Pacific meteorology aspires to international standards
APIA - Pacific meteorologists and experts on weather services are this week meeting in Samoa to discuss and train in ways to improve regional skills to match international standards.
In all parts of the world the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) are imposin requirements for Quality Management in the aviation weather services to be met by 2012.
ICAO ensures that accuracy is at the forefront of training for Pacific islands meteorologists who. This is to guarantee that weather information for the aviation sector is of international standards, reliable and accurate.
The Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) is conducting the training this week in partnership with the Government of Finland.
This is the first meeting of the Aviation Weather Services for Pacific Meteorological Services.
Associate Minister of Meteorology, Fonotoe Pierre Meredith says: “This is a very serious task for many of us in the Pacific because most of us rely on air transportation for travel between our islands, and such travel is heavily reliant on accurate weather information.”
The one week training session will help provide SPREP member countries with the knowledge and skills in the development of the Quality Management System Process so to achieve full compliance of ICAO standards
Two more such workshops will be conducted over the next year and a half as the Pacific moves to meet ICAO standards within 3 years time.
Acting Director of SPREP Mr. Kosi Latu says: “SPREP has been involved for more than 16 years now in the coordination of capacity building activities centred on the national meteorological services in the Pacific, and around the meetings of the Regional Meteorological Services Directors. The objectives and purpose of the workshop falls readily in line with the objectives of SPREP.”
The workshop ends today with speech by the Ambassador, Special Representative of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland, Mr. Pasi Patokallio.