Transcript Tanzania

1ST MEETING OF THE STEERING COMMITTEE OF THE
INDIAN OCEAN DATA RESCUE INITIATIVE – INDARE-SC
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
29 SEPTEMBER- 01 OCTOBER, 2014
Tanzania Meteorological Agency (TMA)
By
Ms. Janet Loning’o
Manager, Climatology and Climate Change Section
[email protected]
INTRODUCTION
• Tanzania is located in the Eastern side of the
continent of Africa between latitude 01°S to
11°S and longitude 29.5°E to 40°E.
• It covers an area of some 945,087 square
kilometers (km2). The land covers 886,000
square kilometers and water 59,050 square
kilometers including the islands of Mafia,
Pemba and Zanzibar.
TANZANIA
Climate data status
• The historical meteorological data are important for
monitoring climate change, climate variability and has a
critical role in decision making.
• Meteorological data observation began in Tanzania from
1890s along the coast and spread gradually to the mainland.
• Majority of the older files have undergone
tremendous deterioration due to chemical and
biologically-induced degradation as well as
physically-induced loss of strength resulting from
regular handling and use. Other records being
produced from the fields are also kept in the archive.
• The contents of these files are still useful and
urgently need to be rescued and preserved.
Climate data status
Situation Before
• Large percentage of the historical climate data are
still in paper form and are at greater risk of being lost
as the paper are deteriorating fast, in case of fire
outbreaks, if not well preserved causing the
knowledge database or the important data gathered
over years to be wasted.
Situation After
Climate Data Archive
OBJECTIVE OF THE PROJECT
• The overall objective is to convert all available
paper-based observed meteorological data
into computer based electronic images.
• The move is geared towards facilitation of long
term safety and preservation of the historical
meteorological data useful in implementing
the strategic mission of TMA of providing
quality, reliable and cost effective delivery of
meteorological services in Tanzania.
APPROACH/METHODOLOGY
• Training of relevant personnel (TMA and
outsourced) on data rescue.
• Building Inventory, document the records and
acquire a data management software.
• Purchase relevant hardware and software for
processing images such as High-Speed
Document Scanners.
• Indexing process Purchase High-End Web
Content Application Server.
MAIN ACTIVITIES
• Build
infrastructure
for
scanning
(computers,
scanners,
camera,
networking, and backup preparation).
• Scanning of the various manuscripts and
archiving.
• Data Entry, Quality checks, proof reading,
indexing and backup of the digitized
records.
TARGET LOCATIONS
ALL SYNOPTIC STATIONS WITH ALL BASIC
FORMS
HOLDING
CLIMATOLOGICAL
OBSERVATIONS STORED IN OUR ARCHIVES.
CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA
• Daily Rainfall Cards – Form 496
• Daily Maximum and Minimum Temperatures –
form 509
• Observation registers – form 444
• METAR registers – form 646
• Evaporation registers – form 446
• Sunshine registers – form 92
• Radiation registers – form 616
CLIMATOLOGICAL DATA …
• Hourly tabulation of temperature and relative
humidity – form 639A&B
• Rainfall charts and Monthly tabulation of
rainfall intensity – form 92A
• Pilot balloon ascents – form 293
• Radio sonde ascents – form
• Agro meteorological documents – forms 1-5
• Monthly rainfall Ledgers
TMA Data Rescue Initiatives
• TMA worked briefly with International
Environmental Data Rescue Organization
(IEDRO) in which some pilot balloon ascents
data were rescued,
• The process involved creating images and
construction of time series,
• Challenges included use of camera which
made the whole process slow and thus not
user friendly.
TMA Data Rescue Initiative
• IEDRO: Data digitization used an ordinary
Cannon camera.
TMA Data Rescue Initiative - IEDRO
BUKOBA STATION
TMA Data Rescue Initiative - IEDRO
BUKOBA STATION
Challenges
• Lack of enough equipment/facility such as computers
with enough capacity to store the bulk amount of the
data.
• The handwritten data ink fading away.
• Data can be taken as waste paper, even more
dangerous exposed to fire outbreaks or water.
• The long-term data also poses a threat to
health of the personnel who are working on it
as part of their daily duties.
• No enough room results to pilling up of the
records leading to hideout of the small insects.
Current initiatives and future plans
• TMA is currently collaborating with UK Met
and DFID in data rescue project. The project
aim at digitizing data from selected
parameters which are more crucial to sectors
more vulnerable to climate change
• Data inventory exercise is in progress.
• Through this initiatives it is expected a more
efficient data rescue and digitization strategy
will be developed.
Conclusion and Outcome
• Data recue and digitization of historical climate data
still remain one of the biggest challenge in an
efforts to enhance data availability and accessibility
• Large percent of historical climate data is still not
digitized and is at greater risk of being lost
• TMA will continue to enhance efforts to ensure that
all historical climate data are digitized and call for
support from international
organizations/collaboration.
THANK YOU
ASANTE