WPF to roll out 1,000 weather instruments

MANILA, Philippines - To help provide accurate localized weather forecasts and mitigate risks during times of natural calamities, WeatherPhilippines Foundation (WPF) is completing its rollout of about 1,000 automated weather instruments to various cities and provincial capitols nationwide in 2014.

Most of the instruments consist of automated weather stations (AWS) that are capable of determining temperature, pressure, humidity, wind speed and direction, solar radiation and rain locally. Localized weather data are then processed to provide the localized weather forecasts.

WPF completed 402 AWS in 2013 and conducted training on the use of these hardware as well as related software found on weather.com.ph.

The provinces, cities and various media as well as private individuals relied on the AWS and its website for the latest forecasts during the onslaught of Super Typhoon Yolanda.

“This is in line with the foundation’s thrust to contribute to disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. Tools on the website, for instance, assist and provide complementary information to local government units in planning and decision-making during severe weather situations,” said WPF general manager Celso Caballero III.

To complement its initiative, the foundation trained 358 city and provincial risk reduction personnel, public information officers and administrators nationwide to maximize use of tools on its website www.weather.com.ph.

The WPF reported installation of 205 AWS in all cities and provincial capitols of the League of Cities of the Philippines and League of Provinces of the Philippines last year.

The rollout of another 197 AWS was made possible by private donors and site partners such as the SM mall chain, Pilmico Foods Corp., Rappler, Globe Telecom, Primer Group, iAcademy, Geiser-Maclang, and Cebu Pacific.