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RA V TROPICAL CYCLONE COMMITTEE FOR THE SOUTH PACIFIC AND THE SOUTH-EAST INDIAN OCEAN
TWELFTH SESSION
ALOFI, NIUE, 11 TO 17 JULY 2008 / RA V/TCC-XII/Doc. 7
(13.VI.2008)
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ITEM 6
ENGLISH ONLY
REVIEW OF THE TECHNICAL PLAN AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAMME
Overall Programme
(Submitted by the Secretariat)
Summary and Purpose of DocumentThis document presents in the Appendix the RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee's Technical Plan for the development of services for the period 2006 to 2008 which focuses on activities which could be actively pursued costeffectively in the near term.
ACTION PROPOSED
The Tropical Cyclone Committee is invited to:
(a) Review in detail the RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee's Technical Plan as given in the Appendix;
(b) Provide up-to-date information on the status of the work under all elements undertaken under the Plan;
(c) Propose other new projects for future implementation;
(d) Decide on further action to be taken to promote the attainment of its goals; and
(e) Adopt the updated Plan.
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Reference: Final report of the eleventh session of the RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee for the South Pacific and South-East Indian Ocean (Adelaide, Australia, May2006)
Appendix: RA V Tropical Cyclone Committee's Technical Plan and its Implementation Programme (2006-2010).
RA V/TCC-XII, Doc. 7, APPENDIX, p. 2
RA V/TCC-XII/Doc. 7, APPENDIX
RA V TROPICAL CYCLONE COMMITTEE’S TECHNICAL PLAN AND ITS IMPLEMENTATION PROGRAMME
(2006-2010)
Goal / Elements / Rating / Strategies / Key Stakeholders / Potential Funding Source/s / Critical Success Indicator / Focal Point / Remarks /To provide a range of Training and Capacity Building opportunities / Satellite product interpretation training / Essential / To conduct a workshop in 2008/2009; to discover appropriate on-line options / Members requiring these skills / WMO / Workshop completed; suitable on-line training sites documented / WMO
TC forecaster Mentor training / Very Desirable / To conduct mentoring missions / Members still to benefit / To secure funding / At least 2 visits / WMO/ Chairman RA V TCC
RSMC/TCWC Attachment training / Essential / To send Member forecasters to either RSMC Nadi, Australia TCWCs or RSMC Honolulu (Pacific Desk) / All members / WMO, USA / Minimum of 10 attachments / WMO/ SPREP
Media Skills training / Very Desirable / To conduct a workshop / All Members / WMO / Workshop completed / WMO / Skills in TV, radio and newspaper interviews
IT training· Web page development / Very Desirable / To piggy back on mentoring missions to assist countries with development of web sites / Members on request / To secure funding / At least 2 visits / WMO/ Chairman
RA V TCC
Technical Maintenance training
· Workshops
· In-country visits / Essential
Essential / To organise a workshop; to send technician(s) with a wide range of skills into needy countries / Members on request / To secure funding / At least one workshop before 2010; and a minimum of 2 technician visits / WMO/ Meteo-France (French Polynesia)
Goal / Elements / Rating / Strategies / Key Stakeholders / Potential Funding Source/s / Critical Success Indicator / Focal Point / Remarks /
To upgrade Communications and Computing capabilities / Satellite Technologies
· Transition to LRIT
· Upgrade to HiRes capability / Essential
Very Desirable / To purchase & install appropriate hardware and software / Members in need of WEFAX replacement; Fiji (Hires) / SPREP/ WMO; funding to be secured for Hires / All those in need upgraded to LRIT; Hires upgrade for Fiji / WMO
Communications including WIS
· Emergency Equipment
· RANET
· ISCS/WAFS / Essential
Very Desirable
Very Desirable / To equip with suitable backup communications
To expand existing network
To assess financial viability / Members without
Members in need
Members able to afford ongoing costs / Where able to be secured, possibly NOAA & USAID, AusAid & NZAid / All Members with alternative communications
2 new installations
At least 1 installation / RANET Communications Committee,
WMO / Satellite phones, s/w receivers etc
Upgrade IT capability
· Operational PCs, Workstations and servers / Very Desirable / To replace with or install up-to-date computer facilities / Members whose operations urgently require it / To be secured / At least one member with facilities upgrade / WMO
To enhance the Observations Network and to provide Engineering support / Observations Networks
· Upgrade and expand RBSN
· AWS / Essential
Essential / To support Pacific GCOS
To expand AWS network across RA V TCC area / Members with basic setups / WMO/SPREP/Govt Finland / At least 2 countries with upgraded networks
4 additional AWSs installed / WMO/SPREP
Regional Maintenance
· Maintain surface and upper air networks
· Enhance and broaden GCOS RMC / Essential
Essential / To fix ongoing problems & bring up to scratch
