Hong Kong, Chinese mainland to set up aviation meteorological center

HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Observatory is collaborating with China Meteorological Administration and Civil Aviation Administration of China to set up an aviation meteorological center in Asia, Director of the observatory Shun Chi-ming said in an earlier interview with Xinhua.

"Led by the Civil Aviation Administration of China, the center will be established in Beijing and there will be a backup center in Hong Kong," Shun said, the direction of this new project was confirmed in the World Meteorological Congress in 2014.

The three parties are looking to sign a cooperation agreement in the next few months.

Also being President of the Commission for Aeronautical Meteorology of the World Meteorological Organization, Shun has been paying extra attention on aeronautical meteorological services.

"International aviation organizations have started to discuss the trend of regional and even global aeronautical meteorological services. We want to seize this opportunity and set up a regional center, which, we hope, will be developed into an international center in the long run.

Shun said, the demand for aeronautical meteorological services in Asia is climbing as the number of flights in the region has largely increased. It is necessary to build an aviation meteorological center.

Most of the time, flight delays are weather-related, a foggy airport or a stormy airspace, for instance, can affect the efficiency and safety of the aviation system, Shun said that collaboration should therefore as well meet the needs of this aspect.

"Some ten years ago, (scientists) have already started to use data retrieved from the aircraft black box to study windshear,"said Shun, who is an expert in windshear and developed the world's first LIDAR Windshear Alerting System. "These data can also be incorporated into weather forecast systems to reinforce the forecast."

According to Shun, airline companies can now access to meteorological information provided by World Area Forecast Centers at London and Washington. Each of the centers has its own advantage, but this appears to be a monopoly.

"We collaborate with Mainland and other neighboring regions and try to integrate typhoon-related weather data, making them free for sharing. We want to do more to safeguard human life and property and to improve livelihoods," he said.

Many developing countries are still not able to obtain the knowledge they need to improve their meteorological service, Shun said. "We need to expand our influence in the world to create a win-win result."