Meteorological specialist Biral and information system manufacturer MicroStep-MIS are to supply 88 automatic weather stations (AWS) in Nepal as part of the countrys Building Resilience to Climate Related Hazards project. The 16-month project will see the partners work with Nepals Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. Work has begun at three civilian airports: Tribhuvan International, situated about 5km east of Kathmandu city; Bhairahawa, a major trade hub between Nepal and India; and Pokhara, a city favoured by tourists and situated approximately 200km west of Kathmandu. MicroStep-MISs Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) is being installed at each of the airports along with 26 of Birals SW-250 Visibility and Present Weather Sensors, plus one VPF-750 sensor at Kathmandu airport, all conforming to RVR (runway visual range) and local weather condition requirements. All of the meteorological sensors are integrated into centralised software. Several different types of station networks are being used for this project. The first is the Regional Baseline Synoptic Network consisting of 11 stations. These stations will form the backbone of many application areas, not just the synoptic and aeronautical meteorology, and are maintained in operation as the highest-priority stations. The second is the Agrometeorological Observation Network consisting of 24 stations. This network will provide observations to support the understanding of the impacts of weather and climate on agriculture in Nepal. The locations of the stations are selected to cover the most important agricultural areas in Nepal. The third type is a supplementary station network consisting of a further 45 stations. This will support the first two networks.
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