To facilitate roving technical support / Members on request
All members without access to proper technical support / WMO/Govt Finland
WMO/Govt Finland
To upgrade Forecasting and Warning capabilities and to strengthen ties to Disaster Mitigation / Forecasting and Warning
· Tropical Cyclone Module
· Graphical TC warning products
· Access to global NWP models and consensus TC track forecasts
· Combined storm surge and wave models
· TC Warning verification
· WMO TC forecaster web site / Essential
Very Desirable
Essential
Essential
Very Desirable
Very Desirable / To install the software
To develop graphics
To assist access to such model info; to seek access to model currently not available
To develop such a model
To install suitable verification software
To increase range of info available on web site / Members with forecasting capability
Members with a forecasting capability
Vulnerable Members
Members involved in TC forecasting
All members / AusAID, WMO/Govt Finland
WMO
WMO/ Govt Finland
WMO/Govt Finland
WMO / 1 or more installations
1 model currently unavailable; at least one NMS accessing all available data
Combined model used by at least one country
One new centre doing verification
RA V TCC members catered for / RA V TCC Chair
RA V TCC Chair
WMO
WMO
WMO / To make a formal request to Director Bureau of Met
Requires appropriate software to begin with
Model able to be adapted for several countries
Disaster Mitigation
· Post TC impact assessments
· Public awareness and education
· Programs in cooperation with NDMOs / Very Desirable
Very Desirable
Very Desirable / To rework Attachment 8B in TCOP, To participate in a project re Post TC impact assessments
To produce a suitable handout
To run a regional workshop; to conduct in-country training between met and disaster officials / Members
Members
Members/ Disaster officials / WMO/CBS Sev Wx Demo Proj for TCs
WMO
WMO/Govt Finland / Attachment 8B revised by 12th Session; involved in a project before 2010
Completion of task
One initiative done / RA V TCC Chair
RA V TCC Chair
RA V TCC C Chair / Possible author Dr Linda Anderson-Berry
To promote Research into TCs and to facilitate its timely transfer to operations / Operational Research
· TC Track and Intensity forecasting / Essential / To assess and evaluate existing and new techniques; to provide input on projects aimed at reducing forecast track and intensity errors / All members / Transfer into forecast & warning centres of improved track and intensity forecasting techniques / RSMC/ TCWCs,
Climate Research
· Quality of RA V section of SH TC database
· TC climatology and seasonal prediction scheme / Very Desirable
Very Desirable / To eradicate as many of the flaws as possible amongst the existing dataset
Using the TC database, construct an up-to-date TC climatology and develop a TC seasonal forecasting scheme / Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Fiji
All Members (south of the Equator), RA V WG on Climate Matters / Done all we can
TC Climatology completed & progress with seasonal prediction / Australian Bureau of Meteorology National Climate Centre
Australian Bureau of Meteorology National Climate Centre / Short workshop planned to supplement work via e-mail
To support important Initiatives and Activities of relevance to RA V TCC / RA V TCC Contingency Trust Fund / Very Desirable / To establish Trust Fund by 2010 / All members / All Members / Fund operating & Members contributing / RA V TCC Chair
WMO / New Chair starts off with draft TOR prepared by outgoing Chair
Comprehensive review of the TCOP / Very Desirable / Subcommittee* to review and rewrite the existing TCOP / All Members / Completed draft to be part of documentation for 12th Session in 2008 / Rapporteur for subcommittee / Members of Subcommittee = RA V Chair, …
IWTC-VI in Costa Rica, November 2006 / Very Desirable / To maximise the number of suitably qualified operational forecasters attending / All members / WMO / At least 3 forecasters / WMO / Funding to be review immediately after 11th Session to ascertain maximum numbers
Bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Australia / Very Desirable / Indonesia to take responsibility for International Marine Warnings in its AOR / Australia and Indonesia / Australia / Indonesia ready to take over at start of 2007/2008 cyclone session / Attachment and mentoring missions to facilitate readiness.
Cooperation with other Working groups in RA V / Very Desirable / To exchange information with other Working Groups / Working Groups on Hydrology, Climate Matters, Planning & Implementation of WWW, Agrometeorology / RA V TCC copies newsletters with other working groups at least once per year / RA V TCC Chair / WMO to provide e-mail contacts for chair of various working groups
The following Elements were rated as Desirable and therefore should be duly considered in strategic planning exercises:
· Management Training
· Weather Radars
· Lightning Detectors
· Research into structure of ‘midget’ TCs
· Support of student TC research
Note that the Acronyms listing at the tail of the Technical Plan will need to be reviewed and updated.