TSP PACIFIC - PRESENTATION

Second CBS/GCOS Expert Meeting on Coordination of the GSN and GUAN

Asheville, September 2005

Betio Atoll & Lagoon, Tarawa, Kiribati

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Garry Clarke• International Operations Manager• Communications expert PI-GCOS

Presenter

MetService, Wellington, NZ

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Presentation Outline Organizational structure Program activities Completed and planned work (including site visits) Problems and solutions Performance metrics Inspections and calibrations Equipment Site meta-data RS-92 issues Better than before

Proton training,Galapagos Is.

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Organizational Structure - TSP

Global Distribution Op. Data

TSP Countries

MS Op. Data Gateway

SPAM Bin

Archive & Monitoring

Intl Ops Manager

MIDAS

Engineers

GCOS Sec.

Dick

Tony

Garry

Lots !

Data

GTS

Faulty messages

Manual fix

Remote & in-country support Mng. &

Reporting

Operational things

RTH *

*Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu

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Countries provided for – GUAN, GSN

Cook Islands Fiji Kiribati Niue Papua New Guinea Solomon Islands Tokelau Islands Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu

Penrhyn Radar (28 years old)

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TSP Countries

Kiribati

Solomon Islands

Papua New Guinea

Vanuatu

Fiji Tonga

Samoa

Tokelau Is.

Cook Is

Niue

Pitcairn Island

Comparative distance – Los Angeles to Washington

Tuvalu

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Upper air stations in TSP Countries

Kiribati

Solomon Islands

Papua New Guinea

Vanuatu Fiji

Tonga

Samoa

Tokelau Is.

Cook Is

Niue

Pitcairn Island

Tuvalu

Active

Active, may stop soon

Silent

Non GUAN WMO

US DOE ARM Project

KEY

Penrhyn

Tarawa

Funafuti

Port Moresby

Honiara

Bauerfield

Nadi

Rarotonga

Momote (Manus Is)

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Stations provided for – GUAN, GSN

Stn No. Station

91490 Christmas Is (Kiritimati)

91610 Tarawa

91701 Kanton

91503 Munda

91517 Honiara

91554 Tekoa Airport, Santo

91557 Bauerfield

91568 Aneityum

91631 Nanumea

91643 Funafuti

91650 Rotuma

91652 Udu Point

91680 Nadi

Stn No. Station

91699 Ono I Lau

91724 Nukunonu

91780 Lupepau’u

91789 Nuku’alofa

91802 Penrhyn

91812 Pukapuka

91831 Aitutaki

91843 Rarotonga

91824 Hanan Airport

92014 Madang

92035 Port Moresby

92044 Momote

91960 Pitcairn Island

Active GUAN Silent GUAN All GSN except Bauerfield

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Program activities Routine GUAN stn visits – Tarawa, Funafuti Fault mtce visits (3 allowed – none needed so far) GUAN stn supply ground equipment consumables GUAN stn – supply technical spares GUAN stn – reimburse local expenses as agreed GSN stn – establish inspectors kits GSN stn – inspections costs, in-country, kit recal. Db. Reserve funds – GUAN spares, other agreed activity Program management and administration

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Routine / Fault GUAN station visits Present programme allows for one routine visit to

Tarawa and Funafuti Both will be completed in May / June by engineers Three fault maintenance visits budgeted (VCP

requirement), none needed so far. One fault visit remains in budget Budgeted funds for other

two diverted (along with

other savings) to training

course and GUAN surveys

Penrhyn technician and “truck” (what’s left of it!)

