Cayman’s weatherman elected Chair
Fred Sambula, Senior Manager of
Meteorological Services
Friday, April 22, 2005
Directors of the National Meteorological Services of North America, Central America and the Caribbean, Regional Association IV (RAIV) of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), have elected Fred Sambula, Senior Manager of Meteorological Services with the Cayman Islands Airports Authority, as Regional Chairman of The Working Group on Planning and Implementation of the World Weather Watch (WWW).
At WMO meetings, heads of the region’s weather services formulate programmes that they will implement to guide the development of their services and improve the delivery of products, so Mr Sambula’s new role will be an important one for the whole region.
“I feel honoured and humbled to be working for the region in this capacity,” said Mr Sambula about his election to the post of chairman.
“I am looking forward to the challenges of which I am sure there will be many and hopefully the region will benefit from the programmes in which I will be involved.”
These programmes include weather observations and telecommunication networks, data processing, numerical weather prediction, forecasting and warning systems, education and training, and the international technical cooperation necessary to ensure that these programmes can be carried out. Some specific issues that have already been addressed are the development of nodes to form a Regional Climate Centre, drafts of protocols to enable a National Meteorological Service to help another country’s service during emergency, meetings with commercial providers to improve operations of upper air observing stations, and telecommunications services and proposals to increase the regional exchange of weather information.
The Session also selects committees, working groups, rapporteurs and focal points to develop the programmes; one such group is the Working Group on Planning and Implementation of the World Weather Watch
(WG-PIW).
Terms of reference of this Working Group include but are not limited to a number of issues including:
- Monitoring progress made in the implementation and
operation of the WWW in the region and advice on possible improvements, and
priorities for appropriate action, as well as the need for external support
where required.
- To develop proposals for the further development and
full integration of the WWW components and functions with a view to
achieving a cost effective operation and a better supply of WWW data and
products throughout the Region.
- To keep abreast of new developments in the field of
meteorological data processing, observing techniques telecommunications and
codes and to make recommendations for their application, as appropriate, in
the region.
- To promote implementation of the Public Weather
Services Programme in the region.
- To advise the President of the Regional Association
on all matters concerning the WWW.
- To predict the weather, modern meteorology depends upon near instantaneous exchange of weather information across the entire globe. As the core of the WMO Programmes, the WWW combines observing systems, telecommunication facilities, and data-processing and forecasting centres - operated by members - to make meteorological and related geophysical information available to provide efficient services in all countries.
Through the WWW Programmes, WMO Members coordinate and implement standardization of measuring methods and techniques, common telecommunication procedures, and the presentation of observed data and processed information in a manner that is understood by all, regardless of language.
These arrangements, as well as the operation of the WWW facilities, are coordinated and monitored by WMO with a view to ensuring that every country has available all of the information it needs to provide weather services on a day-to-day basis as well as for long-term planning and research.
As Regional Chairman of the WWW for the next four years, Mr. Sambula has responsibility to liaise with the rapporteurs for regional aspects of the following sub-groups within the programme:
- Global Telecommunication System & Data Management
- The Global Observing System
- The Global Data-processing & Forecasting System
- Public Weather Services
As well as facilitating annual reports to the president of the region, this chairman-rapporteur interaction also ensures that the Regional Association IV continues to play an active role in the implementation and further development of the WWW to effectively meet the evolving needs of its members.
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