External Relations and International

Affairs of Sri Lanka Meteorological Service

G. B. Samarasinghe
Director (Operational Met.)

Workshop of Advisers on External Relations for RA II/V 1

Republic of Korea, 28 April- 02 May 2008
 Brief History of
Meteorological Service

 1850 or earlier Meteorological

Observations started
 1866 onwards under Surveyor
General
 1 October 1948 Department of
Meteorology

Workshop of Advisers on External Relations for RA II/V 2

Republic of Korea, 28 April- 02 May 2008
 External Relations and
International Affairs
 No External Relations Division in the
Department
 Good relations with Institutions within
Sri Lanka
 Good understanding with WMO and
other bilateral cooperation with many
NMHS’s
 Within the framework of National
Foreign Policy
Workshop of Advisers on External Relations for RA II/V 3
Republic of Korea, 28 April- 02 May 2008
 External Relations
Within Sri Lanka
 Collaborative research with Universities/
other Institutions
 Joint Awareness/Educational programs
(Climate Change, Disaster related etc.)
 Joint operational projects
 Agriculture, Irrigation, Disaster Management,
Coast Conservation, Environment, Survey etc.
Departments
 Awareness publicity with mass media (TV,
Radio, Press) in need, during lightning,
cyclones, floods etc. 4
Workshop of Advisers on External Relations for RA II/V
Republic of Korea, 28 April- 02 May 2008
External Relations as International Affairs
(advisory support, capacity building etc.)

 1951 – A member of WMO

 Early member of WMO/ESCAP Panel on
Tropical Cyclones
 Human Resource Capacity Building received
 Post-graduate training for meteorologists (UK,
Colombo Plan, WMO, WMO/VCP, Philippines, Australia)
 Observer training since early 1970’s - IMD
 Training of personnel from Maldives Met
Service till late 1980’s
 Officer participation in regional/global
expeditions (MONEX etc.)
Workshop of Advisers on External Relations for RA II/V 5
Republic of Korea, 28 April- 02 May 2008
External Relations and International Affairs
(advisory support, capacity building etc.)

 Agro meteorological Division started with UNDP assistance

in 1973
 In critical disaster situations, viz, cyclone etc., exchange of
vital real time information with TMD/ IMD/ Maldives, PTWC
and JMA for Tsunami watch information
 Master plan for improvement of Met service – WMO/India/
China in 2005, 2006
 MM5 PC cluster system for Sri Lanka NWP assistance under
KOICA in 2005/2006
 WMO expertise on procurement of Doppler radar- 2007/2008
 Participation at many Workshops/ Training programs
/Seminars on Meteorology and related fields

Workshop of Advisers on External Relations for RA II/V 6

Republic of Korea, 28 April- 02 May 2008
External Relations and International Affairs
(some equipment support received)

 1951 - Radiosonde Observations with assistance and

funding from United Kingdom
 1956 - Radar Upper-wind Observations using GL3 war-
time equipment – UK
 1972 - Meteorological Communication System Up gradation
for the first time under Swiss Government Aid. (Establishment
of Electronic Workshop)
 1973 - First APT Receiver for cloud cover (Polaroid) with USA
assistance
 1973 - Plessy WF3 equipment for upper air observations with
United Kingdom assistance; training for personnel
 1973 – Colombo- New Delhi 50bd point to point link as Swiss
aid
Workshop of Advisers on External Relations for RA II/V 7
Republic of Korea, 28 April- 02 May 2008
 External Relations and International
Affairs (some equipment support received)

•1977 – Hydrogen generator from Swiss Government

•1978 - New APT cloud picture receiver with the assistance of NOAA of
USA
•1978 – Radiosonde observations using Indian equipment
•1982 - Storm Warning Radar at Trincomalee with WMO - UNDP
assistance
•1986/87 CLICOM Project with United Kingdom assistance
•1992 - Replacement Radar equipment WF 33 Plessy, with WMO-UK
assistance
•1993 – Upgradation of Radiosonde observation equipment from India
•1998 - SADIS System from UK Met Office
•Workshop
1998 of– Advisers
INSAT/MDD receiver from India
on External Relations for RA II/V 8
Republic of Korea, 28 April- 02 May 2008
 External Relations and International
Affairs (some equipment support received)

•2004 - Spare parts for Hydrogen Generator and Wind Finding

Radar from Maldives/WMO
•2004 end - Fully equipped media studio with training from
UK/WMO
•2005 - A gift of 2 barometers and 2 Stevenson screens from Africa
Met Service, after tsunami
•2007 - GTS up gradation to 256 kbps under ICG /IOTWS (USAID)
•2008 - JICA aid project for retrieval of weather information from
watch offices and Early Warning Dissemination
•2008 - Fycast satellite system by WMO/China being installed
•2008 - GPS based upper air sounding system by WMO/Japan being
installed
Workshop of Advisers on External Relations for RA II/V 9
Republic of Korea, 28 April- 02 May 2008
 External Relations to Improve
Image and Visibility- Our Needs
 Development of NWP section on seasonal
(medium/ long range forecasting section)
 Exchange of State of the Art knowledge, to
cater to ever growing demand from Public
 HRDevelopment/Capacity Building on
applications, with the pending/ acquisition of
many meteorological equipment (Doppler
Radar, Lightning Detection System, New
GTS..)
 Expert advice on procurement and
sustainability of equipment, under local
conditions
Workshop of Advisers on External Relations for RA II/V 10
Republic of Korea, 28 April- 02 May 2008
 Thank You

Workshop of Advisers on External Relations for RA II/V 11

Republic of Korea, 28 April- 02 May 2008