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GUAN station supplies Regional spares kit established for:

Proton Hogen 20 generators (Depot Kit) Digicora

Other supplies as required, as can be funded e.g. Demineraliser cartridges Radar thyratrons

Reimburse local costs Nothing needed so far

Balloon release, Tarawa, Kiribati

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GSN Station Inspection kits Designed and manufactured by MetService Three kits for TSP countries to do inspections

and update meta-data, check instrument serviceability

Inspectors barometer

TSP GSN Station Inspection Kit

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GSN Station Inspection kitsTSP GSN Station Inspection Kit -components

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GSN Station Inspections Provides for

Each country’s travel disbursements to do its GSN station inspections

Freighting the kit Kit recalibration and replacement of used items Entry of returned meta-data from the inspections

Funafuti Atoll, Tuvalu

91643

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Program management & administration Provides for

Management and administration functions that are associated with the TSP – internal and external

• Coordination of program activities• Financial planning and control• Interactions with stakeholders• Performance monitoring• Reporting

Meta-data database

construction

Penrhyn radar – WF3 prototype – supplied 1977

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Completed and planned work Completed work

• Remote support to GUAN stations – many areas• Enhanced GUAN/GSN performance monitoring and

interaction with GUAN stations when data not received (as practicable)

• Enhancing performance metrics• Facilitation of GUAN messages throughput• In-country support under TSP for some items e.g.

replacement printer Port Moresby, power supply Funafuti• System spares – radar thyratrons – Penrhyn (in progress)• Establish GSN Inspection kits• GSN Station inspections (in progress)• Establish regional spares kits• Construction of meta-data reporting system (in progress)• GUAN station surveys – Port Moresby and Honiara• CLIREP, inspection kit training course• Programme management

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Completed and planned work Planned work – to 30 June 2005

• Routine station visits – Tarawa and Funafuti (June)• Continue GSN station inspections• Complete meta-data reporting system• Supply thyratrons to Penrhyn• Provide Honiara GUAN survey report• Add PNG stations to performance monitoring• Programme management

Balloon release Port Moresby

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Completed and planned work Suggested work – July 2005 – June 2006

Subject to GCOS objectives, priorities, approvals and funding• Continue TSP support and extend to any new/restored

GUAN stations• One routine visit each year to GUAN stations (technical

and management)• If GUAN station numbers increase budget three fault

trips, undertake only if needed, otherwise budget two• Improve communications of upper air messages• Enhance performance metrics – GUAN and GSN• Continue station inspections, filing meta-data and sending

to NCDC, kit re-calibration etc• Identify GSN station’s needs resulting from inspections• Establish CLIREP in each country, as required, with one-

on-one mentoring

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Problems and solutions - GUAN Problems

• You can’t rely on countries to keep you informed• Programs can just stop because bills havn’t been paid

and supplier has cut them off, e.g. power and communications or there are technical issues

• Consumables run out and the program stops• Message preamble is faulty causing messages not to file• Equipment develops a fault and no-one says anything

Solutions• You must monitor stations’ output – daily if practicable• Ask questions if exceptions occur• Monitor stock holdings and request monthly stock on

hand if returns aren’t routinely filed

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Problems and solutions - GSN Problems

• You can’t rely on countries to keep you informed• Communications, communications, communications –

many issues – radio faults, ISP problems – congested systems

Suspect instruments and observing practices• Staff performance issues• Message preamble is faulty causing messages not to file

Solutions• Monitor performance – impractical to do so daily• Improve communications systems• Inspect GSN stations – inspections have started• Advise stations of incorrect preambles

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Performance metrics We monitor station performance for GUAN and GSN

in the region This process has been enhanced and expanded for

TSP• PNG, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands stations added• Converting monitoring GUAN termination heights from

altitude to pressure• We are trying to develop meaningful comparisons pre /

post TSP stations’

performance

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Penrhyn Rarotonga Funafuti Tarawa

Upper Air Stats - March 05

Flights received

Max PossiblePerformance chart example

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Performance metrics - GUAN

Performance chart examples

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1

2

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7

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Days

Coms Pow er Rain Equipment Other

Upper Air Stats - February 05 Problems

Penrhyn

Rarotonga

Funafuti

Tarawa

Penrhyn GUAN - Mean and Maximum Termination Heights

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

Month / YearK

mMean Height

Maximum Height

ApproxTRQ (hPa)

