Transcript Slide 1
Uses of Telecommunications & ICT Weather Forecasting Weather Forecasting Consists of 3 main elements: • measuring & recording data, • modelling a forecast from the data, • producing the forecast information Measuring & Recording data • accurate forecasting requires recent & current data: – – – – – – – – satellite images temperatures humidity rainfall wind speed & direction cloud cover atmospheric pressure sunshine • measurements taken at many locations around the world – at regular intervals – using satellites, ground, buoys at sea, balloons Modelling a forecast • data transferred around the world by high speed telecoms – Global Telecommunications System (GTS) – run by World Meteorological Organization www.wmo.int • complex computer models used to predict future weather • models run on powerful supercomputers – because of vast amounts of data to be processed • model uses current data and recent changes in atmospheric conditions as input • model forecasts the likely future changes in conditions • short-term forecasts can be produced in 15 minutes – this then used to produce forecast for next 15 mins …. – http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/science/creating/ Producing a forecast • forecast = prediction of future weather • forecast usually selected from a website – by entering a postcode/town or selecting an area from a map • most forecasts will display: – – – – – temperature rainfall (or snow) wind speed and direction visibility cloud cover • variety of forecasts usually generated: – hour-by-hour, single day, 5-day, 10-day • long-term forecasts less accurate than short-term Producing a forecast