IMD installs Automatic Weather Observation System on 10 metre mast at Mangalore airport
IMD in Pune. (File) IMD in Pune. (File)
IN A first, the Surface Instruments (SI) division of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Pune, has installed an ingenuously developed Automatic Weather Observation System (AWOS) at Mangalore airport on a 10-metre tall mast.
This is a part of upgrading and facilitating real-time weather updates directly to the pilots. Presently, all information pertaining to visibility, temperature, wind speed and direction, humidity prevailing at the location and the runway area of the airport is first sent to Air Traffic Control (ATC), from where it is relayed to pilots.
Until now, only a handful of AWOS were installed at select airports in the country, including at Juhu airport, Mumbai, where instruments were mounted on masts measuring 6m in height.
It was sometime last year that World Meteorological Organsiation (WMO) revised guidelines internationally for installing AWOS on masts ranging from 6 metre to 10 metre, after which a joint venture with CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories (NAL) was planned.
“This is being carried out on a trial basis at Mangalore airport, which is located on hilly terrain, also known as a table-top airport. The trials have been on for over three months now and will continue for a year,” informed a senior official from the division involved in the project.
The challenge, however, remains in designing a mast that is frangible, so that it not only remains light in weight, just enough to support the on board AWOS instruments along with simultaneously being able to withstand wind speeds ranging from 50 to 60 m/sec, the official explained.
“With the scaling up of the height, work is presently on to design the mast in such a manner that it can be either lowered or bend, for installation, maintenance or calibration purposes of sensors and other instruments, all of which is being led by experts at CSIR-NAL,” the official added.
Besides, the SI division is also working on procuring and installing instruments for the newer proposed airports in India.
Under the UDAN project, launched in October 2016, the instrumentation team will be additionally responsible for calibration, installation and maintenance of these instruments, presently being purchased for 52 airports, including Shirdi, Aurangabad and Kolhapur airports in Maharashtra.
“These are airports having limited operations, that is, most of them only during the day time, thereby having specific requirements. In addition, the requirements can also vary according to the geographical locations and local weather conditions,” the authority informed.
The Met department is currently involved in calibrating temperature and pressure sensors, transmissometers (for visibility) and plans to procure instruments required for up to 70 airports, given the newer airports being planned.
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