ApproxMRQ (hPa)

0

10

20

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60

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80

90

Nr

Penrhyn Funafuti Tarawa

Station

Comparisons - Q3 2004 and 2005

Flights received 2003

Flights received 2004

Max Possible 2004

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Performance metrics - GSN

Performance chart example

Missing Synops - February 2005

0.0

20.0

40.0

60.0

80.0

100.0

120.0

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Stations monitored

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As received by MetService and compared against WMO published station reporting times

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Inspections and calibrations - GUAN Equipment is inspected routinely during GUAN station

visits There is a Proton calibration that station staff have

been instructed in but engineers check this during visits regardless

No other calibrations

are required of upper

air equipment

Proton training Tarawa

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Inspections and calibrations - GSN Countries have commenced inspecting their GSN

stations using TSP inspections kits We believe most stations will not have been inspected

in 10 years Once the kits are returned and inspection data

analyzed we will have

a better idea of station

instrument accuracies

Instrument enclosure, Tarawa

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Equipment Tarawa, Funafuti and Penrhyn

All have “new” Protons and All have old Vaisala Digicora II ground stations that require

upgrading to take RS-92 radiosondes

Port Moresby Digicora I, upgraded by Bureau of Meteorology, for RS-92 Teledyne hydrogen generator 10 years old (an orphan)

New hydrogen gas tanks, Tarawa

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Equipment Bauerfield and Honiara

Silent stations with unserviceable M28 hydrogen generators Digicora II both require repair and upgrading for RS92

Silent Upper air station, Honiara

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Site meta-data GSN stations

Underway with inspections process and creation of a meta-data system for entering and storing data at MetService and passing to NCDC, copy to go back to country

GUAN stations Really still to be done, but

will by nature be less

involved than GSN.

Digicora testing, Bauerfield

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RS-92 issues MetService approach to upgrading Digicoras

We have issued an RFP to suppliers for our own stations and will await the outcome of that before making a recommendation to the UKMO regarding upgrading at Tarawa, Funafuti and Penrhyn

The decision will be based on economics and include capital and consumable costs

MetService has budgeted for the upgrade and the UKMO has kindly agreed to fund

through their Pacific

Trust Fund we administer

Digicora testing, Honiara..hot and humid – check out the shirt!

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Better than before We need to focus on demonstrating improvements as

a result of the TSP GUAN Improvements to existing station performance – either better

termination heights or improved numbers of flights per month But…existing stations numbers of flights (maybe Tarawa

excepted) are not too bad…they would be a bit worse if not for the TSP but how do you show that?

Bringing “silent” stations on line and lifting their performance

Not GUAN, included as some interest has been expressed in this station. We are holding a surplus, incomplete Digicora for it, donated by UKMO 0

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25

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Penrhyn Rarotonga Funafuti Tarawa

Upper Air Stats - March 05

Flights received

Max Possible

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Better than before We need to focus on demonstrating improvements as

a result of the TSP GUAN Can make some gains in going from 350gm to 700gm

balloons – in progress for Tarawa and Funafuti and done for Penrhyn (not strictly ‘cos of the TSP but…)

Ensuring data gets to archiving centres

Penrhyn termination heights

Penrhyn GUAN - Mean and Maximum Termination Heights

0.0

5.0

10.0

15.0

20.0

25.0

30.0

35.0

40.0

Month / Year

Km

Mean Height

Maximum Height

ApproxTRQ (hPa)

ApproxMRQ (hPa)

Change to 700gm

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Better than before We need to focus on demonstrating improvements as

a result of the TSP GSN (to the extent that this is a priority) Establish CLIREP Improve communications (this will show an improvement in

the performance metrics) Repair/replace instruments according to inspection results Continue inspection programs; maybe consider providing a

GSN station inspection kit for each country

Tony Veitch and Bill Witham discussing Honiara GUAN survey with Director, Chanel Iroi

Betio Atoll & Lagoon, Tarawa, Kiribati