1. Public Weather Services Programme
Public Warnings Dissemination and
CAP
Haleh Kootval
Chief, Public Weather Services Programme
WMO

2. Public Weather Services Programme (PWSP) established in 1994
Strengthen the capabilities of WMO Members to meet the needs of the community through provision of comprehensive weather services, with particular emphasis on public safety and welfare,
Foster a better understanding by the public of the capabilities of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and how best to use their services”
Forecasts
Warnings
Public
NMHSs
Appreciate the weather services
PWSP
The PWS provides a window through which the NMHS communicates weather warnings and forecasts to the public.
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3. WMO’s Global Operational Network
Global Observing System
Global Telecommunication System
Global Data Processing And Forecasting System:
3 World Meteorological Centres
40 Regional Specialized Centers
NMHSs deliver information and warning services
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4. PWS Dissemination Weather Hazards Services by NMHSs
floods, fire, drought, strong winds, heavy snow etc
Services by NMHSs
Weather Forecasts, watches, alerts, Warnings
Dissemination Methods
Websites, TV, Radio, Telephone, RANET
Examples of Groups served by NMHSs
General Public, isolated communities, Government and civil defence authorities etc.
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5. Dissemination and Presentation
Effective dissemination and presentation: An essential element of and the key to effective PWS
Challenge: To convey warnings, forecasts and other information effectively to general public
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6. WARNINGS - a process that begins with the production of information about weather and climate and ends with effective loss minimising actions
Warnings must be produced
Warning message must be transmitted & received
Information must be understood
Information must be confirmed
Message must be believed
Risk must be personalised
Decision to take appropriate defensive and preparatory actions
Resources and capacity for preparatory action
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7. The Challenge of Public warning
Collaborative actions are necessary to assure that standards-based, all-media, all-hazards public warning becomes an essential infrastructure component available to all societies worldwide
Provide information that is easily accessible and understandable everywhere
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8. The Challenge of Public warning
All available communications media should be used (from broadcast down to individuals) to get timely and appropriate warnings for all hazards to everyone who needs them
A standards-based, all-media, all-hazards public warning strategy makes sense now using digital technologies and integrating radio, television, cellular telephone, satellites, Internet-based and other network services
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9. Weather, Climate and Health Example of All-Hazard warning system
Growing awareness of the linkages between human health and weather and climate
PWS provide information on risks caused by changing weather and climate conditions
Cardiovascular and respiratory
Heat and cold stress
UV radiation
Pollen spread and dust
High Ozon concentration
Spread of typhoid, malaria or cholera
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10. Factors contributing to ineffectual warnings
Plans can go wrong because of:
Forecast accuracy: miscalculating onset time, intensity or impacts
“sole authority” issue in preparing and issuing warnings
Communication and/or dissemination inadequacies
Contradictory information from different sources
Low credibility of NMHS
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11. Dissemination of warnings and Forecasts
Often the challenge is to provide the most cost-effective system(s) within severe funding constraints
Dissemination techniques will depend on the communication infrastructure
Robust and reliable
Back up capability
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12. Dissemination of warnings and Forecasts
Dissemination systems: most critical issue for developing countries
Point-to-Multipoint
Mass media (TV, Radio, Newspapers),
sirens and signals, RANET, NOAA Weather Radio
Man on bicycle
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13. Dissemination of warnings and Forecasts
Point-to-Point: Dedicated Fax, automatic telephone answering
Internet
Mobile communication
Strength and weaknesses
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14. Examples of Dissemination
Korea (high tech)
Cell Broadcasting Service (CBS) Phone Disaster Notification Broadcasting System
Problem: transmission does not reach high mountain areas in need of warnings for flash flood
Radio Disaster Warning Broadcasting System
TV Disaster Warning Broadcasting System
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15. CBS (Cell Broadcasting Service) Phone Disaster Notification Broadcasting System (Cont’d)
▣ System Structure and Message Flow
【 CBS Message Transmission flow 】
End user
(Mobile phone with
CBS service function] )
Mobile Telecom
Company
NEMA
CBS System of Mobile Telecom Company Base
Station
CBS message on mobile
phone which is located
at broadcasted area
Request to CBS message
Transmission at disaster
area
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16. 5) TV Disaster Warning Broadcasting System
▣ System Management streamlines 16

17. Examples of Dissemination
Bangladesh (people intensive)
33000 Cyclone Volunteers
CPP and Red Cross
BMD sends info to CPP HQ
Information gets to the village-level volunteers through radio
Use bicycles
Distribution to public by megaphones and flags
Problme: Maintenance of megaphones and torches
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18. Examples of Dissemination
Sri Lanka- high tech tsunami warning system using satellites, mobile and fixed wireless phones
Challenge: reach large numbers of local communities and rural areas
Major component of the project is use of CAP
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19. The Severe Weather Information Centre (SWIC)
Established as a centralized source for media access to official tropical cyclone warnings and information issued by NMHSs and RSMCc
Has attracted the participation of WMO Members in all tropical cyclone basis
Currently displays tropical cyclone warnings and information for all tropical cyclone basins
Observations on heavy rain/snow from all WMO Members are displayed
New page displaying the occurrences of thunderstorms was also added.
Ultimate goal: to develop SWIC into a Multi-hazard Information and Resource Centre
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20. 25/11/2018

21. Visualizing Weather Warnings
Meteoalarm
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22. CAP and PWS Conclusions
Existing warning systems are mix of different technologies and procedures
CAP will allow consistent warning message disseminated simultaneously over many different warning systems, thus increasing warning effectiveness
Possibility of use of CAP in SWIC and Meteoalarm for public warnings
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23. Thank You
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