTECH future actions and projects. Topics well as to meet with 2005) in Doha Qatar on March and themes discussed this time in- local decision-mak- 15-18, 2005. The event patron cluded: Establishments of the Ar- ers and experts, in- was His Highness Sheikh Abdul- ab Telecommunications Network, cluding over 100 del- lah Ben Khalifa Al-Thani, Prime Arab Unified Systems for Meteo- egates and speak- Minister of the State of Qatar. rological Data, Use of Meteosat ers from the Arab The Arab countries who are Second Generation, Marketing of region and Middle members of the regional asso- Meteorological Data, and Clima- East. ● ciations of the World Meteoro- tological Atlas. logical Organization have estab- Vaisala participated as one of Vaisala was one of the exhibitors at the 1st Qatar International lished an Arab League committee the meeting exhibitors. The event Exhibition on Meteorology Techniques (QIMTECH 2005).

The goal of the survey was to investigate what you, our Contact the Vaisala News Team readers, think of the magazine, and how you would like to see it For subscriptions, cancellations, feedback and changes of develop in the future. A contact address, please contact the Vaisala News team by sending database update was carried an email to out in the same context. You [email protected] are still encouraged to contact Thank you for your interest. us if your contact details have Marikka Metso changed, or if you wish to ad- Editor-in-Chief vise us on any changes regard- ing your subscription. To do so, please send an email to vaisala. [email protected]. Vaisala News Reader Over 1,000 readers respond- Survey ed to the survey. Please bear with us while we analyze each individual reply form and draw he Vaisala News Reader conclusions on the required next T Survey was posted to all steps. Many thanks for your par- readers at the end of February. ticipation – your feedback is Readers had the choice of reply- greatly appreciated. The lucky ing by post or filling in an online winners of the prize draw will questionnaire. be contacted in due course. ●

168/2005 31 Europe Vaisala Inc. Boulder Operations Vaisala Oyj 194 South Taylor Avenue P.O. Box 26, FI-00421 Helsinki Louisville, CO 80027 FINLAND USA Telephone: +358 9 894 91 Telephone: +1 303 499 1701 Telefax: +358 9 8949 2227 Fax: +1 303 499 1767

Vaisala Oyj Vaisala Inc. Malmö Office San Jose Office Drottninggatan 1 D 6980 Santa Teresa Blvd S - 212 11 Malmö Suite 203 SWEDEN San Jose, CA 95119-1393 Telephone: +46 40 298 991, USA in Sweden: 0200 848 848 Telephone: +1 408 578 3670 Telefax.: +46 40 298 992, Telefax: +1 408 578 3672 in Sweden: 0200 849 849 Vaisala Inc. Vaisala GmbH Tucson Operations Hamburg Office 2705 East Medina Road Schnackenburgallee 41 Tucson, Arizona 85706, USA D-22525 Hamburg Telephone: +1 520 806 7300 GERMANY Telefax: +1 520 741 2848 Telephone: +49 40 839 030 U.S. Toll Free 1 800 283 4557 Telefax: +49 40 839 03 110 Vaisala Inc. Vaisala GmbH Houston Office Bonn Office 1120 Nasa Road 1 Suite 220-E Adenauerallee 15 Houston, TX 77058 D-53111 Bonn Telephone: +1 281 335 9955 GERMANY Telefax: +1 281-335-9956 Telephone: +49 228 24 9710 Telefax: +49 228 249 7111 Vaisala Inc. Regional Office Canada P.O. Box 2241, Station “B” Vaisala GmbH London Stuttgart Office Ontario N6A 4E3 Pestalozzi Str. 8 CANADA D-70563 Stuttgart Telephone: +1 519 679 9563 GERMANY Telefax: +1 519 679 9992 Telephone: +49 711 734 057 Telefax: +49 711 735 6340 Asia and Pacific Vaisala Ltd Birmingham Operations Vaisala KK Vaisala House Tokyo Office 349 Bristol Road 42 Kagurazaka 6-Chome Birmingham B5 7SW Shinjuku-Ku UNITED KINGDOM Tokyo 162-0825 Telephone: +44 121 683 1200 JAPAN Telefax: +44 121 683 1299 Telephone: +81 3 3266 9611 Telefax: +81 3 3266 9610 Vaisala Ltd Newmarket Office Vaisala KK Unit 9, Swan Lane Osaka Office Exning Thick Land Building 1203 Newmarket 2-3-5 Nanba Chuo-ku, Osaka 542-0076, Suffolk CB8 7FN Japan UNITED KINGDOM Telephone: +81 6 62123954 Telephone: +44 1638 576 200 Telefax: +81 6 62123955 Telefax: +44 1638 576 240 Vaisala Pty Ltd Vaisala SA Melbourne Office Paris Office 3 Guest Street 2, rue Stéphenson (escalier 2bis) Hawthorn, VIC 3122 F-78181 Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Cedex AUSTRALIA FRANCE Telephone: +61 3 9818 4200 Telephone: +33 1 3057 2728 Telefax: +61 3 9818 4522 Telefax: +33 1 3096 0858 Vaisala Beijing Representative Office Vaisala SA CITIC Building Aix-en-Provence Office 19 Jianguomenwai Dajie 7, Europarc Ste-Victoire Chaoyang District F-13590 Meyreuil Beijing 100004 FRANCE People’s Republic of China Telephone: +33 4 4212 6464 Telephone: +86 10 8526 1199 Telefax: +33 4 4212 6474 Telefax: +86 10 8526 1155

Vaisala Beijing Representative Office North America in Shanghai c/o Kaukomarkkinat Vaisala Inc. Room 402A West Tower, Sun Plaza Boston Office 88 Xian Xia Road 10-D Gill Street Shanghai, P.R. China 200336 Woburn, MA 01801 Telephone: +86 21 62700642/41 USA Telefax:+86 21 62700640 Telephone: +1 781 933 4500 Telefax: +1 781 933 8029 Vaisala Regional Office Malaysia Level 36, Menara Citibank Vaisala Inc. 165 Jalan Ampang Columbus Office 50450 Kuala Lumpur 1372 Oxley Road MALAYSIA Columbus, Ohio 43212 Telephone: +60 3 2169 7776 USA

Telefax: +60 3 2169 7775 C210035EN 2005-05